Summer's Over

Green Day
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
September 4, 2010

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 21st time seeing Green Day dating back to the first time I saw them at a warehouse art space in The Mission in 1992. I'm too old to worry about if it's "okay" to like Green Day or if they're "Metal" or not; I dig 'em. Also, since Skychick isn't into The Metal, Green Day are one of those bands that we have in common so we can actually attend a concert together once in awhile. Awwww.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and Umlaut saw the first warm up show of Green Day's current tour cycle last April at The Indepedent and tonight was the sold out final show of the band's U.S. Tour. I was still on a METAL high from my 48 Hours of Carnage earlier in the week so I thought I'd be a smartass and wear a SLAAAYEER hoodie to the show... but almost immediately upon entering Shoreline there was a kid wearing a Cannibal Corpse shirt. Nicely played, young man... nicely played. You are indeed more Metal than me.

The Local Heroes hit the stage right at 8:00pm and stayed onstage for a solid 3 HOURS... which was basically the same amount of time all 3 American Carnage bands were onstage combined. Say what you will, but Green Day gives their fans complete value for money at their shows.


Apologies to my photographer friends, but I thought it was cool that the band allowed kidz (I assume fan club members) to fill in the empty space in between the rail and the front row of reserved seats. It brought some sense of immediacy to the otherwise sterile Shoreline environment. However, the lack of space for the photographers made for them having, like, the worst night ever. Oh well, dudes. Sometimes the kidz rate higher than the zoom lens.

The setlist was basically the same one the band played on last year's arena tour, but with some old song audibles mid-set that weren't part of the printed setlist. Kudos to the band for pulling out 'Going Back To Pasalacqua'. As they've been known to do, Green Day also busted out some Classic Rock covers which included Guns 'N Roses, Led Zeppelin, and The Who this time. I cracked up because Jason on guitar at stage right did the trademark stage move from each band during each song: The Axl shimmy, Jimmy Page's duck walk where he held his Les Paul at his side, Pete Townshend's stomping around in a circle and then the windmill with his pick hand. Music Geeks shall inherit The Earth!

As he does at every show, Billie Joe pulled fans onstage at various times during the set, which is not something every band can pull off succesfully. Tonight's lucky fan who sang 'Longview' with the band was given the guitar Billie Joe was playing... and for those cynical people who think a stunt like that is fake, we met the young lady backstage after the show with her new guitar.


You can't fake starstuck happiness like the look on her face. No band takes care of their fans like Green Day.. seriously... and that's why Umlaut digs them so much. Adults and kidz leave a Green Day show with a smile on their face... and there's something to be said for that in this day and age. Umlaut may prefer Death Metal... but experiencing "joy" at a show gives me perspective to appreciate "the dark"... I guess. Oh, and guess what... Rob of Death Angel and former Death Angel guitarist Gus Pepa sat in the same row as us with their families. So, yeah, Umlaut wasn't the only Bay Area Metalhead in the house.

The End of The Tour after show was pretty tame; Slayer had Jaeger backstage and Green Day had pizza... but there were beerz. We hung for awhile with The Talent and Skychick saw Tre Cool break dance... and then we were back at Casa de Umlaut by 1:00am.

As always, THANKS to Tour Manager Doug for sorting my +1 into his All Access World. 'Til the next tour, my brother!

I didn't do a merch audit and actually didn't even think about doing one.. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. That's kinda all I have to say about this night... Not Metal but a completely F-U-N show... and now Summer 2010 is over.

Click HERE for Photo Ray's shots from the show.

What I Did This Summer

I've said this before in this space: If you're one of those whose perception of Green Day is stuck in 1994 then bummer for you, man.. You might as well stop reading this right now. For the rest of you: Back in April, Umlaut got a taste of what was ahead with Green Day when they did a series of local sneak shows. IMO Green Day have evolved into The Who of their generation and Umlaut, like, totally digs them... If this loses me even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads I really don't give a shit.. 'cause I'll always have more Metal cred than you... seriously. My resume is available upon request, dude. However, if it helps, I will try to work in as many references to Goatwhore into this piece as possible.

Back in 2004-05, Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug Tour took in a total of 6 shows in 3 countries and 4 cities and this tour has already eclipsed that mark. It's been another magical Music Geek adventure living the Lock 'N Loll Magic here in 2009.

The exciting sequel to Road Trip! New Orleans > Houston > San Jose > Sacramento... Here we go..


New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
August 7, 2009

The Big Easy: It's been a couple of years since the last time Umlaut visited Skychick's hometown. Number of Texans who thought I was a chick during our layover in Houston = 1. We arrived a day and a half in advance of the show to hang out with friends. This was Umlaut's 3rd post-Katrina visit and it's shocking how much damage is still evident as the 4th Anniversary of that disaster approaches. It's still obvious how much Katrina changed N'awlins forever and there will always be an underlying sadness about the city, which I find very compelling and even attractive...because I tend to like the dark side of life. Dog bless NoLa and its inhabitants forever, man.

I'm sure you will agree that 97 degree heat with 90% humidity isn't fun weather even when you're doing the Lock 'N Loll thing. Earlier in the day we drove past the arena and I must give props to the 150-200 or so kidz who were waiting in line for the GA floor in that weather. Hardcore.. although I have to say the Panzerfaust I saw at the World War II Museum that afternoon was even more hardcore:


Prior to the show we had an awesome dinner and cold beers with friends at Acme Oyster House in The French Quarter; me love The Quarter long time... and Go Cups are such a civilized concept! Thanks to Tour Manager Doug (TMD) for arranging for us to bring our dear NoLa friends to the show.. and a shout out to Alida, Cindy, Rachel, Kelly, and Mark. We watched the show from Section 114, Row 2.. Nice...

Tonight was the Kaiser Chiefs final night on the tour and Green Day really knows how to prank their support acts! Prior to the show, the Green Day camp hired a local N'awlins jazz brass band and as the Kaiser Chiefs started playing their hit 'I Predict A Riot' the brass band stormed the stage to play alongside the Brits as members of Green Day and their crew covered the stage with toilet paper from behind the backline... The Brits had no idea what hit them; a fantastic prank by anyone's standards!

Of course, this night was highlighted by our close encounter with sometimes N'awlins resident Benjamin Button... which was rather surreal. Click HERE for Umlaut's previous post about that paparazzi moment. Trivia: Benjamin Button drank a Stella during the show brought to him by his assistant and a Green Day crew guy brought Maddox one of Tre Cool's drum sticks. Also, TMD revealed he sat us directly behind Benjamin Button on purpose. Yes! However, this celebrity close encounter didn't really distract me from the show and it actually made the night that much more special... Although my water bottle was in the cup holder attached to the back of Benjamin Button's chair; I had to be careful not to spill water on him so his bodyguard wouldn't take me out.

It's been documented how Green Day has a connection with N'awlins.. and that was evident during the performance. The band's energy, especially Billie Joe, were jacked up a notch as they blazed through the set... and the crowd energy was at flood levels the entire night. Special. The show in short: Green Day played at The Superdome when it reopened in 2007 after Katrina. To honor N'awlins: They performed 'The Saints Are Coming' mid-set (a song they hadn't performed since The Superdome's reopening and Billie Joe said they would only play it in N'awlins..), added a bit of 'When The Saints Go Marching In' during the saxophone bit in 'King For A Day', and Billie Joe sang 'When September Ends' acoustic that led straight into the show closing 'Good Riddance'. The former song means alot to many Katrina survivors (Katrina hit on August 29, 2005) and the band had not performed it on this tour until that moment (Note: This was the only time the song was performed on the just completed North American Tour..). It was a moment when the music became transcendent, man... The emotions in the arena was thick enough to cut with a knife at that moment; I teared up. Magic.

