An electrified 60,000 strong crowd had the time of their lives on Saturday night (1 March 2025) as they packed into Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium for the first night of the Australian leg of Green Day’s Saviors Tour. This was the first time Green Day has played in Australia in seven years.
The Californian punk outfit are touring to commemorate the the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot, both of which were performed in their entirety during the sold-out concert.
Shortly after sunset, a pre-show setlist featuring classics like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” united fans in spirited sing-alongs while Green Day’s mascot, Drunk Bunny, took to the stage to whip up the excitement in the crowd.
Taking the stage, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool wasted no time diving into Dookie, delivering high-octane renditions of tracks such as “Longview,” “Basket Case,” and “When I Come Around.” The band’s synergy and relentless energy showcased their enduring passion and musicianship.
Before launching into American Idiot, the band played a selection of other songs from their considerable back catalogue including “Minority”, “Brain Stew” and “Dilemma”.
During the performance of the explosive anthem “Know Your Enemy” a fan named Honey was brought onto the stage and sang along with all the gusto the track calls for – urging the crowd to question authority and resist oppression -which is as punk rock as it gets.
The concert’s production was nothing short of spectacular, featuring vibrant stage designs, pyrotechnics, and massive props. The stadium was encircled by flashing lights, complemented by fireworks, flames, and an inflatable plane descending from above.
Transitioning into American Idiot, Green Day maintained their momentum with powerful performances of “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and the nine-minute epic “Jesus of Suburbia.”
The themes from American Idiot and the raw anger it contains were a long way from the slacker themes of Dookie just a decade before it. It is obvious how far the band advanced in the ten years between the albums…and how the world has somehow changed so little, but also so much at the same time in the twenty years since its release.
Green Day wrote American Idiot as a response to the political and cultural climate of the early 2000s, particularly in the United States following the 9/11 attacks and the presidency of George W. Bush. The band was frustrated with the rise of misinformation, sensationalist media, and what they saw as a climate of fear and division in the country. In many ways, what we see in the world and the politics coming out of the USA today make the landscape of the early 2000s seem tame in comparison – and the themes of American Idiot more relevant than ever.
This concert came the day Australia woke up to the news and vision that Donald Trump and JD Vance had berated and bullied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the media in the Oval Office, sending the world reeling.
Armstrong didn’t shy away from expressing his views on the current regime asking the audience, “Don’t you want Elon Musk to shut the fuck up? Don’t you want Donald Trump to shut the fuck up?”” These remarks resonated with the audience, who cheered loudly.
After playing for a solid two-and-a-half hours, the concert concluded with the 37th song for the evening – the poignant and (something probably not unpredictable) “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” offering a reflective end to a night of high-energy performances.
