For 16 years California trio Green Day have been acknowledged as the kings of punk rock, and in the Milton Keynes National Bowl, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre' Cool, showed that they are also one of the best live bands on the planet. Having declared the event "the biggest show Green Day have ever played", the band thrashed out songs from their new album 'American Idiot' and hits from their 16-year back catalogue. Singer/guitarist Billie Joe challenged the audience to make "every redneck in America" hear them, and the sold out 60,000 crowd did its best, joining in at every opportunity and creating a wall of noise. The show also featured sets from London band 'Hard-Fi', and American rockers 'Taking Back Sunday' and 'Jimmy eat world'.
 | | Green Day |
All three did an excellent job of warming the crowd up for the main event but when Green Day hit the stage they were already a fast-fading memory. The band opened with the mosh-pit anthem, 'American Idiot', from their new album and finished with the mellow 'Time of your Life'. Without ever feeling rushed, they crammed as many songs into two and a half hours as they could, including the anthemic 'Minority', hit singles, 'Wake me up when September Ends' and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', and the show stealing 'Are We the Waiting'. The band found time for cover versions, the first of them Lulu's 'Shout' - also a regular in Bon Jovi's live act. But that was eclipsed when Armstrong, the band's undoubted star, donned a Freddie Mercury style cape and crown for a version of Queen's 'We are the Champions', leading the fired up crowd to scream along with them. Without the powerful bass playing of Dirnt and the driving drumming of Cool, creating the driving rhythm there would be no Green Day and Billie Joe made sure everyone in the band got their share of the plaudits. He also invited three fans - a drummer, a bass player and a guitarist, onto the stage to play a number with them. If a band can keep tens of thousands of people leaping up and down for two and a half hours and leave them wanting more, they must be doing something right. Green Day are not as young as their image, or current popularity, suggests, but their passion for punk is undiminished and whether rocking against Bush or firing water pistols at the crowd, they know how to throw a great party. Those who missed it should be green with envy! Were you at the recent Green Day concerts at the MK Bowl - what did you think and did you take any photos? Why not send in your review and your pics and we'll add them to the page! | 
