By Katelyn Shields

8 years ago, I was 13 years old and so excited to see my first ever concert. Green Day was a band I loved so much, and I couldn’t believe I was going to hear them play live. That day marked the beginning of my life-long obsession with live music. Last week, I got to relive that experience at Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium. 

 

Green Day’s The Saviors Tour in Australia was a 20-year celebration of their 2004 album American Idiot and a 30-year celebration of their 1994 Album Dookie. To celebrate, both albums were played in their entirety, along with a few songs off their newest album Saviors, and a few of their most well-known hits.  

 

Despite their many years in the industry, a Green Day concert in 2025 is a surreal multi-generational experience. The stadium was filled with people of all ages, from older fans since the early days sharing the experience with their children, to young adults and teenagers who grew up with the band’s music.  

 

Waiting in line for General Admission, people around me were reminiscing on their memories with Green Day. "I haven’t seen them since 1996,” said one older fan, eager to hear Dookie once again almost 30 years later.  

 

Green Day opened the show with a fitting single off their newest album, ‘The American Dream is Killing Me,’ acting as a catalyst for a night of the political commentary the band is so well known for. 

 

Next, it was time for the Dookie set. A massive recreation of the explosion from the album cover, alongside its title, took to the stage. Green Day played through the set with infectious punk rock energy as they took so many of their longtime fans for a trip down memory lane. Hits like ‘Longview,’ ‘Welcome to Paradise,’ ‘Basket Case’ and ‘When I Come Around’ received tremendous applause from the crowd of roughly 38,000 fans.  

A massive inflatable blimp with “Bad Year” written on its side also made its way through the crowd during the Dookie set, dropping mini-inflatable bombs (little dookies, if you will) along the way as fans desperately tried to grab them. “Bad year to live...” said a fellow concert-goer next to me as we all looked up. 

 

To end the set, drummer Tré Cool took centre stage in a leopard print robe to perform an orchestral version of Dookie’s tongue-in-cheek hidden track, ‘All by Myself.’  

 

Following Dookie was a mini set, featuring some of band’s most well-known hits such as ‘Know Your Enemy,’ ‘Minority’ and ‘Brain Stew’, as well as two more songs off Saviors. In ‘Know Your Enemy’, Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong proved yet again his ability to perform incredible guitar solos back-to-back. In a touching moment, Armstrong also invited a fan to join the band on stage to sing the bridge and final chorus alongside them.  

 

Finally, it was time for the most anticipated set of the night --- American Idiot in full. The “punk rock opera” album expresses the frustrations of a generation that came of age at the time of political unrest alongside events such as 9/11, something that continues to resonate with generations of today in a turbulent modern world.  

 

Beginning the set was the title track, ‘American Idiot.’ The stadium shook as the crowd roared with applause as soon as the band began to play its famous chord progression. Armstrong made sure to highlight the song’s continued relevance today, changing the lyrics of the second verse to “I’m not apart of a MAGA agenda.”  

 

The energy of the band – now in their 50’s - was incredible as they pumped out fan favourites such as ‘Holiday,’ ‘St. Jimmy’ and the 9-minute-long ‘Jesus of Suburbia.’ In a speech during ‘Letterbomb’ (a personal favourite of mine, alongside ‘Whatsername’) Armstrong proclaimed he wanted everyone in the audience to put aside their differences and come together for the night.  

 

“Australia, you’re not as f***** up as America though!” said Armstrong before laughing and yelling “I just can’t help myself!”  

 

Shortly after, Armstrong asked everyone in the audience to put down their phones and take in the moment for the remainder of the song, as “this may be the last time we play American Idiot in full.” 

 

Finishing the set with the sentimental ‘Whatsername,’ Armstrong seemingly teared up towards the end of the song, having to stop singing as the crowd filled in the lyrics for him. “And just like that... 20 years” said an emotional Armstrong as the song ended. 

 

Following the American Idiot set, the band played one last song off Saviors, before ending with an acoustic performance of ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).’ At the end of the song, drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt stood on either side of Armstrong, and Cool strummed the final chord, to which fireworks were launched and lit up the sky as the band said their goodbyes.  

 

Green Day’s Saviors Tour has reignited my love of punk rock, and it brought me so much joy to be able to celebrate such important music I’ve loved so much and grown up to. I know in these feelings, I wasn’t alone. Hopefully it won’t be another 8 years before they come back down under, but for an experience as unforgettable as a Green Day concert, I’m willing to wait.  

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Katelyn Shields is a 4th year student studying Media / Arts, majoring in communication and journalism. A massive music fan, she can be found at concerts and record stores yapping about her favourite albums 

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