I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life

I realize the season finale of Justified happened this week and I will make that post soon, but first things first. This is a blog about entertaining shows, so I'm going to tell you about the best night of my life (last night April 3rd) because I went to see Green Day. So this blog post comes in three parts, 1) brief backstory 2) earlier in the day/Best Coast 3) Green Day.

Part One: A Brief History of Green Day and Me
I started listening to Green Day when American Idiot came out, about eight years ago. I was around 12 years old. It was my mom who introduced me to the band. She loved American Idiot, and she basically forced me to listen to it in the car on our way to pick up my younger sister. That was the last time I had to be forced to listen to Green Day. They are my favorite band and the band that helped me get to all my other favorite bands. They mean more to me than I could put into words. So you can imagine that when my original date was canceled, I was devastated. But my wonderful parents, who know how much this stuff means to me, and how long I've been waiting to see them, told me that if I found a way into Philly, they'd put in $100 for a ticket. I found a ride, and a ticket was bought. Bringing us to part two.

Part Two: The Events Leading up the the Event
So yesterday I woke up and my first thought was TODAY I SEE GREEN DAY. Yes, it was in all caps in my head. The countdown that I had started in January was finally over. As I waited for three o'clock to roll around, I started to (literally) sweat with anticipation. I thought I was going to puke from the excitement. I usually get like that right before concerts, but this concert was eight years in the making, so it was magnified tenfold. Finally it was three and time to leave for the venue. I got there at five, and doors were *supposed* to open at 5:30, but when are these things on time? So I and my fellow Green Day fans stood outside in the cold and wind for an extra hour before we were finally let inside. I found what seemed to be a good spot, and settled in.

The opener was Best Coast, and that night they had the awkward set that I'm sure every opener has had at least once. They played, we stood there like fish. They weren't bad, although there was more bass than necessary, we just really didn't care all that much. We were there to see Green Day. So onto part three.

Part Three: Wherein I Almost Lose a Shoe and Cry
Suddenly. The stage lights came on. We started screaming. And there, coming out from backstage...was a man in a pink bunny suit, double-fisting beers. We sang along to Blitztreg Bop as he chugged one of the beers and finally staggered off stage. And THEN Green Day ran on the stage. I feel I should mention this. Green Day has a lot of fans. And they are all ages. So mixed in with the crowd of 20-somethings like myself, there were ten year olds with their parents. I was near the front and only had a brief moment to think "I don't think this is a good place to be." before all hell broke loose. Instead of ending up between or behind the mosh pit, I'd ended up in front of it. So when the pink bunny appeared there was a rush to the stage and a lot of pushing. And then I almost lost my shoe. The crowd was pushed hard to the right during the third song and someone stepped on the back of my shoe. I managed to get it back on my foot, but I was worried for a second. Eventually, I made it behind the mosh pit and was still able to see the members of my favorite band. They played old songs and new songs. I screamed every word. I jumped. I danced. I helped a mosh pit.

I knew that the traditional closer, "Good Riddance (Time of your Life)", wasn't on the setlist, because Rolling Stone had posted the setlist. I was bummed when I saw that, because I felt it was part of Green Day's concert experience. So when they finished the encore (not with Good Riddance) and the house lights went up, I was the only one not confused. We started to slowly make our way out. But then. Billie Joe came back. Got an acoustic. And played "Good Riddance." And I cried. Best night ever.



Extreme Special Thanks to
My roommate Nicole and her parents for taking me into and picking me up from Philly.
My parents who have always understood my love for music and concerts. Thank you so much for the ticket.
Green Day. For all the music and for an amazing unforgettable night.