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In N'awlins he did a selection of Van Halen riffs; I'd forgotten how cool 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' sounds in an arena.

After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like changes and tweaks in the stage production and the setlist since the first arena shows in July; visuals had been changed and some regular songs were switched around in the main setlist. The biggest change since the start of the tour was that the band was now switching up the setlist every night mid-set and also during the Billie Joe's solo acoustic portion of the encore; it made each show unique and more interesting.. Highlight: The previously mentioned 'When September Ends' > 'Good Riddance' emotional doubleshot to close the show.

New Orleans Afterwards: All Arenas Look The Same

Goatwhore are from N'awlins, but I think I might have been the only Goatwhore fan in the house tonight. Behemoth shirts = 1 (mine). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I have to say New Orleans was my favorite show of this leg of the Stalking TMD Tour... none of the other shows had the raw emotion attached to it IMO. Magic.

Toyota Center, Houston, TX
August 8, 2009

There was some flight delay drama at the New Orleans Airport the next morning and for awhile it was looking like Skychick and I might not make it to Houston. However, every once in awhile The Rock Godz give Umlaut a reality check... and in the end everything fell into place and we made it to Texas just fine... 'cause Texas is the reason, y'all.. but it did take us 6 fucking hours.

Prior to the show we had an awesome meal with friends at The Broken Spoke where they had Chimay Blue on tap (!); so civilized. Thanks to TMD for arranging for us to bring some Houston friends to the show including a trio of cool kids.. The 11-year old girl owns a pony and has a huge Rock Star Crush on Billie Joe... The 2 boys (15 and 16-years old) play guitar and *know* music... I was genuinely impressed to meet teenagers who don't play Guitar Hero or Rock Band but who wanted to talk about how awesome they think Metallica is and how they were thinking about learning to play the banjo. Those kids are gonna be alright! We watched the show from Section 107, Row 7.. Nice.


After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like miscues with the production. In Houston, the thematic video during '21 Guns' didn't start playing until the middle of the song. I don't know, I found that interesting... Anyway..

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In Houston he did a selection of Mötley Crüe riffs and I'm pretty sure he also threw in ZZ Top's 'La Grange'. Note to bands: The easiest way to win a Texas crowd over is to play a ZZ Top riff and put a cowboy hat on.. It works everytime... 'cause Texas is the reason, y'all.

Highlight: A good solid set and they played 'Murder City' for the first time on the arena tour. However, the one thing that stuck in my head was how the crowd booed when President Obama's name appeared on the jumbo tron screen in between bands... and I found it ironic that so many Red State voters wanted to see Green Day. Hmm... Discuss amongst yourselves.

Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 0.. Nine Inch Nails shirts =1. On the way back to the San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which kinda makes sense I guess. On the flight back to S.F. I was seated next to a WAY too chatty old man! In the time it took (1) For me to sit down next to him and (2) The plane to taxi from the terminal to the runway the chatty old man told me (1) He had just returned from Honduras (2) He was dismissive of technology such as e-mail and (3) His grandson plays chess. To which I said to myself "SHUT... THE... FUCK.. UP!!" However, since I have manners I shut him down by (1) Not responding with some personal trivia of my own and (2) Pulling out the latest issue of Decibel with Nergal of Behemoth on the cover and a full page ad for the new Suffocation album on the back.

HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
August 18, 2009

Prior to the show Skychick and I ate at the New Orleans themed Poor House Bistro, which actually wasn't bad (usually N'awlins food outside of Louisiana doesn't cut it..)... and it brought Umlaut's August full circle in a way.

As we approached the Will Call window we passed a couple of Christian protesters with a bullhorn (YES.. Christians were protesting at a fucking Green Day concert!).. At practically the same moment we noticed TMD walking in the other direction attending to something, and as he passed the Christians he shouted them down with pro-Satan rhetoric. Watching TMD represent evil like that gave me a sense of deja vu back to when we were teenage Slayer fans; nicely done my brother! We then walked into the arena with TMD via the truck ramp and were able to spend a bit of quality time hanging in his office backstage eating cookies. Lock 'N Loll.

The Umlaut Nation was nicely represented at this show, so a shout out to Skychick, Teri, Timo, Jerry, The Man, The Sheriff, and Photo Ray. Thanks to TMD we were able to upgrade the concert experience for a 17-year old member of Teri's clan visiting from New York City.. Long story short: Green Day are his favorite band > front row seats > backstage > photos with band members. Awesome. We watched from Section 128, Row 1.. VERY nice.

The show in short: A marathon 3 HOUR homecoming set... WOW. During the main set closing 'American Eulogy' they threw in a bit of 'Homecoming'. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here are 2,000 words on the San Jose show:

Pyro

Confetti

After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like miscues with the production. In San Jose, one of the pyro sparkler things during '21 Guns' malfunctioned a bit and burned longer than the others. I don't know, I found that interesting... Anyway.. One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In San Jose he did a selection that included 'Master Of Puppets' and 'Stairway To Heaven'.

Highlight: A tough one since the entire set was ratcheted up all night due to the homecoming nature of the night, which included Billie Joe having his Mom come onstage... but I have to say the nightly one-two of 'Longview' > 'Basket Case' was especially great; the sequence featured a kid from the crowd onstage to sing 'Longview' who was then made to do a running stage dive accompanied by a drum roll... and as the kid hit the air some PYRO was blown and the opening riff to 'Basket Case' kicked in and the crowd's reaction blew the roof off the arena. Magic.

San Jose Afterwards: All Arenas Look The Same

Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 2 (Timo, Photo Ray). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. This was Umlaut's 50th concert of the year; I've had a busy year, man.

Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
August 24, 2009

In recent years, the only band I've made the trek to Sacramento for has been Slayer, because there's nothing like seeing Slayer in the cradle of California White Supremacy. However, I don't think White Power made an appearance at this show. Unfortunately, Skychick couldn't make this gig, so I was accompanied by Old Metal Tim for the 180 mile roundtrip to California's state capital. On the way we had to make a pit stop in Vacaville because we were starving and, for better or worse, chose Mel's Diner. The merits of that decision can be a subject of debate... but let's move on.

When Old Metal Tim and I got to our seats, I noticed the man next to me holding some photos and he soon made it obvious he was trying to get my attention with them since we were wearing VIP laminates... and I bit.. which was a mistake. The couple were the parents of the kid who Green Day pulled onstage to play guitar during 'Jesus Of Suburbia at the first show in Seattle. While they sat in the stands, their son was down at the front hoping to get pulled onstage again. To be fair, their kid was good during his 9 minutes of "fame" in Seattle.. At first I thought it was cool, since I'd witnessed their son's performance. However, the parents were acting like HE was a member of the band now. It was weird.. They had photos of their son taken with the band at a Meet & Greet.. a pic of him onstage in Seattle... I asked if he had a band and they said "No" and I realized I shouldn't have started talking to them; it was like talking to the parents of someone in a cover band. Thankfully the houselights went down at about that time and I ignored them the rest of the evening...

Old Metal Tim > Umlaut > Cover Band Parents
(Pic by Wexford Girl)

The show in short: GD played the 2nd longest set of the tour... a staggering 3 HOURS and 15-20 MINUTES onstage! Unbelievable.. Best moment: Billie Joe noticing a meathead causing trouble down front, going to the lip of the stage and getting the guy's attention and asking him what his problem was... and the meathead telling Billie Joe to fuck off... to which Billie Joe replied "Fuck ME?! Fuck YOU!!" and as the meathead was escorted out by security the arena went nuts. I had forgotten how Arco Arena is a bit smaller and configured differently than other arenas, which gives it a more intimate atmosphere than other big venues. Plus, the stands are PLYWOOD and during the show they were bouncing as the crowd went nuts and also allowed the crowd to make a deafening stomping sound with their feet. Dramatically awesome.

