American idiot was my generation's protest music. My mom said (during bush, 9/11, Afghanistan, etc) where is the protest music? And I realized the protest music changes genres through generations- there was a music video with eagles in swastika armbands, but it was punk and rock.
My son talked me into listening to American Idiot when it was released. Immediately hooked and took him to his first concert in Sunrise, Florida. Heard Jesus of Suburbia live in Suburbia.
Green Day has been consistently good since kerplunk. Not my favorite band by any means but I never change the channel when they come on the radio. Billy Joe is a masterful songwriter.
My beloved brother who passed away less than a week ago went with me to 94 Lollapalooza in LA. He said he went there to see the Smashing Pumpkins and left a Green Day fan.
bruh i was 24 when that album came out i think we may be talking past each other 🤣🤟
to be fair, i still paid to see this tour in 2005. almost died of old when a tween standing near me in GA said they were "maybe as good as simple plan" (simple plan opened)
Omg you’re totally right 😂 I completely missed that, my bad! I’m not sure if there is one where he hears American Idiot for the first time, but I really hope there is.
60 years ago when I was a teen and a budding musician, I listened to Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Coltrane, Buddy Rich, and dozens of other giants. All that shit holds up today. That said, "American Idiot" was brilliant.
First album I ever owned myself, bought on cassette with saved allowances, age 9. (Also how I learned to actually use the word “fuck” in a sentence, as opposed to just abstractly knowing it existed as a curse word.)
That was my first Green Day album I ever bought. I grew up conservative christian and could only listen to Xtian music. Every Xtian bookstore had a board that said what Xtian band you would like if you liked a "secular" band. I remember seeing Green Day on that board and bought that album.
I was actually 5 years old for American Idiot. The first time I listened to the album all the way through was due to the 20th anniversary release a few months ago. I am currently a fully grown adult going back to college after having taken four years off due to Covid happening.
My teens and tweens love Radiohead, Nirvana, My Chemical Romance, The Cure, Pearl Jam, and Weezer. We went into Hot Topic for school clothes and it was as if I was walking into my 1990 closet. It makes me so happy.
My 20yr old son is besotted with Green day! I bought him all the albums on vinyl, and a turntable, for Christmas (obviously a starter turntable - he needs to save up for the crackin’ turntable those albums deserve! 😄).
The fact that it resonates specifically right now compared to Bush administration it was speaking out against further cements this song’s staying power.
Yep. I remember the first time I heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams. I hadn't listened to the radio in years, maybe, and turned it on 1 day and that song was playing and I thought, wow, this kid really sounds like Billie Joe Armstrong.
Ha! I was 27 when Dookie took America by storm. Boston's WFNX decided to do a free live show at the Esplanade just as college kids had returned for the Fall. A friend and I walked over after work and you could just tell it was getting out of control.
Good times. https://youtu.be/J-Zvvtvibl0?si=iCrXL4UMBFxCQV8R
I've seen them 3 times. They used to pull people from the audience to play with them. I just loved that. I'm not sure if they still do it. But I always wanted my son to be picked. He's a kick ass drummer, and not because he's my son.
Think they were just the right age at the right time. Getting older in Bush's America but still with a finger on the pulse of America's youth. 'Jesus of Suburbia' is one of the definitive anthems of the era https://youtu.be/BeaqXjiN1Tk?si=FAb8XeqxvYmQqygP
I listened to it a few months ago and was genuinely amazed how well it holds up. the '90s have very few rock bands that have stood the test of time relative to other decades and I don't think there's a question Green Day is among the most prominent
Taken collectively as an album I think it's the best start-to-finish rock release from 1990-2005 and I'm not sure what else is close. Maybe STP's Purple? Fuck Nirvana.
That doesn’t make them an ‘80s band. The majority of their success including their breakthrough was in the ‘90s. Just because I like Christie Road doesn’t mean anyone else knows it
LOL. My teenage years were disco and sappy pop songs but also Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Little Feat, and then The Sex Pistols, The Clash, theJam, et. al. Yeah, it holds up. And so does Green Day.
The 2026 superbowl will be in Santa Clara CA Levi's stadium home of the 49rs , green day and Metallica are from CA, I'd be ecstatic with either one , or both
As a dad of a guitarist I can’t put words to my from-the-wings view of kiddo & band rocking the k-5 auditorium at a local school with American Idiot when she was in 7th grade. She killed it. Kids went bonkers.
Listen, my gray hair and need of bifocals might make you think that I don't still get down but I saw them play when they still toured in a bookmobile. Im just sayin.
"Voters of the world keep supportin' me..
Other leaders better not upset me
Or I'll send a million troops to die at war
To all you Republicans who helped me win
I'd sincerely like to thank you
'Cuz now I got the world swingin' from my nuts..
Damn it feels good to be a gangster" - Geto Boys (1992)
That was an important one to me too. Came out just after I turned 19. I really started following politics as a freshman in college, and that 2004 election was the first I got to vote in. The day after Kerry lost, I remember driving and listening to that CD and worrying about a possible draft.
Like Led Zeppelin Beatles, Stones, Dylan, The Band, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, The Greatfull Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Willie Nelson, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robertson, etc..
Absolutely. American Idiot was a cultural moment—catchy, rebellious, and surprisingly deep. It hit that perfect mix of angst and stadium-ready anthems. Even if you outgrow some of your teenage favorites, that album still holds its weight. What’s your favorite track from it?
"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known..."
It became a massive hit, winning a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2006. Are you a fan of Green Day, or is there something specific about the song that resonates with you?
That sounds interesting! Which song are you talking about? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the lyrics relate to what's happening in America right now.
Same one. The promise of America was open to some (white)and closed for others (people of color) any openings have been closed with the new administration. I’m not sure if America will not become boulevard of broken dreams for all.
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a song by Green Day from their 2004 album American Idiot. It's one of their most iconic tracks, known for its melancholic lyrics and haunting melody. The song captures feelings of loneliness and self-reflection, with the famous chorus:
It's also wild considering it came out in 2004, at a time when Americans were extremely patriotic and out for blood in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Protest songs against America were simply not done in 2004
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However, my teenage years were the Clash, the Jam, Elvis Costello, Ramones - so I didn't do too badly.
2025: “Why did they sugarcoat Holiday??”
One of my favs & I’m 🇨🇦
Used to see them in Berkeley, long ago.
I miss you Neil.
to be fair, i still paid to see this tour in 2005. almost died of old when a tween standing near me in GA said they were "maybe as good as simple plan" (simple plan opened)
who was ousted as a board trustee of the Kennedy Center by none other than Mr. Cheeto himself just last week
— discover “American Idiot” for the first time 🥹
https://youtu.be/E0hSXIuPBwM?si=rzw9t6Rk_l--4Qoc
Green Day has style and class.
Good times.
https://youtu.be/J-Zvvtvibl0?si=iCrXL4UMBFxCQV8R
Didn’t care. Even better now
Me.. I knew. You did, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyV54YwPAkk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCOnOyTdu8s
Other leaders better not upset me
Or I'll send a million troops to die at war
To all you Republicans who helped me win
I'd sincerely like to thank you
'Cuz now I got the world swingin' from my nuts..
Damn it feels good to be a gangster" - Geto Boys (1992)
It kinda fits.
One use of breakups. Hehe.
It became a massive hit, winning a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2006. Are you a fan of Green Day, or is there something specific about the song that resonates with you?
It STILL kicks ass.
Now get off my lawn so I can yell at clouds.
It took a while. But we are due.
Best live performance I’ve ever seen. Don’t know how they get that much raw energy but I’m in awe of their total commitment.