cavo's corner

✭Matinée Wednesday: Round Twenty-Seven…

First things first: sorry for the hiatus with Matinée Wednesday. Let’s get down to business! For @TGH3RD’s birthday, I got us a clutch pair of tickets to see American Idiot, while it was still in previews. We were literally sitting on the stage at the beautiful St. James Theatre. Coincidentally enough, the show’s antagonist is named it St. Jimmy. I think they did that on purpose.

There had been talk of a stage adaptation of Green Day’s highly acclaimed concept album “American Idiot” for quite some time prior to the 2010 Broadway production. I remember hearing a report on Z100 during “Danielle’s Morning Sleaze” that Green Day was producing the punk-rockpera at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in California.

As is the case with most “jukebox musicals,” American Idiot does not have much of a plot. Rather, it is a series of songs loosely strung together with hastily written dialogue that doesn’t even begin to evoke the emotions of the lyrics in the music. Billy Joe Armstrong wrote “American Idiot” with the intent of using the album as a score for a stage version. After Green Day’s 2009 follow-up, “21st Century Breakdown” was released, several songs from that album were added to the score of American Idiot.

The show officially opened on April 20th (get it, 4:20) — do you think that was also a coincidence too? — which made it eligible to be nominated for the 2010 Tony Awards. It won two categories: one award for “Best Lighting Design of a Musical” and the other for “Best Scenic Design of a Musical,” which it certainly deserved.  From the time you enter the St. James Theatre, you feel unsettled. There is a sense of anarchy, as the graffiti-lined halls usher you into the theatre. Sharpies tempt you to deface the walls by adding your name. Unfortunately, @TGH3RD and I were running late, so we were unable to add our names, but @Pasty, (who was also at the show on the same night as we were!) did! 

As a HUGE Green Day fan, I was in all my glory during the show; singing along with each song. I don’t know if this “jukebox” has the staying power of something like Mama Mia!, but it is something that should be seen.

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Twenty-Eight:

The summer of 2009 was phenomenal as far as concerts were concerned. I was able to see my top three bands: No Doubt, Green Day, and Blink 182. I also saw the amazingly talented Jason Mraz. Too bad, I haven’t really been to any since then! (That’s so unlike me). Green Day is one of the few bands that straddles that punk/rock/pop threshold that are actually great live. I’ve seen the likes of Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, Good Charlotte, etc… and none of them have the stage presence that Green Day exudes. They are true performers through and through. 

The last time I saw them in concert was in 2004 when they co-headlined the “Pop Disaster Tour” with Blink 182. Since then, they had released the Grammy Award winning album, American Idiot and the highly successful follow-up, 21st Century Breakdown, which was what this tour was supporting. I was very excited to see how they have matured as performers as their new material is pretty heavy, focusing on issues such as living in post-9/11 America.

As excepted, they were fantastic and did not disappoint. Playing material new and old, they took to the stage for just under two of the fastest hours of my life. When you become accustomed to playing an album on repeat, you’re not used to how quick each song actually is.

My good friend, (and former co-worker), Mandy  accompanied me to the show. We had seen several concerts together, another one of which was also at Madison Square Garden. We always have a wonderful time together, and this was no different.

[[Mandy and Me.]]