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In Sac he pulled out all the stops and did a Metallica medley ('Fight Fire With Fire' > 'Master Of Puppets' > 'One') as well as Scorpions ('Rock You Like A Hurricane') and Van Halen ('Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' > 'Eruption'). Billie Joe can play guitar, dude.

Highlights: This show had even more a homecoming vibe than San Jose and the crowd energy was off the hook all night. A surprise bonus encore of 'Going To Pasalacqua' was great... as was the audible of 'J.A.R.' when Billie Joe noticed a kid at the rail holding a sign requesting it... but as at all of the shows on this leg of the tour I was blown away how GREAT the band's new songs sound in a big space; Arena Rock at its finest. Although the hometown area San Jose crowd was great, I have to say the band's hometown area Sacramento crowd was better.

The Umlaut Nation was nicely represented at this show, so a shout out to Old Metal Tim, The Man, Wexford Girl, and The Bassist. We watched from Section 119, Row 5... Nice.

According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 20th Green Day show dating back to circa 1992 when I saw them in an art warehouse space at 18th & Mission in S.F.. Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 1 (The Bassist). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The heavy Sacramento Police presence that lined the streets on the way out of town was so unnecessary, but they gotta have something to do on a Monday night I guess.

Fuck all the non-believers: Green Day Rules. They are THE best live band going these days. No other band out there is throwing down 2 to 3+ hour sets every night with as much energy, unpredictability, good songs (and PYRO!) and the cross generational makeup of their fanbase now is cool to behold. Yes, my soul is Metal... but I always leave a Green Day show with a smile on my face.. and sometimes that's more important than Metal. It's a live experience that transcends being simply "a concert"; it's a life-affirming thing... and it's profound and rare to get that from a band these days.

So ends Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug North American Tour 2009... 10 shows.. 2 countries.. 8 cities. Europe next? Hmmm... THANKS as always to TMD for the hospitality! Keep it real out there... for The Kidz!

The Pot calling The Kettle black in New Orleans..

Speaking of The Kidz: The best part of this Summer was being able to expose some kidz to the Green Day concert experience for the first time. Seeing amazing Arena Rock shows changed my life when I was their age and, in this age of computer games and so many other distractions, it was awesome to see the look of awe and excitement all of the kidz had on their faces after the shows. I totally remember that feeling... Also, Green Day are the perfect entry level substance for young Music Geeks that can lead them to harder stuff; I'm already burning some Goatwhore CDs.

What did I do this Summer? I did missionary work for The Rock Godz.

Random Rock Star Moment: Brad Pitt

I haven't documented it in this space yet, but last week Umlaut and Skychick returned to New Orleans and Houston on the latest leg of the Stalking Tour Manager Doug Tour 2009.

Posted on TMZ.com:

Brad Pitt to Pax -- Rock-a-Bye Baby
Posted Aug 12th 2009 2:50PM by TMZ Staff

Brad Pitt further proved he's the coolest dad ever by taking sons Pax and Maddox to a Green Day concert in New Orleans last week. While it may or may not be a testament to the band's music, Brad made sure the boys' ears were safely covered and plugged. Apparently, all that punk/pop screeching was enough to rock Pax to sleep.

Seated directly behind Pitt in Section 114 of the New Orleans Arena is none other than Umlaut and his Behemoth shirt! To my left is Skychick.

Yes, I was *that* close to Louis de Pointe du Lac but security were very aggressive about it being a no-camera zone around him, which was cool since he was with his kids. Of course, that didn't prevent people in front of us on the GA Floor to take snapshots.

There will be more details whenever I get around to writing about the NoLa > Houston trek, but in the meantime here is a pic I took after the show of the chair that hosted Brad Pitt's ass for 2 hours:

Yes, Pitt and the kids were backstage afterwards... Hey, I don't make this shit up... I just live it.

To be continued...

Road Trip

The long awaited sequel to Good Riddance!

If you're one of those whose perception of Green Day is stuck in 1994 then bummer for you, man.. You might as well stop reading this right now. For the rest of you: Back in April, Umlaut got a taste of what was ahead with Green Day. IMO Green Day are The Who of their generation and Umlaut, like, totally digs them... If this loses me even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads I really don't give a shit.. 'cause I'll always have more Metal cred than you... seriously. My resume is available upon request, dude.

As soon as this tour was announced Skychick and I had decided we'd be making a road trip up to the Northwest. We arrived in Jet City 2 days early with the intent of playing tourist but, within hours of landing, real life intruded to ruin our vacation for the next 24 hours. Long story short: The dogs ran away at home (which they've NEVER done before) and the asshole, soulless housesitter COMPLETELY fucked us over. Bottom line: Casa de Umlaut is extremely fortunate to have some unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors who basically worked to locate and rescue Dixie and Fredo. Epilogue: Fuck that housesitter. The thought of him walking away from his responsibilities while my dogs sat terrified and alone in the Humane Society shelter is something I'll never forgive; where's my baseball bat? Fuck.... that... housesitter.

On the afternoon we arrived, Skychick and I randomly decided to have lunch at The Pike Brewing Company which happened to be across the street from The Four Seasons. I figured the band and crew were staying there, but I hadn't checked in with Tour Manager Doug (TMD) yet. During our meal, all of the drama back at home unfolded on us via cell phone calls... but at one point I noticed a couple of dudes being seated near us and recognized one as Green Day Security. Long story short, after leaving the pub we found ourselves sitting next to TMD as he held court in the lobby of The Four Seasons with various band and crew members, which would have been more fun if we hadn't been worried sick about the dogs back home (Fuck that housesitter..).

The next morning was spent on cell phones working with our unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors as they located and returned Dixie and Fredo to Casa de Umlaut. The one highlight of the morning was going to the Starbucks across the street from the hotel and witnessing the woman in front of me tip the female cashier by sticking some dollar bills in her cleavage stripper-style; it was hotter than the coffee.

That afternoon, once the dogs were safely back at home and a new housesitter was in place, Skychick and I finally did tourist shit like visit the Space Needle and Experience Music Project (EMP). The EMP's current exihibition features a history and retrospective on Nashville's Hatch Show Print, which was pretty cool and also featured the stage clothes of Country legends such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. The exhibition reminded me that I have a Hank Williams Hatch Print in my closet that I need to get framed (DOH!).. The EMP's Hendrix collection was interesting, but I was more interested in having my pic taken with Michael Jackson's glove on the eve of his funeral:

Thriller...

That night, on the way back to the hotel, some 206 kidz tried to bait me with racist heckling... Sorry, me no speaky Ching Chong, dudes. Then it was time to R-O-C-K in the U-S-A.

Green Day
Key Arena, Seattle, WA
July 3, 2009

The first date of Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug 2009-2010 World Tour was nicely packed with close to 17,000 jammed into venerable Key Arena. Prior to the show we had a lovely dinner and quality time with Umlaut Nation members Lance, Beth, and Nina who were going to The Big Rock Show with us. After dinner we few, we happy few, made our way onto The Monorail for the quick ride to the arena.

