From "American Idiot" to "Dream (Killer)".

Against all possible and unimaginable odds, we managed to be part of Green Day's Hella Tiny Tour. For those who haven't had their Instagram flooded with posts and stories of Green Day in recent days, in the last month, they announced the release of their new album "Saviors" (January 2024) and also the summer tour that will include the United States, Europe, and the UK.

Not wasting any time, GD decided at the last minute to do three stops in Europe (Paris, Milan, London) to promote their two new singles, "The American Dream is Killing Me" and "Look Ma, No Brains!" but also to reward their most loyal fanbase and give them the chance to see them in a very intimate setting. These three shows (actually 2, London was canceled) were scheduled in venues with very limited capacity (about 1000 people). Considering that they have been headliners for major festivals worldwide for more than twenty years, you'll understand the difficulty in securing tickets. It took setting an early alarm and having five laptops connected simultaneously on three different ticketing sites, but here we are!

Performance

From the queue before entering, there was a perception of a unique event, and so it was! When else can you see Billie Joe (frontman), Mike (bassist), and Tré (drummer) so up close? Green Day ages like wine, the more years pass, the more they seem to savor. They appeared entirely confident even playing songs they hadn't played for many years. Billie Joe, despite his 50 years, still looks like a kid, and those bleached haird take us back to many years ago. None of the usual gags from their concerts were performed, like bringing a fan on stage for the final chorus of "Know Your Enemy" or Billie encouraging the crowd with "EEEOOO" in Freddie Mercury style. 

There was a real desire to make it a completely different experience that would otherwise have been just another GD concert with a reduced audience. A performance where, with almost no production for obvious reasons, a discography spanning more than 30 years took the spotlight, marking the history of punk rock.

Production

Green Day announced their presence in Milan only 72 hours before the concert itself. The only thing they brought on this mini-tour was their instruments; there were no decorations or special lights, except for those already present in the clubs where they performed. The idea was still to give total attention to the music, so any special effects usually found in their concerts would have been out of place in these more intimate events. Unfortunately, we will be forced to give a low rating as it would be unfair to give the same rating as a more elaborate stage. However, this is definitely an irrelevant section to judge this event in particular.

Setlist

This is definitely the most interesting part of all. A very long setlist of 29 songs. In this type of concert, Green Day can explore a lot more with songs, knowing they have a small but truly devoted audience, fans who appreciate even the older or less famous pieces. It starts right away with "American Idiot" and "Holiday", just like in their last tour in 2022. Immediately after, they move on to the three new singles from the upcoming album "Saviors," which will be released next January: "Look ma, no brains", "1981" (not yet released on Spotify), and "The American Dream is Killing Me", achieving great success and indicating that the next album will surely be more significant than the last.

The middle part undoubtedly featured great classics like "Welcome to Paradise", "Basket Case", "Longview", "Brain Stew", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and "Minority", but also many lesser-known tracks like "Stuart and the Ave", "Geek Stink Breath" from the "Insomniac" album, and especially "Christie Road" from "Kerplunk", one of my favorite songs. There were many notable absences, such as "Know Your Enemy", "Hitchin' a Ride", "When I Come Around", and "21 Guns", but especially "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends".

To conclude with a truly breathtaking finale, three songs that hadn't been played for many years, like "Homecoming", an approximately 9-minute song from "American Idiot" where both Mike (bassist) and Tre (drummer) contribute vocally, making it very unique. Following that is "Whatsername", probably the best soundtrack for every time our hearts were broken (sorry Swifties), a masterpiece. To wrap it up, "Last Night on Earth," a ballad from the album "21st Century Breakdown". The last song, as usual, is "Good Riddance".

Let's emphasize that these events are to experience something different from any other concert on a tour. Therefore, the fact that space is given to less commonly played or lesser-known songs, still highly appreciated by dedicated fans, is something to be appreciated. To be honest, Green Day has so much material that they could create three completely different setlists from each other, and despite this, they would still have to sacrifice some songs.

Crowd and venue

Having a very solid fan base in Italy, it's clear that among the fortunate 1000 who managed to secure tickets, only the most devoted fans were present. Let’s remember that the event was announced 72 hours before, so people had to organize themselves at the last minute, and many had to travel to reach Milan. Every single song was embraced by the crowd as if it were the most famous of all. The only hiccup was people using their phones for video calls during the concert. I get wanting a few clips for memories, but when Green Day belts out 'Good Riddance,' no one wants to see your girlfriend's pixelated face when Billie Joe's right there. P.S. Am I the only one whose signal dies the moment I step into an indoor gig? How can people video call?

The venue, "Magazzini Generali," is the classic club where emerging or niche artists perform. Despite any potential distance, you were still closer than any golden pit circle at any Green Day concert.  Unfortunately, the audio quality was poor, especially in the front rows. Billie Joe sounded much better when engaging with the crowd by stepping away from his station rather than being in front of the microphone. It's clear that venues like these are not accustomed to hosting bands of this caliber regularly. 

Finishing touch

One thing is certain: Billie, Mike, and Tre may have a few more years under their belts, that's true. But Green Day is still here, and people still have a lot of love for Green Day. Let's get ready for the tour next summer, which, judging by the hype in recent weeks, will undoubtedly be one of the most significant in recent years. See you in June!

P.S. Many thanks to one of my best friends, Davide (who also managed to catch one of Mike's picks), for sharing his experience, videos and pics for gignwings.

Hot gignwings review

Performance: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

Production: 🌶

Setlist: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Venue: 🌶🌶

Crowd: 🌶🌶🌶🌶