During “Ava Adore,” Corgan used a typical Joe Rockstar trick of pointing to different sides of the crowd to cheer. He also smiled sweetly as the crowd sang along to softer songs like “Today” and “1979.” Seemingly just for fun, he also threw in an industrial-gothic remake of U2’s “Zoo Station,” heavily influenced by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha are from the original Pumpkins lineup, but the band took on a more ’80s metal vibe with the addition of two new female backup band members who matched Corgan’s dark attire. Grunge classics like “Bullet With a Butterfly Wings” and the closing song “Zero” seemed a little cheesy in the new lineup; or maybe they were just too somber for the bright daylight of the stadium.
After finally giving their dancing bunny the chorus, Green Day excitedly hopped on stage to the tune of “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” one of only two songs from their new album, Saviors. From there, it was on to the “Dookie” race.
The album is shot through with the unsatisfied longing and cynical boredom of early adulthood. The youthful qualities of “Dookie” might seem out of place now that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is 52. But as any fan of Minneapolis rock inspirations The Replacements (including Armstrong himself) can tell you, this stuff never really gets old – especially when its creators can still play these tunes with abandon.
Armstrong and his bandmates Mike Dirnt (bass) and Tré Cool (drums) played songs like “Longview,” “Basket Case” and “Welcome to Paradise” at breakneck speed, pausing to catch their breath only during “When I Come Around,” and that was because most of the 40,000 fans took over the vocals.
As entertaining as the “Dookie” performance was, “American Idiot” was even better. It’s a more musically diverse, conceptual, exciting and lyrically punchy album. And it has an opening song/title track for the ages.