When we arrived at the venue, Will Call was a total clusterfuck as there was one line for all of the Will Call windows (Ticketbastard sales, band guest list, etc..) so literally hundreds of people stood in a single line. Maybe it was because of the hot weather, but I was a total dick and cut in front of all those hundreds of people to get my Will Call envelope. Sorry, folks...

The anticipation inside the venue was thick enough to cut with a knife and it spiked as the band's intro music went from Cheap Trick > Jacko > Queen > Ramones songs while a roadie in a Pink Bunny costume led the crowd in a cheer.. Then the houselights went down and the crowd's roar / screaming was pretty deafening.

The first 45 minutes of the set was made up of songs from the 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot albums, with the highlight for me being 'Holiday' and the vintage WW2 archival footage that was projected on the screen behind the stage. You can't go wrong with vintage WW2 footage, man! I'm just saying.. AND another highlight was seeing vintage Gilman St. and Bay Area Punk flyers from Big Wayne's collection projected on the screen during 'Jaded'!! It was surreal and cool seeing a flyer for Neurosis projected 20 feet high during an Arena Rock show.. and even cooler knowing that the flyers were in the show because of an Old Metal connection (Big Wayne > TMD).. Umlaut's world is *this* small sometimes.

In recent years, I've become amazed how versatile Green Day are onstage; they are no longer simply that snotty MTV Punk band, but a genuine Arena Rock band in the finest tradition of the term. While their set is generally pretty scripted, there are many moments every night where their interaction with the crowd encourages spontaneity and it's cool watching how the entire band rolls with whatever comes their way. Very few bands have the confidence or balls to let that happen these days.

In Seattle, at least 6 people were pulled from the crowd at different points during the show (including Billie Joe's older sister... !) to interact with the band's show. During the encore, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... and the kid played the entire 9 minutes flawlessly!! It was UNBELIEVABLE.. and TMD confirmed the kid was not a plant and it was a completely random incident. Metallica has never pulled a kid out of the crowd to play the 9 minutes of 'Master Of Puppets' with them... I'm just saying.

Backstage there was an epic Old Metal reunion with Umlaut, TMD, and K.J. Doughton all appearing in the same room together for the first time since probably 1984! Trivia: TMD and K.J. were both on Slayer's first road crew during that band's first tour and their war stories from those early times are epic and hilarious... like the time Slayer crashed at K.J.'s parents' house and his mom made the band pancakes. Oh, and K.J. once ran the official fan club for a little band called Metallica too. We may all be Green Day fans now, but we're still WAY more Metal than you'll ever be, kidz..

Ye Olde Metalheads: Umlaut, K.J., TMD..

Also backstage, K.J.'s 11-year old son lost a tooth... which was pretty Metal of him as well.. although it wasn't very cool of K.J. to punch his son like that (I'M JOKING!).

Rock Star Sightings: Duff McKagan (who wore his sunglasses indoors the entire night) and producer of the band's latest album Butch Vig.. I was impressed that Vig had a firm handshake and introduced himself ("Butch Vig") to everyone he was introduced to.. Didn't Vig produce, like, every album that mattered in the early 90's?

Who shirts = 1 (mine). If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >$700. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As we left the arena at around 12:30AM there was a MARATHON being run in the streets of Seattle that made it harder for us to return to our hotel. Who runs a MARATHON after midnight!?

Then 24 hours later it was:

Green Day
GM Place, Vancouver, Canada
July 4, 2009

The next morning, Skychick and I hopped on a "tour bus" heading North; how do you sing 'Tiny Dancer' in Canadian? OMFG, the butch Canadian border guard was a fucking bitch!! Skychick and I were grilled with questions for several minutes, including this exchange:

Ms. Border Guard: "Have you ever been to Canada?"
Me: "Yes... 15 years ago.."
Ms. Border Guard: "Fifteen years? Why haven't you been back sooner?!"

I almost snapped and said "Because it's CANADA..." but I didn't feel like having a Maple Leaf fist shoved up my ass so I simply said "There were other places to visit.."... which was actually very smart ass of me, but Ms. Border Guard just gave me a hard stare and then asked "Have you ever been convicted of a crime.."... etc. etc.. and so began our visit to the oppressive Socialist state of Canada. Green Day: Behind The Maple Leaf Curtain!

It's always interesting spending July 4th in a foreign country; it makes you realize that not everyone blows up things on the 4th day of the 7th month every year. Seeing Green Day in an oppressive Socialist society like Canada was an eye opening experience. The people are starving for anything from America (or as the Canadians call it "America, eh..") and Green Day's Rock & Roll (or as the Canadians call it "Rock And Roll, eh..") is a profound symbol of Capitalist freedom that gives the people living under their oppressive Socialist regime some hope. Canadians may rationalize that this oppression is okay because it gives them free health care, but this society also begat Celine Dion and Loverboy so it's debatable whether a greater good has come out of the "Canadian Experiment". Discuss amongst yourselves.

Getting into the venue was easier than the previous night since Skychick and I were able to flash our magic plastic and walk in the back door... but I was halfway expecting another grilling by a Canadian authority figure. When we settled in our seats I noticed that the dude next to us had a And Justice For All tattoo on his arm. Sad but true.

It's also always interesting seeing the song 'American Idiot' performed in front of a foreign audience since the crowd seems to sing the line "I don't wanna be an American Eeedeeeot!!" with an especially intense fervor. On the last tour, Umlaut witnessed this in Amsterdam and London and it was no different in Vancouver.... but after two shows I have to say my favorite song of the set was the new anthem 'The Static Age'.

As in Seattle, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... but unlike the kid in Seattle this kid failed. I was watching what he was "playing" and it was obvious he had been turned down in the mix since his bullshit moves like sliding the pick down the strings was not heard over the PA. Finally, the guitar was gently taken away from him midsong and he was politely returned to the pit.. all done without the band missing a note in the song. Amazing... but an example of how Green Day's live sponteniety sometimes doesn't work.. but it still makes for a great concert experience. As TMD said afterwards "I think we got lucky on opening night.."

Another major reason why Umlaut digs Green Day is because they play arenas the way they should be played... with PYRO, PYRO, and more PYRO.

Vids by Umlaut

Green Day uses more PYRO than Metallica and AC/DC... and that's a good thing. If you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man.

Backstage I had a weird encounter with an "ex" from my professional life... which was a bit awkward.. but it was a good thing I had business cards with me. TMD also introduced us to the guy who designed Green Day's new stage; his past stage design clients include Beyonce (Okay, everyone at once: "That's NOT Punk!"). Celebrity Gossip: John Cusack was in town filming a new movie and was supposed to attend the show, but couldn't make it because he was picking his g/f up at the airport. Umlaut's High Fidelity moment was so close..

Yes, Umlaut is METAL at heart... but I always leave a Green Day show with a smile on my face.. and sometimes that's more important than METAL.

Vid by Umlaut

Umlaut's Inner Music Geek found it fascinating watching a major band develop its new live show from pre-album release sneak shows in clubs to the first shows of their international arena / stadium tour. Over the past 3 months I was fortunate to have seen 6 Green Day shows (3 in clubs, 1 in a theater, and 2 in arenas) and the progression was cool to witness... The first club show in April (the band's first time onstage in 3 years) was tentative and very loose, with the band displaying nervousness while playing the new songs. Fast forward to these first arena shows and the band displayed their veteran stage presence and worked the huge crowds effortlessly... and it was cool to see that the audiences at both shows was a mix of old and young fans and not exclusively the Hot Topic crowd that some people think the band draws; if you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man. Green Day are THE best Arena Rock band going today.

THANKS as always to Tour Manager Doug for taking care of us at The Big Rock Shows. Keep it real out there, my brutha.

