Bay Area rockers Green Day played a special pop-up show at House of Blues in Anaheim on Tuesday, March 19 in front of roughly 2,200 die-hard fans.
The band announced the intimate gig on Monday, March 18 and it sold out in minutes. Loyal followers lined up early at the venue, some even camping out since the early morning hours, to secure an up-close spot on the general admission floor.
ALSO SEE: From Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ to Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die,’ these albums turn 30 in 2024
Green Day is preparing to launch its The Saviors Tour, which will highlight the 30th anniversary of the band’s album “Dookie” and the 20th anniversary of “American Idiot,” as the trio will play both albums in their entirety. The set will also include other fan favorites, as well as songs from Green Day’s latest album, “Saviors,” that dropped back in January.
Those that were lucky enough to score tickets to the House of Blues show were in for a treat as the band played “Saviors” in its entirety, including the live debut of songs like “Coma City,” “Corvette Summer,” “Living in the ’20s” and the acoustic song, “Father to a Son.”
While the fresher cuts got the audience bopping along, the singles from the album that have received radio and streaming play — “The American Dream is Killing Me,” “Look Ma, No Brains!,” “Dilemma” and “One Eyed Bastard” — went over well as the crowd sang along, the songs fitting right into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted band’s extensive repertoire.
“This is a historic night,” vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong told the fans, who packed into the venue to party with the band on a Tuesday night. “Thank you, thank you guys so much.”
Going back three decades, the guys, who sounded like they were in peak form throughout the night, roared through songs off of “Dookie,” including “Burnout,” “Chump” and “She,” as well as drummer Tré Cool coming out to sing “All By Myself” to kick off the encore.
They also dusted off several songs that haven’t been played live in more than a decade: “She’s a Rebel,” “Give Me Novacaine” and “Extraordinary Girl.” They opened the show with “American Idiot” to get the energy flowing and wrapped up the 90-minute set with “Minority,” the only song on the setlist from its 2000 album, “Warning.”
The Saviors Tour will hit SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Sept. 14, Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sept. 20 and Petco Park in San Diego on Sept. 28. The outing will feature support from The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas. There are still tickets available for the SoFi Stadium show starting at $79 at Ticketmaster.com and at Petco Park, starting at $85 at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the Oracle Park date near the band’s hometown are currently sold out.
Green Day
When: Tuesday, March 19
Where: House of Blues, Anaheim