the band can never be bigger than the music? right? any opinions?

so i've been meaning to write about this since i first bought GreenDay's (relatively) new album, American Idiot. Despite having the album be highly recommended by two of my good friends (one of whom i do have much respect for their taste in music) I was dissapointed by their newest effort. i listened to the album many times, hoping to develop a likeness for it, but it never came. although impressed by a few standout tracks (holiday, she's a rebel, extraordinary girl), i just got the feeling that they were going for the expansiveness of NOFX's decline and the maturity of Blink 182's newest album, but falling short on both counts. not that it is a bad album, but it wasn't nearly as good as described by my music compatriots.

having said that, i saw greenday last night in glasgow and had a fucking brilliant time. sporting my newest tshirt creation ('please mess with texas' - pics soon, i promise) i headed to the SECC with a fourpack and a few joints in hand, ready for a night of loud music, sweaty everything/everyone, annoying fans and good times. i was not dissapointed. All of those factors came together in an amazing way to make an even more amazing night. i drank 2 beers and enjoyed a joint whilst people watching outside the venue, trying to get a feel for what type of concert this would shape up to be. the usual suspects for a small stadium type consert were there, jaded old-school punkers, 12-year olds dragging their parents to their (kid's or parent's) first gig (which i realized last night i will be FOREVER grateful to my parents for letting me attend my first concerts at that age sans-parental units), high school brats, thirty-somethings who have heard of this band from recent airplay but don't really know them, and finally, ME! I did a quick walkthrough, checked to see the extensiveness of the search, found the mile long [seriously] line for the coat check room (more of a exhibition centre hall), decided to run outside, finish one more beer, stash my coat and final beer in the bushes outside and head inside. Once inside I avoided the uber cool and (suprisingly) reasonably priced beers being poured from these guys with half-keg backpacks (looking similar to sanz and shafae on halloween a few years back as the ghostbusters but with a handy pint cup dispenser on the front) and instead headed straight for the main hall to get a feel for the venue as a whole.

halfway through the hall i notice the huge banner hanging behind the stage, how i missed a huge banner proclaiming 'NEW FOUND GLORY', i won't know. I furiously smashed a text message to shannon who had told me that some other band was opening, not NFG. Finishing the text message I look up to see the banner gone only to be replaced by some green day banners - hello perfect timing? well, almost, nothing will ever beat the LA HoB Bad Religion timing experienced by sils, mikey and myself. i get myself in a good position, scan the crowd and wait for the fun to begin. i always enjoy finding 'that guy' at shows, but this very quickly decended from 'har har, don't be that guy' to 'oh gawd, there is a mass misunderstaning of what i means to be a fan here' to 'now seriously, it isn't funny anymore y'all'. now, greenday has been around for along time, and there were a few old GD shirts abound, which is nominally okay...i guess, but nothing compared to the deluge of American Idiot shirts surrounding me. These american idiots were only topped off by those wearing the tour shirts, listing "glasgow - february 10". I have never seen that guy more at a gig then at this night, but i guess that shows where greenday is and what they are.

i like to start my shows where i'm as close as i can get without asking people to move - that can wait for the music to start. especially with the inevidable rush to the front during the first 10 notes. once a show gets going i typically i spend my time at a show in the front half (facing the stage) of a medium sized mosh pit. it is the perfect place for concert watching. fresh air is always provided by the swirling pit, standing in the front half doesn't afford my 6'4"edness to get in the way of anyone else and i can bash heads whenever a good song comes on. alas, there was no pit to be found. as the show began i searched frantically for this treasured spot, only to be surrounded by waves and waves of sweaty concertgoers. Since i normally find my spot at the front of the pit, this was a new experience for me. Quickly i developed a way to get through the masses and managed to get about 2 people away from the front - had i waited a few more songs a few more people would have passed out and pulled out of the crowd by the stage bouncers putting me up front. I couldn't be arsed to do that and went out in search of some where to release my aggression (which i really don't have much of anyways)...

Next Blog: Green Day Part 2.0 - or - Slapping dudes on the ass at concerts and bleeding lips, how mateo managed to start a pit himself.

AND

Coming soon: Drunk Soccer - Fun. Hungover Football - Difficult. How mateo became high on lactic acid.

AND

A new blog project.

Signing off.