Review: GREEN DAY - Saviors Tour
Re-living Old Memories and Making New Ones
Review and Photos by: Jimmy Wah
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GREEN DAY’s Sydney show at Engie Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, on their 'Saviors Tour' in March 2025 was a celebration of two pivotal moments in rock history – the 30th anniversary of Dookie (1994) and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot (2004). The iconic punk trio, consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, have not only shaped the music landscape over the past three decades but have also continued to dominate as one of the most influential and enduring bands in modern rock. With their electrifying performance, GREEN DAY took fans on a journey through their legendary discography, weaving nostalgia with fresh excitement and reaffirming their undeniable impact on multiple generations. From explosive hits like ‘Basket Case’ to the anthemic ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, the night was a perfect blend of old and new, a memorable celebration of their past and a powerful statement of their strength and relevance in today’s music scene.
PRIVATE FUNCTION and AFI were this evening’s supports, warming up the ever-growing crowd as the fading light blanketed the filling floor of Engie Stadium. After an excruciating break for those locked in the pit, the lights went down to roars from the crowd, which soon turned into a passionate chorus singing along to QUEEN’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ over the PA.
Image: The GREEN DAY crowd singing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
From the moment notes ring out from their opening track ‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’ it was clear that the audience was about to hear GREEN DAY’s music in a way that they’d never heard before. Billie Joe commanded the stage and the crowd with a pointed finger and brimming lungs, hypnotising the crowd who bled their lungs dry with him. As the band moved into ‘Burnout’ to begin the playthrough of their seminal album Dookie, the energy took on a whole new level. The sense of elation was palpable as the crowd roared with each song. Die hard punkers with iconic coloured mohawks, leather and piercings marched their way around the stands with every word glued to their lips. Even the visual director seemed like an obvious fan, making cuts and flurries between camera angles on the live screens in perfect synchronicity with the music.. With incredible lighting, explosive stage pyrotechnics, dynamic screen overlays and genre-defining colours, this show was one to behold.
Image: Billie Joe Armstrong
Image: Tré Cool
Image: Mike Dirnt
Image: Billie Joe Armstrong
There were iconic features throughout the show such as the ‘BAD YEAR’ blimp weaving it’s way above the crowd during ‘Coming Clean’ and Billie Joe finishing ‘Emenius Sleepus’ by throwing a boquet of roses into the crowd. For the ‘final’ track of the album ‘F.O.D.’ Billie Joe paused to talk about his iconic Fernandes Stratocaster copy that he was given by his mother at 12 years old saying “Thank you Mum, it all worked out.” As the iconic album drew to a close and the lights went down, those in the audience knew there was more to come. The acoustic riff of ‘All By Myself’ rang out as a chorus of violins and Tré Cool, the mastermind behind the track came out wearing a night gown and pranced around the stage as he sung to an amused crowd.
Image: The amused GREEN DAY crowd
One might think that playing another entire album on the back of Dookie would demand a quick turn-around, but GREEN DAY came back to play a series of iconic tracks from throughout their discography to satiate the fans. At the end of ‘Know Your Enemy’ from 21st Century Breakdown, Billie said “Who wants to get on the stage right now?”, picking a lucky girl out from the crowd who after a long squeeze of her idol, sucked back tears to finish singing the song! Meanwhile Billie got the rest of the crowd jumping which resembled a sea of rice being tossed around a pan. With 5 more iconic tracks including ‘Revolution Radio’ and ‘Minority’, Billie Joe paid his respects to AC/DC saying “I’d like to say thank you to Malcolm Young for teaching me how to play guitar!”. I wasn’t the only one ecstatic when GREEN DAY then played my favourite track, ‘Brain Stew’, with a power like I’d never heard before.
Image: Billie Joe Armstrong
Image: Mike Dirnt
Image: Billie Joe Armstrong
Image: GREEN DAY
Next came American Idiot, which was given some suitable political commentary by Billie Joe saying “This is not part of a MAGA agenda” before launching into the opening track. ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ was was met with a compassionate dedication “… from the Ukraine to the Middle East…” and as the 9 minute track played through I was amazed at the stamina of the entire band. They had been playing for an hour and a half with a full album to go and Billie didn’t even seem to have broken a sweat, let alone lost any of his energy. The only time the energy stopped was when Billie abruptly cut the music during ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ as someone was hurt in the crowd. He wouldn’t let the music start again until the audience member had received proper medical assistance, an honest showcase of his good will and care for his fellow human. After ‘Give Me Novocaine’ Billy declared his love for Australia saying, “You’re not as f*cked up as America”, and that Sydney holds a special place in his heart because it’s probably the last time they’d play the 2 albums (Dookie + American Idiot) in full.
Image: Billie Joe Armstrong pumping up the crowd
As GREEN DAY closed out the final tracks from American Idiot, the crowd mirrored the band’s energy and Billie got the bowl of rice jumping again. At the end of ‘Whatsername’ the audience stayed glued to the floor when the band left the stage. Returning for 1 last time as a band to play ‘Bobby Sox’, people waited again for Billie to return on his own to close it out with ‘Good Riddance’ on the acoustic guitar. The night finally came to a close with fireworks and a bucket of drumsticks thrown into the crowd by Tré Cool, a fitting end to a spectacular night.
Photos by: Jimmy Wah
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