GREEN DAY’S SUMMER TOUR KICKS OFF WITH UNPREDICTABLE SHOWS TO THE DELIGHT OF FANS AND CRITICS

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/KRISTINE ASHTON/LATHUM NELSON

GREEN DAY'S SUMMER TOUR KICKS OFF WITH UNPREDICTABLE SHOWS
TO THE DELIGHT OF FANS AND CRITICS;
HBO "REVERB" CONFIRMED TO TAPE TUESDAY, JUNE 26 CONCERT IN ASBURY PARK, NJ;

BAND TO PERFORM "WAITING" ON CONAN O'BRIEN
THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Leave it to rock's unpredictable GREEN DAY to offer a refreshing take on the concert experience for fans on their headlining tour this summer. Or, as MTV News noted of the band's Milwaukee show (June 18), one of the first stops on their 25-city trek across America: "Green Day presented a perfect example of how a band can stay true to its punk roots while still offering a dose of arena rock showmanship." During that night's performance, the Bay area trio surprised fans by devoting part of their show to playing songs called out by fans. In addition fielding requests to play some of their rare tracks, GREEN DAY—BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, TRE COOL and MIKE DIRNT–also performed Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" and the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Meanwhile, GREEN DAY continued their tradition of pulling members of the audience onstage to join in the act when they played St. Louis (June 20). According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch: "Armstrong recruited a young man from the crowd to perform the band's 'No Ride' alone on acoustic guitar…He turned and smiled midway through the song when the band joined in. Armstrong also said he wanted to start a new band, and recruited a guitarist, bassist and drummer from the crowd for another song. He dubbed them the St. Louis Losers." The review continued, praising the band's two-hour set: "Green Day's Armstong, drummer Tre Cool, and bassist Mike Dirnt sent pulses racing, as they always have, in their demonstration of how much noise can be made by a three-piece outfit."

Elsewhere, the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted: "Green Day singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong stood perched atop a stage monitor…like an orchestra conductor, waving his arms up and down in a frenzied fashion. The thousands of teen-age fans spread out in a human sea beneath him mimicked his every movement, ready to ride wherever Armstrong wanted them to go. Green Day took them on a raucous ride, powering the journey with the punk-pop hits that made the California trio superstars."

In other news, GREEN DAY's Tuesday, June 26 concert in Asbury Park, NJ is being taped by HBO for an upcoming "Reverb" special (airdate: TBA). The band will also play the hit single "Waiting" (from their platinum WARNING album) on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Thursday, June 28), the day after their sold-out show at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. In addition, the explosive punk rockers will continue their high profile on TV as the subjects of their own VH1 "Behind The Music" special, debuting July 15.

Here are the GREEN DAY tour dates: