European tour 2024

[solongfromthestars]

1 hour ago, Greengirl10 said:

Does anyone know what time VIP early access to Manchester and Wembly is?

It was about an hour before the regular queue in Lyon. 

[Hermione]

7 hours ago, Lenny said:

I remember this story from the tour! But, I never knew that this friend was Xkid or that the suicide was that close to a GD event. 
 

With these types of things you never know.. was it the story? Was he holding off to see GD one more time?

 

I don't think it was related to GD/the show, they never gave more details.

[Cris.]

4 hours ago, Greengirl10 said:

Does anyone know what time VIP early access to Manchester and Wembly is?

A friend has a VIP ticket for the show in Paris and he got an email with all the times and information this week (so a week before the show). I'd imagine you might also get some additional info ahead of the show. 

[That Dude]

Fall Out Boy broke their setlist up into sections for every album they have, even the hated ones.  This is peak concert form. enough with the anniversaries already. 

Maybe after this time, Green Day could shift to 5 Dookie hits, 5 Idiots hits, and then 1-2 hits from each era and then a deep cut or two.   Maybe Billie will even realize St Jimmy and King for a Day aren't that deep, lol.   

All the big hits from each album and a 39/Smooth song.  Boom.  I'll even allow Welcome to Paradise to count as a Kerplunk track.    Father of all and 99 Revolutions are Billie's favorites so he wouldn't have to revisit any traumatizing songs.   

[Psycho Britney]

2 hours ago, That Dude said:

  Father of all and 99 Revolutions are Billie's favorites so he wouldn't have to revisit any traumatizing songs.   

I always liked 99 Revolutions and thought it worked well live!😁

[Cris.]

3 hours ago, That Dude said:

Fall Out Boy broke their setlist up into sections for every album they have, even the hated ones.  This is peak concert form. enough with the anniversaries already. 

Maybe after this time, Green Day could shift to 5 Dookie hits, 5 Idiots hits, and then 1-2 hits from each era and then a deep cut or two.   Maybe Billie will even realize St Jimmy and King for a Day aren't that deep, lol.   

All the big hits from each album and a 39/Smooth song.  Boom.  I'll even allow Welcome to Paradise to count as a Kerplunk track.    Father of all and 99 Revolutions are Billie's favorites so he wouldn't have to revisit any traumatizing songs.   

Excuse me? Hahaha. Speak for yourself, I'm happy with the full Dookie and the full AI. 15 year old me dreamed of this and would have never thought it'd become a reality, and my 30 something old self is channeling her now, so I'm here for it and cannot get enough of it. I'm already coming down with the blues just thinking tomorrow is possibly the last time I'll hear AI in full live. Sure I'd love a tour with a lot of their other albums (as far as I'm concerned they could mostly skip the trilogy), but this tour is amazing and we gotta enjoy it because I doubt they'll ever do this again.

[billy1986]

Anything to have them play Westbound Sign 

[Marki.]

I'm looking forward to seeing them play a more mixed setlist again, but these shows are really really special, a dream come true for many fans. I don't know what I was thinking when I only got tickets for one show of this tour, now I wish I could go to at least 3 more 🥲 but it's always like this, I should've learned my lesson from last time 😄 let's just hope it won't be years till we get Green Day in Europe again

[giozzam]

Given this setlist and the massive stage production, I hope they treat us with some edited live footage. Not necessarily a whole production like BIAB/Awesome as F**k, but something Metallica-like, with one song from each concert (so that they can show everyone how they're the greatest live band atm).

[Psycho Britney]

20 hours ago, billy1986 said:

Anything to have them play Westbound Sign 

I'd love to hear them play this one day. Also Stuart and the Ave and The Grouch!🥰🤣

[solongfromthestars]

What has the confetti been like? I keep seeing fancy Saviors confetti but it was plain pink and green in Lyon. I filled a bag with it and I'm not sure what to do with it now.

[Psycho Britney]

14 minutes ago, solongfromthestars said:

What has the confetti been like? I keep seeing fancy Saviors confetti but it was plain pink and green in Lyon. I filled a bag with it and I'm not sure what to do with it now.