Obituary shirts = 1. If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >800 Canadian Dollars. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I'll say it again: Green Day are The Who of this generation.


While I was in Vancouver I wore my Anvil - 'Metal On Metal' shirt and the only people in Canada who acknowledged it were (1) a guy who worked in a liquor store and (2) Tré Cool. Ohh... Canada.

Tired

For the record, Umlaut is having an amazing Music Geek month of April so far...

Leonard Cohen
The Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
April 15, 2009

Umlaut was introduced to Leonard Cohen via Nick Cave's covers of 'Avalanche' and 'Tower Of Song' way back a million years ago.. However, I missed Cohen when he last toured 15 years ago, but it must be noted that Cohen's music was part of my soundtrack during my "What The Fuck Am I Doing With My Life" period circa the late-80's / early-90's.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I was in the mood or mindset to see Leonard Cohen.. For the past week, Umlaut had been completely caught up in Green Day's Power Pop Punk Fury and their Bay Bridge Tour. Anyway, this was the final show of Cohen's 3-night stand in Oakland... and on this night Umlaut wore his Anvil (Toronto) - Metal On Metal shirt to honor Cohen (Quebec) and the other Canadian musicians. Oh, Canada!

Despite the rave reviews I heard about his first 2 Oakland shows, I had no idea what to expect from a 75-year old (!) Cohen. However, all doubts vanished after his band took their places and Cohen literally ran onstage and gave a flawless performance over the next 3 HOURS, with only a 25 minute intermission in between. Holy shit.

All I can say is: THAT VOICE and THOSE LYRICS... Songs like 'Chelsea Hotel #2'.. 'Bird On The Wire'.. 'Famous Blue Raincoat'.. 'So Long, Marianne'.. 'The Partisan'... 'Hallelujah'.. and, my favorite, 'Suzanne'.. WOW. I realized that this was the perfect time for me to be seeing Cohen since it balanced out my previous 8 days of Metal and Power Pop Punk Fury experiences.

(Pic by Umlaut)

Although I was fortunate to be sitting only 15 rows back, I'm sure Cohen's charisma and humor projected back to the upper seats of the balcony.. and his band were all top notch and sublime in backing his performance. Indeed, a very grown up event.. but also one that engaged my brain in a profound way. Halfway through the performance I was thankful that my brain allows me to go from Metal > Power Pop Punk Fury > Leonard Cohen and appreciate it all. Music, man... Is there anything it can't do? Seriously.

THANKS to The Sheriff for inviting me to be part of his posse for the show. Trivia: We were sitting directly behind Victor Krummenacher of Camper van Beethoven; for a moment I wanted to take the skinheads bowling.

Anvil shirts = 1 (mine). If you bought one of each Leonard Cohen merch item you would have paid around $500.; he had a shitload of merch, man! After the show, The Sheriff and I walked around the corner to check out the scene at the latest Green Day sneak show at The Uptown...

Green Day
The Uptown, Oakland, CA
April 15, 2009

Evidently this was the final show of Green Day's week-long Bay Bridge Tour.

I was planning just to say "Hi" to Tour Manager Doug (TMD) and then split for home.. Instead, as we walked up to The Uptown at around 11:25PM, TMD was actually working the door and slapped wristbands on us, so we entered the tiny club that was a packed sweat box. I'm keeping this short so this space doesn't become a Green Day fan site and I lose even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads.

Yes, they played the entire new album again but we only caught the last 3 songs. Yes, they opened the encores with a great cover of The Buzzcocks - 'Ever Fallen In Love'. Yes, they also played 'Ziggy Stardust' (sort of..) and 'The Midwest Medley' (Cheap Trick - 'Surrender' > The Replacements - 'Bastards Of Young'). Yes, it was fun watching The Kidz go off when they launched into 'Basket Case'. Yes, a kid climbed on the PA and jumped off after Billie Joe told him "Don't be a pussy! Jump!!"

I noticed David Fricke from Rolling Stone watching the band and jotting notes down on his old school journalist notepad.. I stopped to tell him we had met in Cleveland and he may or may not have remembered me, but he said "Right! Cool, man!" anyway. If he really did recognize me, hopefully he didn't think I was stalking him.. since this was the 3rd time we'd been in the same room in 2 weeks... but I think he was wearing the same clothes that he wore to Metallica's party and at The Fox.

After about an hour I decided it was time to go home; 6 shows in 8 days (including 4 Green Day gigs) had caught up with me and I was tired. I didn't realize I was that tired until I almost ran into a barback carrying a bucket of ice on my way out. Sorry, dude.

As always, THANKS to Tour Manager Doug. Keep it real out there, my brother.

If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid $80. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I walked into Casa de Umlaut at around 1:00AM; I had traversed decades of my Music Geekdom in the course of one night with Leonard Cohen > Green Day.. which was pretty fucking cool. Music, man... Is there anything it can't do? Seriously.

Sleep.... good.

Deja Vu Yet Again

The exciting sequel to Deja Vu and Deja Vu Again!

Green Day
The Fox Theater, Oakland, CA
April 14, 2009



After two sneak club shows, Green Day played a real show to kick off their new album and tour cycle. I'm keeping this short so this space doesn't become a Green Day fan site and I lose even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads.

Despite this being the hottest ticket in town, the Umlaut Nation was nicely represented by Skychick, Teri, Ray, The Sheriff & Mrs. Sheriff, Valerie, Raymond, The Man, Chris, and Erik.

Yes, some greedy fucks were trying to sell tickets for $575 EACH on Craigslist. Yes, it was cool seeing the band perform the new album with the full stage production for the first time. Yes, the contrast between the club shows and this show was profound. Yes, they handed out a theater style playbill with the lyrics to the new album. Yes, there was a free poster to commemorate the show. Yes, the excitement inside The Fox was thick enough to cut with a knife. Yes, the show was being filmed for "later broadcast". Yes, they played 'Going To Pasalacqua'. Yes, the final encore was the rarely played 'Homecoming' performed by the band in their hometown. Yes, it was perfect.

THANKS to Tour Manager Doug (TMD) and Green Day Security for their hospitality... Although it would have been more Lock 'N Loll glamorous delivering a bag of drugs to TMD backstage instead of a bag of homemade cookies.

Prior to the show at 7:44PM, Paschke sent me a text from Slayer's recording studio that said: "This Slayer album is, ummm, FAST!!!!!" Thanks for the reality check, my brother.

The leg room in the reserved balcony seats of The Fox is like being in 1st Class at 40,000 feet. If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid $80. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. David Fricke from Rolling Stone was backstage, but I didn't have a chance to remind him about meeting in Cleveland; I think he was wearing the same clothes that he wore to Metallica's party.

If only I could relive this night again...

Deja Vu Again

Green Day
DNA Lounge, San Francisco
April 9, 2009

It was basically the same drill as the other night: Show announced > Show sold out in less than 5 minutes. I'm keeping this short so this space doesn't become a Green Day fan site and I lose even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads.

Yes, they played the new album in its entirety.. Yes, the songs are amazing... Yes, they played over an hour of encores.. Yes, they were pulling songs out of the ether and audience requests. Yes, it was fantastic.. Yes, the singer for AFI ran onstage to sing 'Going To Pasalacqua' with them. Yes, Billie Joe told a little boy to stage dive and he did. Yes, a girl got onstage and sang 'Grouch' for the band when B.J. forgot the words. Yes, Billie Joe did an insane stage dive into the crowd while playing his guitar.

Unfortunately Skychick had to sit this show out as she recovered from some dental work, but ironically the band offered up the rarely played 'Give Me Novacaine'! That was either a great coincidence or ESP really does exist.

