Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins & Rancid – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Review)

Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins & Rancid – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA – August 9, 2024

Comprised of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, Green Day took the early 1990s by storm. The band has released 14 studio albums since their formation, including Kerplunk, Dookie, Nimrod, the iconic comeback album American Idiot, and their most recent release Saviors. The group has gone on to receive five Grammy Awards, 11 MTV VMA awards, and many more, for a good reason. Their music touches people worldwide and will continue to do so for years to come.

I was lucky enough to catch the award-winning group on their Saviors Tour accompanied by The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas, whose set was cut due to a rain delay, but I’ll get to that shortly. Rancid kicked off the night playing 11 of their hit songs including “Maxwell Murder,” “Time Bomb,” and “Fall Back Down.” This was a great way to start the night considering we all thought the show might be postponed due to the impacts of a tropical storm. Luckily, the storms held off and the only things electric about the night were the atmosphere and incredible performances.

Up next was the Smashing Pumpkins, whom I can tell are a fan favorite. It’s so rare to see people get so excited for an opening act, especially in misty weather, but everyone was on their feet for the entirety of the performance. They opened their set with “The Everlasting Gaze” followed by “Doomsday Clock,” “Disarm,” “1979,” and other powerful, catchy songs. Their set was one that I’ll remember.

After those incredible performances, it was finally time for Green Day to take the stage. Before the group stepped out, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” began blasting over the speakers. This is a sought-after experience for fans of the band because they play the track before all of their performances. After Freddie Mercury’s melodic voice faded away, the lights went down, and it was really time for the show. Graphics flashed on the screen from each of Green Day’s eras, which was extremely nostalgic for fans young and old. The Saviors Tour is a special one because not only does Green Day play all of their hit songs, but they play both Dookie and American Idiot cover to cover in honor of the 30th and 20th anniversary of the release of the iconic releases.

To pay homage to their newest album Saviors, the band kicked off their set with “The American Dream is Killing Me,” the opening track of the album. Up next was the Dookie portion of the set, which was easily the goofiest, most fun “era” to watch being performed. The opening song “Burnout” had everyone in The Bank on their feet, as this was the first song on the record that made many become Green Day fans. Following the album’s first track was “Having a Blast,” “Chump,” “Longview,” “Welcome to Paradise,” and so on until the end of this part of the set. Transitioning into the next part of the show, Tré Cool took the stage by himself to sing the album’s final track “All By Myself,” dressed in an animal-print robe. He is so theatrical, as is the rest of the group.

After Tré’s big moment, it was time for performances of other hits including “Know Your Enemy,” “Minority,” and a special performance of “Oh!” by the Linda Lindas, as their set was cut due to the weather earlier in the night.

The crowd went from loud to deafening when the first few chords of “American Idiot” began blaring throughout the ballpark. American Idiot is a concept album detailing the story of an adolescent anti-hero and his struggles living in America in the early 2000s, a familiar experience for some. This is easily one of Green Day’s most popular albums, and it is understandable as to why that is. The next song in the set was “Jesus of Suburbia,” my personal favorite. Though the song is over nine minutes long, fans sang every single word perfectly. This was such a memorable experience.

The group went on to perform the album track by track followed by “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” with fans lighting up the entire arena with their flashlights, “Are We the Waiting,” and so on. After “Letterbomb” came “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” with the group giving one of the most emotional live performances I have ever seen. It’s fair to say that there was barely a dry eye in Philly after this one. After the next few songs, was the show’s final song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life.)” Everyone was on their feet, swaying as one, singing every word to close out the night.

If you are a fan of Green Day, you need to head to a city near you to catch this tour. It’s one you won’t want to miss!

Kayla Marra