This is a very important issue, well done on bringing it up!🫡 I always like to collect a few bits of confetti to keep with gig memorabilia! In fact at the Hella Mega Tour, I nearly lost my friend because I dived on the floor to collect some at the end and they didn't realise and started to exit the venue!😬🤣

[jengd]

I have Christmas baubles with the different confetti’s in them.

[desertrose]

Love reading about everyone's experiences at the shows in Europe. Yes I would love to see a broken up setlist. I loved the 21st Century era tours. Not for complete album, but alot of deep cuts too.  Not looking forward to the festival shows this year. Still waiting to see if any discounted tickets come up last minute in San Francisco, not excited about seeing any of the other bands. I miss the Green Day tour in Arenas not with all these other bands. I've seen them every time they tour, seeing all the club shows, but gonna miss this one. first saw them in Petaluma at the Phoenix theater in 1991 and still seeing them today is special.

[Cris.]

So, this will be a long winded rant about the VIP system at the concerts so far. I am not entirely sure if this thread is the best place for it, or if I should start a new thread for this (partially because there are so many good things about this tour worth highlighting, and I hate dragging the mood down, and partially because I think this might be a problem for the US tour as well - although with how much more expensive regular tickets are there, maybe it won't). If you feel this deserves its own thread, I'll move it.

Disclaimer:

I do not know who is responsible for deciding how many VIP tickets to sell, and what these VIP packages should include. I do not know if the band's management is in control, if the venues are in control, it the ticketing platform, or if it is a mixture of some of these. Any criticism is directed at whoever that group of people might be, but since I don't know they are, there will be no finger pointing in my post.

Story time / lots of context with a dash of rambling: 
 

Spoiler

The first time I attended a Green Day concert in the general admission area was in 2009. I attended their two shows in Madison Square Garden that summer for the 21st Century Breakdown tour. At the time I was living in Venezuela, there was no hope in sight of Green Day ever playing there, I was 18 and in my first year of university so I had no money to call my own. But I convinced my sweet older sister to take this trip with me (and needless to say pay for it) because I sold the idea to her as a fun holiday to visit NYC for the first time in our lives, staying in a cheap hotel, eating cheap food, and the Green Day show just being a cherry on top that was not going to cost her a lot of money but would have made me super happy (back then regular tickets were also reasonably priced), and beside by this time she was a converted soft core Green Day fan too. The thought of buying a VIP ticket would have never crossed my mind, but if it had my sister would have probably laughed in my face and told me to get a cheaper ticket.

For the first night I did tourist stuff around NYC all day, arrived to the queue about 1 hour and half before doors opened, ended up in third row behind some very tall people (compared to my 1,64 m at least), who were kind enough to notice that they'd be blocking my view the entire show, and let me go in front of them, so I ended up effectively second row. For the second night I queued since the morning (I cannot remember the exact time, it was 15 years ago😅) and was among the first in 10 people in the line. I told the people around me I was keeping a spot for my sister too, I explained to them we had traveled from Venezuela to see Green Day and that since we were leaving the next day and it was our first time in NYC she was going to visit around a bit more join us later. Everyone around us was sympathetic and understanding of the situation and had no problem with this. My sister stopped by several times throughout the day, brought people around me water and snacks whenever she brought for me, and finally stayed in queue for the last 2 hours or so, and everyone was happy. We went in, and I had my pick of choices for where I wanted to be. I got exactly my dream spot and everyone around me in the queue also did. At this concert Billie Joe took my Venezuelan flag and waved it around before throwing it back to me. I only have a picture of like 10 pixels of this that someone else took, but the memory is embedded in my mind forever. You might also be wondering what my dream spot was, and that was right in front of Mike, because I was obsessed with American Eulogy and wanted to be right in front of him when he sang his part. And that's exactly where I was. That night is one of the happiest memories I have from my teenage years, which were mostly marked by lots of struggles, hopelessness and depression.

I went to one more concert in 2010, when they finally went to Venezuela, I also queued from very early, was also in the first 10 people of that queue, ended up in second row (in this case due to the incompetence and corruption of the company organizing the show, another story for another time that is not relevant to the story at hand). Then I completely disconnected from the Green Day world since after the trilogy was released, so I do not know what happened between 21stCB tour and now.

Fast forward to 2023, I now live in Paris and Green Day announces they are doing a surprise show in Bataclan, and for the sake of that teenage me who would have killed for the opportunity to see them in a tiny venue in the city where she lives, I decided to go. And  I got bitten by the Green Day bug again and bought a ticket to see them in Paris when they released the tour dates. At this point I was not planning to see any more of their shows "in case I don't like Saviors and go back to dormant fan mode" (little did I know). That all went out the window when they announced they'd play Dookie and American Idiot in full (plus the fact that I loved Savors). At this point Lyon had already sold out, and there were still VIP tickets (even the "cheaper" ones) but spending that much money on a single ticket when I could wait for a cheaper option just felt stupid and unnecessary. Oh little did I know. So I waited until finally I saw a GA ticket in the official re-sale and got that.

I arrived at 6:40 AM at the queue at Lyon, and @solongfromthestars and I were 6th and 7th if I remember correctly. During the process of going in, the queue got quite shuffled due to the organization (or lack of), but we still manged to be among the first in from the queue. We got first row, but not amazing location, specially not for people who were in the first 10 of the queue. The whole cat walk and the side right in front of Mike and Jason were already taken, and there were at least two rows of people around the catwalk already before any of the people in the normal queue got in, just form the VIPs. We were in the middle between Mike and the screen on his side. To my other side in the barricade were a French brother and sister who had been in the queue since 8AM, and were hard core Green Day fans too. The people behind me were older (in theirs 50s maybe?) and had been in the queue since 1PM. Everyone around me knew the lyrics to most songs, jumped when Billie said to, etc. So overall, it was a really nice enjoyable experience for me, even if the spot wasn't the best one.

Now for Paris I queued since 6:50 AM. I was 17th in line and I must say it was one of the most self-organized lines I have ever been to. The girl who was first in line gave people numbers until the people from a French Green Day fan account arrived (the were 20th something) and continued the task. Most people respected their places (even two people who lagged a bit behind when going through the first check were allowed to retake their places while waiting for the next check point - super civilized. A couple people tried to cut the line, and they got an earful from everyone which discouraged everyone else. Again, all very civilized. And thank goodness it was like that because otherwise I would have ended 4th row easily. As it was I was 2nd row, almost in front of Jason (like the space of one person closer to the screen than right in front of him). Mike's side was even fuller, and there were easily three rows of people around the catwalk. This stage was smaller than the one in Lyon by the way, despite the fact that the venue itself has more capacity. I think this is why the VIPs were occupying more of the barricade here, they probably sold the same amount at both, but with less barricade space here. In this concert I ended up behind a front row of VIPs.

To my right was also a VIP who was only partially placed on to the barricade, but staying mostly behind/ his girlfriend/partner. This guy was very tall, my head was coming up to his shoulder and when I would wave my arms my elbow would touch his shoulder, and his girlfriend was almost . He had behind him this girl who has even shorter than me. I met her and talked to her during the queue, she and her friend were the 40th something, and while we waited for the opening act to start, and she commented about how unfair it was that we queued all day, with pouring rain all through the morning to end up in third row and to the side, and not even I, 17th in line (she could see the number in my hand), could get a front row. The VIP guy turned around, looked straight at her and told her "we are in the first row because we paid for the VIP ticket" like that made it less unfair somehow? I just told him "we know" and that was the end of that discussion. The couple in front of my at least were not that tall, about the same height as me, so I could see the stage over her shoulder. I told her before the concert started that some times I would hold on to the barricade just for stability, that I wouldn't do it to push her or to try to take her place. She was like sure, okay, no problem. I kept my word and she kept hers. The tall guy next to me, another story. When Bohemian Rhapsody was playing and everyone, including me, was waving, he turns around to me to ask me if I had equilibrium problems. In my innocence I thought maybe he had overheard my conversation earlier with the other lady and was just going to tell me to hold on the barricade, or something, but as I do not have equilibrium problems I told him I don't, and he asked me why I was leaning on him. I think I might have literally looked like this 😮 I leaned back a bit to show him I had someone right next to me on the other side and asked him "what do you want me to do?" he told me "when you stand up straight like right now I have no problem, the problem is you keep leaning on me" I told him that I literally didn't know what to tell him. I think I was too shocked by the situation to even tap into indignation in that instant. My best guess at what he meant is that when I was waving my arms towards his side my elbows were touching his shoulders and maybe my banana pack that I was carrying on that side was also touching him when I was moving like that. But really, if he didn't want to be touched, pushed, etc, he was in the wrong place.

The husband of the lady in front of me, who had his face turned in my direction though most of the show to look at the center of the stage, as far as I saw, only knew the lyrics to Basket Case and the singles from AI. The lady in front of me, no idea because I couldn't see her face, but she spent the whole show taking videos which often partially blocked my view of the stage (as I could only see it over her shoulder and the other guy's partner's). The guy next to me I new saw him sing any of the songs, except American Idiot (the song, not the album), his girlfriend, no idea. These people never jumped when Billie said to jump, hardly ever waved or clapped when he said to (even if you don't understand English, he always does the gesture) On the other hand, the person behind me, whom I also met in the queue, sang everything. A lot of it was not actual lyrics but just learned by how it sounds, which is totally fine, but I could tell he knew that stuff by heart because sometimes he sang back up vocals too haha, he'd jump when Billie said to. Another guy behind him (never saw him, just heard him, kept narrating the concert because he was so excited ("oh my god, X song is next!"). And I love that! What I hate is that these people singing and having the time of their lives were behind me, in third or 4th row when I had basically people acting like zombies in front of me.

At some point in Hitchin' a Ride people went nuts (at Billie's command) and where pushed really hard against the barricade, I kept checking behind me to make sure everyone was okay once the pressure was off, to make sure people were okay, because these were mostly people I had met in the queue. They felt like they were part of my tribe and I wanted to make sure everyone was fine. The people in front of me never bothered.

So what is wrong with VIP?

After Lyon I thought that the only thing wrong with VIP is that it prices super dedicated fans, willing to queue for more than 12 hours, regardless of weather, of the heat, or the pouring rain, but who are too young, going through hard financial times, or simple don't have that kind of disposable income, out of a chance of having their spot of their dreams. And for a truly dedicated fan, getting that spot, and the experiences that come with it, that can mean pricing them out of something that could be the one of the best memories they'll have. Or like it was for me, one of the happiest memories in the middle of a really low point in life.

But after Lyon I naively thought that people who get VIP tickets must be hardcore fans too, who else would spend that much money to see a concert of a band they only kinda like? And I had good evidence for this too. A guy with a VIP entrance arrived before me (so before 6:40 AM) to the queue and spent all day there. The French brother and sister next to me in the barricade told me they were going to the Paris show, but with VIP tickets. Everyone around me knew the lyrics to everything and jumped when told to and clapped when told to, so I thought that was probably the vibe all along the barricade.

This show in in Paris taught me otherwise. This show in Paris taught me that there are people with a lot of disposable income who only kinda like Green Day because the like Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends, and who probably bought VIP tickets because they were the only ones left available when they decided to go, or because they thought it'd be cool to go in early to get better pictures and videos of the show, and they end up occupying a space that they simply don't deserve to occupy because it will not be as meaningful to them as it'd be to those fan who queued for so many hours, who know all the songs, regardless of how good or bad their English is, who will jump and dance and clap all the way through the concert.

So it's not only that you are pricing out the hardcore fans who don't have the means to afford a VIP ticket, but replacing them with equally dedicated fans. No, you are replacing them also with people who will not appreciate and participate in the concert at the same level.

