Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. The three founding members of Green Day live in Vélez. Photo: Martin Bonetto.
At first glance, the idea of joining on the same night Green Day and Billy Idol perhaps it might have seemed forced or at least unexpected, but it turned out to be a perfect and unbeatable combination to shape a great day of rock. Indeed, the duo of artists on Sunday filled the Vélez stadium with more than 30 thousand people.
With Billy Idol, the repertoire caught on in the early 1980s, when it had big hits widely distributed on MTV. And with Green Day, the list of themes ensured a jump to the decade 1995-2005, with another succession of successes. Together they were dynamite.
The start, as an opening act with a one-hour show, was in the hands of the US-based British who today he is 66 years old and keeps her platinum punk hair. People cheered his arrival on stage and celebrated the presence of his longtime musical partner, the guitarist Steve Stevens.
A return after 31 years
Nothing was missing. They made all the hits and surprised with some very recent good material, for example the ballad Bitter taste (who played this year on the series The Umbrella Academy) Y Running away from the ghost. None of them were out of place on a list full of ultra-well-known titles across the stadium, such as Dancing with myself, Mony Mony Y Rebellious cry.
Billy Idol watched it I haven’t been to the countryside for 31 years“And I love being here,” he stressed. Fans dedicated songs to him, sang along with choruses, and celebrated his pouting and rock star clichés, such as taking off his shirt, going shirtless and then putting on a leather jacket. Or he looks at the camera and gestures knowing they would be magnified on the giant screens.
Special mention for Stevens, who sanctioned his virtuosity and his role in defining the sound of Idol’s hits. Together they form a duo in the best Page-Plant style, where each one exalts the other until a distinctive result is achieved. He didn’t even deprive himself of giving a great introduction to Eyes without a face nor to show off with the central theme of top Gun original, which he composed in 1987.
Billy Idol has made a glorious return to the countryside and tomorrow, Tuesday, he will have the pleasure of filling the Luna Park with a solo concert.
Charisma, sympathy and rock
In the case of Green Day it hasn’t been long, as Billie Joe Armstrong recalled from the stage. The band arrived in Vélez five years agoand before that he had played in Buenos Aires in 1998 (Parque Sarmiento) and in 2010 (Costanera Sur, at the Pepsi Music festival).
A Green Day recital is an unstoppable display of the singer’s overflowing energy, success, charisma and friendliness.. Behind are his partners Mike Dirnt on bass and Tré Cool on drums, although two live guitarists (Jason White and Kevin Preston) and a keyboard player who also plays sax (Jason Freese) also join.
Fans know every detail and celebrate in advance. When the lights go out and it rings Bohemian RhapsodyYou know the show is about to begin. Soon it comes to the speakers Blitzkrieg Bop of the Ramones and upload a name disguised as a bunny (with a waistcoat and thin tie) to harangue people. And with American idiot the marathon of shots begins.
Even Green Day fans aren’t surprised when Billie Joe asks who wants to come and sing, and invite a girl to do choirs. Or when ask someone to play the guitar in a songthat tonight it was a boy named Valentín, who happily went away with the viola that had been given to him after his participation.
There were fireworks, explosions, great lighting, pogo, winks Hombre de Hierro Sabbath, a little bit of harmonica on minoritya drum solo and very good images with real time effects on the live images.
But the key to Green Day is Billie Joe, always on the verge of demagogy but without seeming false or exaggerated. Her spontaneity and constant good vibes are everything, as she plays a string of hits. Not three hours have passed, as on a previous visit, but it has exceeded 130 minutes.
The key moments were Boulevard of Broken Dreams, When I Come Around, Basket Case and the always emotional Wake me up when September endsin addition to the first ending with Jesus of Suburbs and the bis Good release (Time of Your Life).
“There is no other place I would like to be other than Argentina,” the singer said at one point. Judging by the enthusiasm and joy they exuded from the stage, it was true. Later, he led the cheers from the stands around the stadium like a bandleader in punk-rock costume. People were delusional, just like they knew they would be, because that’s what one night with Green Day does.
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Marcelo Fernandez Bitar
Source: Clarin