Backstage Wristband

Please don't use the above image and attempt to counterfeit a backstage wristband. It won't work.. Besides, backstage is BORING. The strippers, the cocaine, the champagne, the midget jello wrestling... YAWN. Also, don't fuck with Green Day Security 'cause he has a memory like an elephant and will remember you 4 years later.

Before the show, Umlaut had dinner with Rich Laminate who dished up some juicy vintage Metal war stories, which I enjoyed while eating a delicious pork chop. Who knew Buffalo, NY had such crazy groupie action back in The Day!? "Come on in, the water's fine.."

Thanks to Tour Manager Doug for doing what he does; he could take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile. Krokus, etc. etc.

If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid NOTHING because there was none for sale. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Green Day is THE greatest live band going right now and they do it without a revolving drum riser.

If only I could relive this night again...

Deja Vu

For the record, Umlaut is having an amazing Music Geek month of April so far...

Green Day
The Independent, San Francisco
April 7, 2009

Let this be the first post of Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug Tour 2009-10! For the newbies: Click HERE for the details about the last time Umlaut stalked Tour Manager Doug (TMD) around the world while using Green Day as an excuse; the tally was 6 shows in 4 cities and 3 countries.

When this show went onsale online at 3:00PM (a mere 5 1/2 hours before the doors opened) it sold out in less than 5 minutes. It takes a show like this to get Skychick out of the house, but it takes TMD to make it magical! This time TMD waved his magic laminate and Skychick and I found ourselves watching the soundcheck for Green Day's first show in 3 years with maybe 15 other people (most of them band crew):

(Pic by Umlaut)

As the band sorted out parts of new songs before the doors opened, I couldn't believe that we were among the very first people outside of the band's circle hearing the new songs for the first time. I almost soiled myself... figuratively speaking of course. Hmm, during soundcheck the band had an awesome new banner hanging behind the stage featuring a martini glass / upside down cross and a Satanic goat's head... but it was taken down and not seen again that night. Hmmm.

Green Day jumped onstage for the first time in 3 years at around 10:30PM and kicked into 'Welcome To Paradise'... and followed it with an hour of new songs; basically the entire new album I assume. For the record, I think American Idiot is a perfect album; every song is amazing and it's an old school album (i.e. a musical journey where each song tells a chapter of a story) versus simply a collection of songs. The new songs felt exactly the same way; they seemed to be telling a bigger story, but individually they were so great.. Amazing: I think Green Day might have struck music gold again! My initial thought was "This is what it must have felt like when people saw The Who play Tommy for the first time, before the songs became ingrained in music history".. I couldn't believe we were in the first audience hearing these songs. Mindblowing.

The new material was causing "The Who" to pop into my head.. and another song had a guitar part that caused "Mott The Hoople" to pop into my head.. I've been saying this a lot this week, but my head was spinning, this time from the catchiness of the songs, the power of the songs, and the variety of stuff going on in the songs. Also, the 2009-10 version of Green Day has an additional 3rd guitarist (!) in the lineup for the new songs, which makes them the Skynyrd of Power Pop. What song is it you wanna hear? For those stuck in 1994, Green Day haven't been a 3-piece onstage for awhile; they are now a full blown ROCK band with 6 musicians bringing the volume.

After debuting the new album, the band came back and played over an hour of hits and requests from the crowd... starting with 'American Idiot' > 'Jesus Of Suburbia'. Holy fuck! Seeing those songs being played in a club was like seeing an old friend again who I haven't seen in several years, but it felt like no time had passed. Just like at their epic show at The Warfield in 2005, Billie Joe took requests from the audience.. 'F.O.D.' was my fave request.. but 'J.A.R.' was a good one too. They also threw in other oldies like 'Christie Road' and, of course, 'Longview'. After almost 2 1/2 hours, Skychick and I stumbled out onto Divisidero... where we immediately ran into The Sheriff and Mrs. Sheriff.. and The Sheriff was then interviewed by some guy who claimed to be from Spin magazine. Weird.

Green Day are one of those great live bands who don't develop that often... They may have started as Punks, but Green Day here in the 21st Century are a Frankenstein-like hybrid of Punk > Classic Rock > Power Pop all driven by an incredible chemistry between the band members. People who are stuck in 1994 and think Green Day are merely a "Punk" band are completely missing out on one of the greatest ROCK bands ever. Oh well..

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 11th time seeing Green Day dating back to 1991... and The Independent was the smallest stage I'd seen them on since back at Brave New World (R.I.P.) and that art warehouse space in The Mission; what was the name of that place? Me love Green Day long time.

Thanks to TMD for sorting out my +1. For the newbies: Legend says that Umlaut and Tour Manager Doug met at a Krokus show in 1982... which may or may not be true, but our Inner Metalheads definitely had many playdates together.

If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid NOTHING because there was none for sale. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The Rock Godz have blessed Umlaut this month already, first with Cleveland and now Green Day. Ironically, TMD sent me a text afterwards that The Drummer was visiting his band's dressing room. HAHA!! Man, with all due respect, The Dane should retire and give Tré Cool his rotating drum riser. All the young dudes, carry the news..

If only I could relive this night again...

Good Riddance

For those who care: Green Day's mammoth 16-month American Idiot Tour ended this weekend in Melbourne, Australia. No other Rock band sold more albums over the past year than Green Day, not even U2... Over 10 million copies of American Idiot sold worldwide?! As the kidz say, that's off dah hook. And I can guarantee that no other band put on a better live show in the past year either (PYRO!).

However, what was most amazing was that Old Metal friend Tour Manager Doug (TMD) was part of the Green Day Phenomenon and allowed Umlaut, Skychick, and assorted friends a +1 into that rarefied Rock World.

A Lock 'N Loll Alignment of this magnitude comes along but once in a lifetime. The fact that TMD and Umlaut met at a Krokus concert during the Reagan Administration made it all the more amazing.


TMD & Umlaut - Backstage in Amsterdam - Jan. 2005


Skychick & Umlaut @ Hammersmith Apollo - London - Feb. 2005


A blurry TMD (far left) @ Milton Keynes, UK from the Bullet In A Bible DVD


The Glamorous Life of a Tour Manager: TMD's seatmate on a charter flight from Lisbon, Portugal to Mannheim, Germany (Photo courtesy of TMD)

For those who care, you can relive the magic of the past year:

• San Francisco
• Billboard Music Awards
  
• MTV New Year's Eve
  
• Amsterdam
• London
• Head For Backstage
  
• Live 8
  
• San Francisco / Sacramento
• The Warfield
• Sweet Savage
  

The Warfield show just might have been the best concert Umlaut has ever seen. Umlaut's next favorite moment was the London Hammersmith show and entering via the back door like I was Iron Maiden circa 1982.

Umlaut loves it when the Rock Godz drop blessings on you when you least expect them. TMD and I crossed paths more times this year than we have over the past 15 years combined. Very cool.

Thanks to TMD for this year's hospitality and +1 into his All Access Pass World. Keep it real out there, for The Kidz. This one's for you, my brutha:


Krokus - Keystone Palo Alto, CA - 1982 (Pic by Umlaut)

1993 Revisited 'N Stuff

This was originally written for the xeroxed version of Umlaut 12 years ago. It was never published and the notes sat in a box... until now (cue swirly time travel whirlpool visual thing).