And the third and final thing that was even less unexpected, is that it abolishes the sense of camaraderie that is born among complete strangers who queue together for hours. When those tall people let me stand in front of them that first night at Madison Square Garden, they knew it'd make no difference to them because they would still be able to see just as much as if I was behind them, but that it'd make a huge difference in how much I'd be able to see and enjoy the show. But probably, if they had payed 200$ more than me to be that extra row ahead of me, they wouldn't have been so willing to make that small sacrifice. This guy next to me looked down to the tiny girl behind him and simply told her " we are in the front because we payed extra", I am sure the thought of letting her in front of him where she'd not only see better, but also be safer, didn't even register as a possibility. They didn't care about people around them and if we were okay after the big crush that happened during Hitchin' a Ride because we were complete faceless strangers for them. Another girl I met in the queue ended up pushed against the people in the front row a bit to my right (towards the cat walk) while her mother ended up behind me. The people in the front didn't know her and thought she was trying to get that spot, and instead of helping her regain her feet, she tells me they were yelling at her, when all she wanted was to get back to her mom. And if they had met her, they would have known that. So it really just creates such a hostile environment in the barricade, because whether people payed 300-500 euros for that spot because they love Green Day or just because they could, they still want to hold on to that expensive spot no matter what, and not a single care for the safety or comfort of others, which is a very easy disregard to have for people you have never met.

 

So what to do about it?

(As if anyone with any power to change this would read this, but let this be my message in a bottle thrown at sea)
 

The first and simplest thing is more transparency, about how many VIP tickets for general area are going to be sold, so you can make the best decision possible about what to buy with the means you have. And so that you also have realistic expectations of how many VIPs there will be and what that means about what spot you would get.

But the best solution would be to make the VIP truly VIP. Not by increasing the price even more because that doesn't guarantee they will go to the right people, but by decreasing the number of tickets. Don't sell more than the amount of people it'd take to occupy 20% of the front row barricade. I don't say eliminate them completely because I know there are fans who might have legitimate reasons not to queue - they might simply not be able to get the time off work to queue, or they have a kid that they couldn't leave with a child minder all day, or a medical reason that makes it hard to queue but they can still be okay in the barricade, etc. But if they are so few you know that only fans buying in presale or hunting tickets the second they go on sale, will be the ones who will get their hands on them. And it will eliminate the need for fans who are capable and willing to queue to buy VIP tickets, because they know they can get there the good old fashioned way.

The least good solution is to just call it the VIP area, and have a mini golden circle around the stage, and behind that the GA area. At least like that you know what you are buying from the get go.

Personally, I learned my lesson. I had no idea the VIP situation had gotten like this since I missed every tour that happened between 21stCBD and now, and it was nothing like this back then, so I only found out about in the queue in Lyon when the girls who were first in line were panicking about it and put me up to speed. For their next tour, if I am still as obsessed as I am today, I might choose to buy VIP but go to less shows, But that pisses me off because it feels so wrong, because right now my life circumstances are so that I could afford that, but 3 years ago that wouldn't have been true, or at any point in my life before that it also wouldn't have been true. And I don't know if the next time they tour it will still be true. And I know with certainty that, no matter when, it won't be an option for plenty of dedicated fans. 

 

 

 

[Rumpelstiltskin2000]

For sure I think there should have been more transparency around what tickets were being sold for this tour and that knowing how many VIP tickets have been sold would be good so you can make a decision about which ticket to buy or what time to queue etc.

I also think the mini VIP circle would be a good idea as at least then you know what to expect. As it is now people don't know and are disappointed. I can't imagine buying a VIP and having to be second or third row. That's insane

[nflsbest26]

I’m loving the recent setlists. Seems like Green Day has solidified a consistent and jam packed 37 song setlist the past few shows. Hoping they keep it for the remainder of the tour!

[Cris.]

14 hours ago, solongfromthestars said:

What has the confetti been like? I keep seeing fancy Saviors confetti but it was plain pink and green in Lyon. I filled a bag with it and I'm not sure what to do with it now.

We also got plain confetti in Paris.

