Tonight…GREEN DAY…Wells Fargo Arena…Whoo hoo!!!!!

As you can tell, I’m a little excited for tonight…my wife may not know what she’s in for. What, Jennifer, you don’t want me to scream/sing “Basketcase” into your ear? Interesting.

I have super fond memories of Green Day…I remember hearing the “Dookie” album for the first time, and just being blown away. My CD had scratches on it from how many times I played it, and how many places I took it with me. I listened to it so much…and then a few weeks after that, someone at school said ” Hey, did you know Dookie is actually their third album“?

Whatchu talkin’ about Willis…

But sure enough…1039/Smoothed Out Happy Hours & Kerplunk…I headed straight to Coconuts (it might have been RecordTown), and bought those two discs right on up too. “2000 Light Years Away”, “Christie Road”….loved ’em.iscs right on up too. “2000 Light Years Away”, “Christie Road”….loved ’em.

A group of friends (well acquaintances, well, I think they just wanted me to be their free ride) were supposed to go to Green Day during the “Insomniac” tour. Those friends never made it to the pickup destination for reasons I still don’t know…so I headed down to Chicago on my own…and went and saw Green Day (and The Riverdales) on my own. Bought a stocking cap, two shirts….three shirts…and wore everything in the mosh pit. I could not have been more sweaty.

I was crowdsurfing, and got tossed over the security barrier…Billie Joe Armstrong saw me…looked at me, gave me the finger, I gave him the finger back, smiles were had…and as security was ushering me back into the pit, I stuck my head into one of the speakers…it was loud…and it was AWESOME!

I thought Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike were just the coolest…and I still do.

I still like “Good Riddance”….which is a great song, but was nearly ruined by going to Drake and attending all the sorority formals where it was the final song they played on all their montages. You could set your watch by those montages….”pics of the girls by the house…fun at the bars (with no alcohol picture of course)…sisters being sisters….more fun…spring break trips…and then the pics of the graduating seniors”….Cue Good Riddance. Of course, most of us drunken fraternity guys were more than eager to tell everyone, “You know that song doesn’t mean what you think it means”. We thought we were so cool.

Green Day…welcome back to Des Moines…I wish there was a mosh pit…I’d be ready to crowdsurf over and over again.

Top 10 Green Day Songs

1. Sassafras Roots
2. Longview
3. When I Come Around
4. Burnout
5. She
6. Basketcase
7. Nice Guys Finish Last
8. J.A.R.
9. Walking Contradiction
10. Welcome to Paradise

Haven’t lost my voice at a concert since Pearl Jam…might be time to lose it tonight.