We’ve always referred to Green Day as a gateway drug to punk for 15 year-olds. This is where a lot of young punks get their feet wet. The thing is, nobody ever really outgrows Green Day. This was evident on Tuesday night with one look at the crowd at Azura Amphitheater (we still call it Sandstone, which shows our age). The last time they played Kansas City in 2017, the crowd was mostly teens and young adults. This time, however, we noticed it was more parents than anything– and they were proudly bringing along their kids. So punk didn’t die, it just expanded and is now gifted to an entirely new generation.
There was plenty to celebrate for everyone in attendance. This was, after all, a show full of milestones. The “Saviors” tour had Green Day playing two albums in their entirety: Dookie (celebrating its 30th anniversary) and American Idiot (celebrating its 20th anniversary). The themes aged gracefully, with many still applicable today (Billie Joe Armstrong swapping out the lyrics on American Idiot to “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda,” which he did on the tour in 2017 as well). The celebration saw plenty of pyro and explosions, and a “Bad Year” (a play on “Goodyear”) blimp dropping inflatable “Dookie” bombs on the crowd. The stamina on this band! There’s a reason they’ve been able to curate this decades-long relationship with their fans: they always keep up with their changing demands. Green Day played a two-and-a-half-hour set of mostly barn burners, bringing out all the sing-a-long favorites– and while we didn’t see as many stage divers as in years past, the kids knew the routine and participated well (especially the fan who got onstage, sang on “Know Your Enemy,” gave Armstrong a bunch of bracelets, and then dove off the stage into the crowd for a little surfing).
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But what set the Kansas City (Bonner Sprigs) show apart from the rest of the Saviors tour is that this one didn’t come with Smashing Pumpkins as the opener (Smashing Pumpkins actually played their own headlining show at the Starlight last week). This allowed for a smaller, more “intimate” venue, rather than a mega-stadium, which is what the majority of the tour comprised of. As a result of this opportunity to see them up closer, fans came from very far away. We talked to people who drove in from as far as New York and Florida just for this show because it was far more affordable, and a smaller venue meant a more up-close experience.
They did, however, keep the same openers. Rancid, a constant punk standby for everyone, rocked their opening set and viral teen sensation The Linda Lindas played a set so infectiously charming, it was hard to not fall head-over-heels for them right away. God, we would LOVE to see The Linda Lindas on their own headlining set, but they took off so quickly we’ll likely see them only with the mega stars (like Green Day) for a while.