Concert Review: Green Day and A.F.I. Rock Detroit

Few rock bands can claim to have as much influence and staying power as Green Day. From selling millions of albums in the early ‘90s (at 15 million, 1994’s “Dookie” is the world’s best-selling punk rock album) to launching a Broadway musical this year (based on the band’s Grammy-winning 2004 release “American Idiot”), Green Day isn’t going anywhere.

At their heart, Green Day is a DIY punk revivalist who introduced the ‘70s punk rock ethos to a younger, broader audience. Catchy, three-chord tunes about suburban life and the desire for something more resonated with an entire generation of music newbies--- and now, the next.

Green Day aren't exactly the kind of guys you’d expect to play a mellow show. And they didn’t last week at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston. Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,000, newly bleach blonde lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong sped across the stage, danced,  collapsed, got up again and amped up the audience that ranged in age from little kids to older adults.

Green Day pulled out all the stops during their two and a half-plus hour set, constantly pulling audience members onstage to sing along and reaching deep into their catalog of chart-topping goodies. While bass player Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool kept instrumentals tight and lively, Armstong did most of the antics. He sported a feather boa. He fired off Green Day T-shirts. He squirted the crowd with a giant water canon. He stayed wired throughout.

He also gave Michigan a lot of love. “Maybe Green Day will relocate to Michigan,” Armstrong announced two songs into the set, garnering a crescendo of cheers.

“Louder than New York City during ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams,’” he announced later in the set.

And the hits kept coming: “21st Century Breakdown,” “Hitching A Ride,” “She” (which was uber fast), “Brain Stew/Jaded” (expanded on to a longer jam), “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Welcome to Paradise.” 

Opening, A.F.I. (A Fire Inside) brought its Misfits-inspired goth-punk. Hot off a gig at Lollapalooza (as was Green Day), lead singer Davey Havok leap onstage, mic in fist, ready to bring the band’s emotion-drenched tracks such as “The Leaving Song Pt. II,” “Miss Murder” and “Girls Not Grey” to the crowd. At first, the crowd seemed light (A.F.I. started at 6:50 p.m.). But after people started to hear the band’s blast of energy, groups of listeners gathered around the stage, and Havok directed security not to force them to take their seats. By the end of both A.F.I. and Green Day’s sets, it’s safe to say, the crowd was totally spent.