Peteetong, boys and girls!
Last time, I told you about Green Day and Arcade Fire coming to town. I got to work both shows last week, and they couldn’t have been more different.
Green Day was… well, Green Day. I’m not a fan, but they did have an impressive show. However, Intern Chrissy is a huge Green Day fan, and she had the time of her life (no pun intended).
Working backstage, I didn’t get to see much of the show, but I did get to stand on the side of the stage toward the end of their set. When they finally played “Time of Your Life,” all the mid twenties girls in the audience started crying and passing out. I guess the memories of high school graduation were too much for them.
After the show, my job is usually to help tear down and wheel out all the amps and instruments. This is a great time to check for souvenirs like picks and drum sticks. But I found something even better at Green Day – Bill Joe Armstrong’s personal bottle of Bacardi! It was half empty, so I brought it back to Chrissy along with a few Mike Dirnt picks. I think she’s planning on using Billy Joe’s DNA from the bottle to clone her very own rock star, for all sorts of questionable activities.
Arcade Fire was a completely different story. I arrived early so I could watch part of the show in the lawn. Last week, Arcade Fire’s new album, The Suburbs, was #1 on iTunes, and they’re quickly gaining mainstream popularity. The audience was full of hipsters in their plaid shirts, skinny jeans, and nerdy glasses. Normally, the hipsters try to appear cool and disinterested, but not for Arcade Fire. They were clapping, stomping and screeching like Intern Chrissy at the Green Day show.
I didn’t manage to get any souvenirs from Arcade Fire, but I did get to see an awesome band and hear some incredible music, which is more than I can say for the Green Day concert. Sorry, Chrissy.