Classic & Current Contemporary Non-Schlock-Rock Metropolitan Music

Green Day at Raleigh's RBC Center 2005

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Green Day Concert – Raleigh, NC – August 24, 2005

Note: Pictures on this page are from the Norfolk Green Day show.

Raleigh, NC (Deaconlight.com) -- August 27, 2005 -- My big event this week was seeing Green Day in Raleigh. Even though they played virtually the same set I saw at the Norfolk show last spring, Green Day were unbelievably fun. About the only difference is that Mike Dirnt has dark hair now instead of blonde. We weren't in a VIP box this time, but being down in the stands let us get much closer to the band. (The pictures from the 2005 Green Day tour on Deaconlight.com are from the Norfolk show, not the Raleigh show. More pictures are on the Green Day page and the American Idiot essay page.)

Before the band came on, the big pink bunny came out to survey the crowd and guzzle a couple of brews. From what I hear, the bunny is one of the band members. We're thinking the bunny might have been Tré Cool at the Norfolk show. My guess is that Billie Joe was the bunny in Raleigh. When he came out on stage, he looked hot - as in warm (and as in cute) - and his hair was droopy. Tré's hair was very tall this time around and I don't think it would have been that way if he had been in that hot bunny suit. (I gotta say, Tré Cool is one great drummer. Very talented guy who even though he's pounding away he makes it look so effortless. He is one of the all-time great rock drummers.)

The show opened with a long set from American Idiot, starting with the title cut. It's interesting to think these guys have been playing these songs over and over all year and they still truly looked like they were having a blast and not tiring of them.

We were in the stands at stage left close to the corner platform. We had hoped from this vantage Avalon would get a chance to be picked to play guitar during the cover of Operation Ivy's "Knowledge." It is during this part of the show that Billie Joe selects audience members to play drums, bass, and guitar.

Unfortunately, Billie Joe didn't even come close to us when looking for a guitar player. He first picked an 18-year-old chick who wasn't able to play the three chords, either due to nerves or inexperience. This is where Billie Joe got burned and should have picked Avalon.

Instead he pulled up 16-year-old bleach-blonde dude wearing a Ramones shirt. The guy gave Billie Joe a big kiss, took the black guitar with the red star on in, slid his pick down the strings and started jamming. This dude obviously was having a blast, even going to the mic and singing "All I know is I don't know. All I know is I don't know nothing."

Apparently this was the same dude Billie Joe had picked from the audience at the Charlotte show last spring. The guy said into the mic, referring to the giveaway guitar: "I already got one at Charlotte, man!" So Billie Joe called the first chick back and gave her the guitar and told the guy to get off the stage.

Avalon, of course, was disappointed she didn't get picked. Maybe they have some sort of age limit anyway. She's only 10, but she could've put on a nice show.

I should mention that Jimmy Eat World opened up. We missed the first part of their set because we were stuck in traffic. They sounded good, but too loud.

Rock on, dude!

It was a fun evening. These guys put on an energetic show and their enthusiasm for the songs was infectious. Don't pass up a chance to see the Green Day 2005 tour. They will be bopping around the USA until the first part of October before heading to Paris in November.

-- DD Thornton