From Bay Area basement punks to Broadway rock opera revivalists, Green Day has had quite the wild ride since forming in the late ‘80s — and their latest Saviors Tour is one epic trip through it all. Though the international spree is named for their latest album released in January, the band uses it as a vehicle to perform — in full — their two seminal albums, “Dookie” (1994) and “American Idiot,” (2004).
While some bands may celebrate milestones with a few tracks embedded in a set list, or maybe one full album play, Green Day said “let’s play two” at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night and meant it. It was a marathon undertaking, shelling out 37 songs in 2-and-one-half hours, complemented with inflatable stage props recreating each album’s art in 3D effect. “Tonight is not just a party,” singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong cautioned the crowd, “it’s a celebration!”
The sold-out jamboree began with happy hour sets from Green Day’s appointed “nieces” The Linda Lindas and “brothers” Rancid, before hometown heroes The Smashing Pumpkins got their rite of passage playing Wrigley Field for the first time.
“We used to practice across the street at the Cubby Bear,” frontman Billy Corgan remarked toward the end of the hourlong set. “It took us 36 years to get here but we are so happy. … God bless the Cubs!”
Though Corgan was decked out in his typical long gothic frock, his two kids paraded around the stage in their own custom baseball jerseys for a song, during a coordinated bit with National Wrestling Alliance stars Natalia Markova and Bryan Idol. Lest we forget Corgan owns the league and, in May, debuted his CW network reality show, “Adventures In Carnyland,” about the venture.
It was an incongruous moment in an otherwise textbook set from the alt rock soldiers who whipped through a handbag of hits across their numerous releases, from “Today” to “Tonight, Tonight,” which never fails to bring a sense of pride to Chicagoans with the “city by the lake” lyric. In addition to “1979,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Cherub Rock” and new “Atum” album songs “Beguiled” and “That Which Animates the Spirit,” the Pumpkins were able to slip in a solid cover of U2’s “Zoo Station.”
Since the original squad of James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin officially rejoined Corgan in 2018, the band has never sounded tighter. One of their best recent moves was adding guitarist Kiki Wong (after a national open audition earlier this year). The unabashed metalhead — even spotted at Metallica’s Sunday night show — brings a tangible fervor to the group; with flying V guitar in hand, she’s the most animated member on the stage. Even if it was odd to see the moody vibesetters in a daylight set, it was still a great offering. “We’re so glad to be here in our god – – – n hometown,” Iha declared.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman/guitarit Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin perform at Wrigley Field ahead of Green Day on Tuesday night. It was the first time the Pumpkins played the ballpark.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
In a way, having Pumpkins on the bill was also an anniversary. They and Green Day first teamed up 30 years ago on the 1994 iteration of Lollapalooza. It was just one in a line of local acts Green Day has ponied up in recent tours.
“Tonight we played with The Smashing Pumpkins. The last time we played here was with Fall Out Boy. Next time we’re playing with the band Chicago,” Armstrong joked as Green Day’s mammoth set got underway. Later, he also added in a bit of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” in Green Day’s “Minority.” Along with “Brain Stew” and “Saviors” songs like “Bobby Sox” and “Dilemma,” they were the few that didn’t fall into the “Dookie” or “American Idiot” camps.
Pairing the two albums in full made for interesting bedfellows. Both come from disparate times for the band — and the country at large. Whereas “Dookie” is quick-witted with innocuous themes about boredom and relationships, “American Idiot” is a conceptual opus full of winding anthems with political and anti-war messages, reflective of the post-9/11 and Iraq War world in which it was released. (Reviving it 20 years later is still incredibly timely, with the band updating certain key lyrics to fit the times: American Idiot’s “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” is now “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.”)
“America, are you ready to vote? Do you want your democracy? Do we fight against fascism?” Armstrong prodded during “Holiday.” Before the show started, video screens revealed various messages including “Don’t be an American Idiot, register to vote,” as part of Green Day’s partnership with voter registration group HeadCount.
It wasn’t all heavy-handed. The night devolved into one epic, nostalgic singalong as firework pops and towering flames added to the Broadway-esque theatricality; there was a blue-haired girl named Bridget who got to join the band on stage for “Know Your Enemy,” and drummer Tré Cool did his “All By Myself” pantomime in a leopard robe.
“Tonight is about love and being together … we don’t need an algorithm or propaganda,” Armstrong declared. “Tonight is about joy — for god’s sake we’ve earned it.”
By the time they ended with “Good Riddance,” as Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt did a little jig around Armstrong performing solo, it was clear everyone — band included — had had the time of their lives.
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS SET LIST
The Everlasting Gaze
Doomsday Clock
Zoo Station (U2 cover)
Today
That Which Animates the Spirit
Tonight, Tonight
Ava Adore
Disarm
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Beguiled
1979
Jellybelly
Cherub Rock
Zero
GREEN DAY SET LIST
The American Dream Is Killing Me
Burnout
Having a Blast
Chump
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
Pulling Teeth
Basket Case
She
Sassafras Roots
When I Come Around
Coming Clean
Emenius Sleepus
In the End
F.O.D.
All by Myself
Know Your Enemy
Look Ma, No Brains!
One Eyed Bastard
Dilemma
Minority
Brain Stew
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
Whatsername
Bobby Sox
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)