L.A. ROADTRIP - SEPTEMBER 1993

Umlaut hits the road with beloved friends Todd and Amy. We stop at Whiz Bugers on South Van Ness and 20th St. to load up on veggie burgers and fries. As we're about to pull out of our parking space, some undercover narcs leap from a car and bust a carload of Mexican dudes. One of the narcs starts hitting a guy on the back of the head to make him spit out something he's trying to swallow. After several blows, something falls out of the guy's mouth. We pull out and I take a bite from my delicious veggie burger. Later, Todd tokes up as the speedometer hits 80mph and Amy holds the wheel. RAWK!

TAD / NEUROSIS / SLEEP - The Auditorium, Hollywood, CA - Sept. 10th
The "Auditorium" is more like The Rec Room: small, low ceiling, carpet, couches, Coke machines. Around the corner, Johnny Depp was filming his new movie... Yeah, we hung with him. Alcohol consumption this evening = 1 delicious Thai beer at dinner. Steve Von Till gave me a hug. I gave him my ice tea. On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Sleep shirts were $9, Neurosis shirts were $10. Tad didn't sell shirts, but his manager carried a briefcase. The next day we went to a thrift store and I found an old Leonard Cohen album for .65 cents, 2 promo photos from Slapshot (!) for .50 cents each, and a cool shirt for a buck or two. Score!


One of the Slapshot promo pics (From the Umlaut Attic)

Bad Religion / Green Day / Seaweed - The Palladium, Hollywood, CA - Sept. 11th
Overblown concert security. Todd's chain wallet qualified as a weapon and my STICK OF GUM was confiscated (It's true!). Teens with Misfits shirts are annoying. Alcohol consumption this evening = 4 shitty beers (SoCal is NOT a quality beer zone). On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I dropped my ear plugs in the foyer, retraced my steps, and found them.

===
POSTSCRIPT:

It's hard to believe that was 12 years ago.


The Old Mission Days: Burritos, Beer, & Rawk

It turned out that Johnny Depp was filming the opening scene of Ed Wood that night in Hollywood. Umlaut also caught the Bad Religion / Green Day Tour a couple of weeks later in S.F.. Billie Joe wore a dress onstage and Tim (Operation Ivy / Rancid) Armstrong stood on the side of the stage during their set. Jayne and I bailed after Green Day... The next time I saw Green Day was 11 years later.

Two days before the show Umlaut turned 30. Good times for sure, but better times now. I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.

Oh yeah, and on this date in 1980 John Lennon was assasinated. I was 17 and not a Beatles fan at all (METAL). I had worked the night shift at Carl's Jr. and my parents were watching the late news when I got home. They were showing all of this Beatles footage and I sat down to watch it because it was odd the news would be showing that stuff. Then they reported his death. I went up to my room and probably put on some Black Sabbath.

However, by the time I met Yoko Ono 16 years later I was fully versed in the Beatles. Better late than never, as they say.

This Week In Music Geek

This week in Music Geek features Green Day. Back on October 13th the local boys played an intimate hometown show at The Warfield. It was an amazing night. A special event shirt was sold at the gig, but the expected poster didn't happen... or did it?


#68 of 200

The band commissioned a limited edition of 200 posters to commemorate the night. Each was signed and individually numbered by the artist (Chris Bilheimer - Who also designed the American Idiot album artwork). As far as Umlaut knows, these were only given out within the Green Day inner circle. Trivia: The flag that makes up the background of the print was the band's backdrop when they hit the stage that night.

Printing was done by eco-friendly Drowning Creek Studio and this is honestly one of the nicest silkscreened Rock posters I've ever seen. It measures a Lock 'N Loll worthy 26 1/2" x 15" and the colors bleed together like a watercolor painting. No, it's not as hipster as a Kozik design, but the quality of the print and paper is better than most Kozik's I've ever seen.

Muchas gracias to Tour Manager Doug. The Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

Three Dirty Green Days

October 11-13, 2005

Dirty Three are a band who I have alot of history with, but only from a Music Geek's perspective. I've met them casually at shows, but never hung out with them. I've admired them from afar for 10 years now.

Ten years?! It always trips me out when they hit town every 2-3 years.. It's a mindfuck to realize how time can fly by so quickly... (cue swirly time travel whirlpool visual thing)...

Bottom of the Hill, S.F. 1995 - I had seen the band for the first time the night before opening for Morphine at The Fillmore. I had been wanting to see them ever since I read an NME review where Nick Cave had joined the band onstage in London.

When we arrived I saw a friend named Jason standing by himself. Jason worked at Kinko's and was an early fan of Umlaut when it was a xeroxed 'zine. Old School Zine People will appreciate this: Friend at Kinko's = BIG savings bordering on (or equal to) outright theft of copies. I'm admitting to nothing, only stating heresay..

Long story short: As I approached Jason I didn't know he was secretly taping the band.. At the very beginning of the recording you can here him say "Hey man.." to someone. That someone is me.

Jason has since passed away and I've always liked the bootleg of this show since it not only captured the band, but also briefly archives Jason's voice.

Bimbo's, S.F. 1997 - I was checking out the merch table and not paying attention to anyone. Out of the blue the merch guy said "Hey [Umlaut's Real World Name]!" It was a guy named Brian who I'd met several years earlier when Umlaut went on tour with Neurosis / 7 Year Bitch. At that time he was an A&R guy for Capitol.. Now he was Dirty Three's Tour Manager. Crazy small world. D3 performed an astounding instrumental version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne". They've never properly recorded it. Thank Dog for bootlegs.

Click HERE for a PDF of Umlaut On Tour With Neurosis / 7 Year Bitch from Umlaut #9 (Fall 1993)!

Great American Music Hall, S.F. - 1998 - The Melvins played a secret show across town at the C.W. Saloon (R.I.P.) that same evening. Dirty Three's then-tour manager Brian took a cab to see the Melvins before heading back to the Great American for the D3 show. Twas one of those rare doubleshot nights that don't happen nearly as often anymore (at least for Umlaut).

Royal Festival Hall, London, England - 1999 - D3 supported Nick Cave solo on the same stage that the London Symphony calls home. At the typically bombastic conclusion of "Sue's Last Ride" Warren lost his grip on his violin bow and it went flying across the stage. I'm sure most of the crowd thought it was part of the show. An epic performance.

Great American Music Hall, S.F. - 2000 - Prior to the gig I had a major D3 Geek outburst and put together a package to give to the band. At the show I spotted guitarist Mick Turner, introduced myself, and gave him a large padded envelope. Inside were bootlegs of every show they had played in S.F. up until then, including their 1995 debut opening for Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 (which was also the band's first ever show in America). I asked for nothing in return. I thought that was a cool fanboy gesture.

Great American Music Hall, S.F. - 2003 - The gig was around a month after I'd been laid off from a job that I loved. Oddly, I was going through emotions that I hadn't felt since a girlfriend dumped me years ago... It was a weird time for me. D3 were touring with the bass player from Low, which added a new dimension to their sound. At one point I had my eyes closed, just soaking in the music, and when I opened them and looked around I realized that practically everyone around me had their eyes closed and were locked into the music too. It was amazing. This is my favorite D3 show simply because of the healing power it had for me during a rough time in my life.

Which brings y'all up to date:

Dirty Three
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
Oct. 11, 2005

It was appropriate that exactly a week before my 42nd Birthday I should watch D3 perform "Sue's Last Ride" again. Why? Because 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything... and "Sue's Last Ride" is the most inspiring and life affirming song ever written about someone dying in the backseat of a car IMO.

I realized that this was the first D3 show since 1995 where I didn't know most of the songs being performed... The new album was released that day but I was a poser and didn't camp out at the local indie record store that morning. I must be getting old.

