That Green Day set ended up being the climax we didn\u2019t know we needed. During the break between sets, Reyan and I wandered through the stadium to see if we could get better positioning. To our surprise, we were able to make it down onto the field near the stage! We had thought this was an exclusive area that required special tickets, but we found a very solid view by just walking into the outfield. This was going to be an experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an epic intro that featured a rabbit mascot dancing to The Ramones\u2019 \u201cBlitzkrieg Bop,\u201d among other classics, the Green Day guys burst onto the stage and launched straight into \u201cAmerican Idiot.\u201d I don\u2019t know how many of you have seen Green Day live, but Billie Joe Armstrong has a fucking STAGE PRESENCE. The man radiates pure badass rock star energy, and he was on point from the very beginning. I had liked Green Day before, but that was the night I came to love them, particularly Billie. During the first song alone, he bellowed \u201cPITTSBURGH!!!!\u201d and \u201cLET ME HEAR YOU SCREAAAM!!!!\u201d between verses, and this energy continued throughout the entire set. I discovered tracks I had heard before but didn\u2019t fully appreciate until I experienced them live, such as \u201cLongview,\u201d \u201cWelcome to Paradise,\u201d and \u201cMinority.\u201d  At one point, I had my phone out trying to snap a quick picture or two, and Billie told all of us to put our phones away and just live in the moment. Feeling slightly attacked, I listened to him and instantly put my phone away. He commanded respect, and he got it. Another moment that really stood out was when Billie brought a random teenage kid from the crowd on stage to play guitar, and the kid absolutely crushed it. Billie just effortlessly created a moment that kid will remember for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concert for the ages finally ended with Jesus of Suburbia (I hadn\u2019t thought they would play this entire song because of the length, but I underestimated their powers) and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). Fireworks went off, and just like that, the night was over. I had certainly had the time of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reyan and I stayed another day in Pittsburgh after the show, as we had each gotten extra time off work for the trip. We went to the Andy Warhol Museum and to a \u201890s-style arcade, and my voice was absolutely GONE from singing and screaming my lungs out. I could barely communicate with anyone. It took nearly a week to fully recover. It was absolutely, 1000% worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we got back to Columbus, I felt inspired and started listening to my music with a renewed enthusiasm. I got more into Green Day and basically started phase two of my pop-punk, \u201cemo\u201d obsession, nearly two years after the first. I dressed as an emo kid for Halloween, complete with eyeliner, nail polish, and a wig. I made a spontaneous solo road trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where I saw Pete Wentz’s concert-used bass guitar, Green Day’s Hall of Fame plaque, and voted for Weezer to be inducted (you bet your ass I’m coming back in 2027 to vote for Fall Out Boy). I made the decision to turn this blog into a baseball\/pop punk crossover vehicle. Most importantly, whenever I listen to a song by Green Day, Fall Out Boy, or Weezer, I think, \u201cPlease take me back to Hella Mega.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That Green Day set ended up being the climax we didn\u2019t know we needed. During the break between sets, Reyan and I wandered through the stadium to see if we could get better positioning. To our surprise, we were able to make it down onto the field near the stage! We had thought this was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n