D3 were touring with an additional musician who played a 2nd violin (!), mandolin, and bass on some songs. Seeing D3 with a 2nd violin was like seeing Iron Maiden's 3-guitar lineup for the first time. Of all the times I've seen D3, this show seemed "off" for some reason. Warren's usual fiery onstage joviality seemed muted.. BUT the music was still there. I thought drummer Jim White was the star of this show. He held things DOWN and I found myself locking into his performance more than Warren's violin this time 'round. Hmmm.

"Everything's Fucked" is still THE quintessential "everything is fucked" song IMO.. and "Hope" still gets me "right here". D3 is pure, uncut music.. No bullshit lyrics to get in the way.

Another thing I dig about D3 is that since 1998 they've produced inexpensive tour CDs (featuring unreleased or live tracks) that are only sold at shows. Music Geeks LOVE that kinda shit. The excellent 2005 Tour CD cost a mere $8 and features a live recording done in their native Australia last year.


The 2005 Tour CD (Live @ The Meredith Festival)

If you've never heard Dirty Three, listen to their song "I Really Should've Gone Out Last Night" and it will make you realize that, yeah, you really should have.

If you bought one of every Dirty Three merch item you would have spent $78. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I've always said that Dirty Three are the only band I've ever seen with feedback screaming from a violin.. and damn if I don't still love 'em for that.

Okay.. Now this:

Green Day / The Network
Warfield Theater, San Francisco
Oct. 13, 2005

I'll say it for you: "GREEN DAY AGAIN?? " Arguably the biggest Rock band in the world playing a show that was basically the same size as the guest list for their massive PacBell Park show several weeks back. An intimate hometown gig with the band performing the American Idiot album in its entirety. Just like The Who performing Tommy in London circa 1969.

There was so much drama surrounding tickets for this silly Rock Show. There was a frenzy in the air. Tickets went onsale 3 days prior to the show via Ticketbastard online only. I think it sold out in less than 5 minutes. Evidently someone paid $3,200 for a pair of tickets on Ebay (!). Meanwhile, more than a few were paying over $300 each (around 7x face value) for their tickets via Ebay and Craigslist.


For 72 hours this piece of paper was worth $$. Now it makes a perfect bookmark..

With that in mind, NEVER take Karma for granted. Umlaut ain't a hippie, but from past experience I've learned that Karma and the Rock Godz do indeed walk hand in hand. Things came together, fell apart, came together, staggered, and then completely came back together. Cue Pyro.

Naturally, I was sitting next to one of those chatty know-it-all concert guys who had to tell me about ALL of the shows he'd ever seen at The Warfield ("Man.. I saw the Dead here.. oh and I saw Marilyn Manson here... blah blah blah.."). Dude, I don't CARE.. I saw Mercyful Fate at The Warfield but you don't hear me blabbing about it. I ended up ignoring him and drank codeine with Skychick.

I'll just come right out and say that The Network are Green Day in disguise.. I dig their 80's New Wave thang alot... BUT they had more smoke machines going than both the Sisters Of Mercy and Jesus & Mary Chain combined.. Twas completely ridiculous actually. After watching most of the set, the smoke caused Skychick and I to retreat to the lobby for some air and more codeine.

HOLY FUCK. Green Day played for 3 hours! I am not exaggerating. A setlist of almost 40 songs. They didn't get around to playing "Basket Case" until 12:05am and they didn't even bother playing their biggest hit ("Good Riddance"). We stumbled out to the sidewalk at around 12:45am and the 7-11 across Market St. from The Warfield was mobbed by dehydrated fans.

I won't even to try to explain how mindblowing the show was... Words simply can't do it justice. Besides, if you're one of those people who still dismisses Green Day it doesn't matter anyway. I will simply say that this show was everything that I love about music and why it's such a huge part of my life. F-U-N. 'Nuff said.

SET 1 (American Idiot):

• American Idiot
• Jesus Of Suburbia
• Holiday
• Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
• Are We The Waiting
• St. Jimmy
• Give Me Novacaine
• She's A Rebel
• Extraordinary Girl
• Letterbomb
• Wake Me Up When September Ends
• Homecoming

ENCORE 1:

• Whatsername
• Longview
• Minority

ENCORE 2:

• Welcome To Paradise
• Christie Road
• J.A.R.
• Take Back
• If Only You Were Lonely [Replacements]
• Disappearing Boy
• Thank You [Zeppelin] > Sweet Home Alabama [Lynyrd Skynyrd] > I Don't Know [Ozzy] *
  
• She
• Coming Clean
• Surrender [Cheap Trick] > Bastards of Young [Replacements]
  
• Brown Sugar [Rolling Stones] *
  
• All By Myself (Tre solo on guitar and vocals)
• Dominated Love Slave (Tre on guitar and vocals, Billie Joe on drums)
• F.O.D.
• Rock The Casbah [Clash]
• Dancing With Myself [Generation X]
• King For A Day
• Basket Case
• Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones]
• I Fought The Law [Bobby Fuller]
• 2,000 Light Years Away
• Won't Get Fooled Again [The Who]
• We Are The Champions [Queen]
• Shout [Isley Brothers] (inc. Bright Side of Life [Monty Python] and Stand By Me [Ben E. King])
• I Fought the Law [Bobby Fuller]

* = Incomplete songs

The Encore 2 set was basically unscripted.. Songs were either requested from the audience or shouted out by various band members on the fly. It was like watching arguably the biggest Rock band in the world in their rehearsal space. Combined with The Network set, the lads were onstage for at least 4 hours solid. Twas fucking amazing to behold.

Also, Umlaut has been seeing shows at The Warfield for over 20 years and I've NEVER seen as much pryo used on that stage. Green Day likes to blow things up.

Best Quote: Old Metal Erik to Umlaut the next day - "I worked at The Warfield for 8 years, and I've never seen anyone get away with that much pyro before."

Due to the ticket situation, unlike the other GD shows Umlaut has seen on this tour, the crowd was mainly adults instead of kidz. However, the kidz were there in quality instead of quantity..

Halfway through American Idiot (the first song..) Billie Joe was at the front of the stage and pointed to someone in the front row (while the song was still being played) and said something like "Your dad is having a hard time keeping people from crushing you.. I'll make a deal with you.. You can come up here and watch the show from over there.." and pointed to the side of the stage..

Security then pulled 2 preteen girls out of the crowd... and they watched the entire show from the side of the stage. They were stunned... but as the show went on they sang along to EVERY song.. They were wearing matching pink Green Day shirts.

As the show progressed I noticed that the crew kept giving them things... like a bottle of water and Tre's drum sticks.. Before any pyro went off a crew guy would lean down and tell them to cover their ears.

If you can't appreciate how cool that whole interaction was then all I can say is there are crap bands like Disturbed or Staind as you mope through life. Anger is an energy... I suppose.

Before the show, Tour Manager Doug (TMD) and Umlaut told Billie Joe's brother about seeing Motorhead with Krokus at The Warfield in 1983. He seemed impressed. Having grown up in the S.F. Bay Area I gotta say that when GD launched into "Homecoming" I was filled with civic pride for the local boys made good. It made up for the Niners being such a shit team this season..

For the final time in 2005, cheers to old Umlaut friend TMD for the +1 into his All Access Pass World. Umlaut still lives vicariously through his Rock 'N Roll Lifestyle. Keep it real out there, for The Kidz.

Scorpions - In Trance shirts seen = 1 (!!). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I can't remember the last time the Old School Music Geeks were so unabashedly giddy after a show. Good times.. ain't we lucky we got 'em?

"Zieg Heil to the President Gasman..."