[Susi Sour cream]

I absolutely agree that there should be more transparency about the number of VIP tickets being sold for each show.

Not only because that could let us decide, if we want to pay for those tickets or not, but also because we could decide for ourselves if we think it's worth queuing probably even over night with a Golden Circle ticket when there are 200,300,400, whatever VIPs who will be standing in front of us.

 

And of course those tickets are way too expensive for what you get.

 

What I don't agree is that only fans who are not that dedicated or not willing to queue for many hours buy those tickets.

From what I've seen at the shows I've been so far were very dedicated fans who started queuing early in the morning despite the fact they had VIP (And to be honest, if you pay that much money that shouldn't even be necessary).

For example there was a fan who had her very first Green Day show and just wanted to make it a perfect experience by buying VIP (and I can't resent her for that. If there would have been those tickets when I had my first concert maybe I would have done that as well - not that I would have had that much money at that time 😅) 

Of course there are always a few people who buy them just because they don't want to queue or whatever, but it's not everybody. 

 

Long story short, I don't think those tickets are a bad idea in general, but there are way too many, it's unfair that they don't announce the number and they are way too expensive 😕

 

Regarding the confetti: In Arnhem we had plain green, white and pink confetti as well as the pink with the Green Day writing and the white with the One Eyed Bastard 

[Cris.]

3 hours ago, Susi Sour cream said:

What I don't agree is that only fans who are not that dedicated or not willing to queue for many hours buy those tickets.

From what I've seen at the shows I've been so far were very dedicated fans who started queuing early in the morning despite the fact they had VIP (And to be honest, if you pay that much money that shouldn't even be necessary).

For example there was a fan who had her very first Green Day show and just wanted to make it a perfect experience by buying VIP (and I can't resent her for that. If there would have been those tickets when I had my first concert maybe I would have done that as well - not that I would have had that much money at that time 😅) 

Of course there are always a few people who buy them just because they don't want to queue or whatever, but it's not everybody. 

 

Long story short, I don't think those tickets are a bad idea in general, but there are way too many, it's unfair that they don't announce the number and they are way too expensive 😕

I agree with all of this. As I said in my post, in Lyon in particular I met many super dedicated fans who had VIP tickets, I met people in the regular queue who had bought VIP tickets for Paris. And I know there are fans with legitimate reasons to not be able to queue all day. And it's okay for these people to have the chance to buy a VIP ticket. But in Paris I have as surrounded in the barricade by people who were not really engaged with the concert. 

Hence I say the best solution, IMO, is to make them truly VIP and sell way less, preferably available only through pre-sales links. It's the best way to guarantee that the people who buy them will actually be people who will appreciate the show and engage with it, and not people who bought them just because it was what was left when they heard about the concert (since at least for Lyon, Paris and Hamburg these sold out only after the GA ones did), or because they like a couple of songs and have a lot of disposable income. 

[Susi Sour cream]

8 minutes ago, CristhyneS said:

I agree with all of this. As I said in my post, in Lyon in particular I met many super dedicated fans who had VIP tickets, I met people in the regular queue who had bought VIP tickets for Paris. And I know there are fans with legitimate reasons to not be able to queue all day. And it's okay for these people to have the chance to buy a VIP ticket. But in Paris I have as surrounded in the barricade by people who were not really engaged with the concert. 

Hence I say the best solution, IMO, is to make them truly VIP and sell way less, preferably available only through pre-sales links. It's the best way to guarantee that the people who buy them will actually be people who will appreciate the show and engage with it, and not people who bought them just because it was what was left when they heard about the concert (since at least for Lyon, Paris and Hamburg these sold out only after the GA ones did), or because they like a couple of songs and have a lot of disposable income. 

Absolutely! 

It's complete shit having people around you at the front who obviously don't really care about the music. Or who are filming the complete show 🙄

 

At least in Arnhem yesterday there seemed to be a lot less VIPs than in Hamburg and Berlin. That was really nice to see, because it was totally possible to get to the barrier without having VIP. 

 

My last show will be the Wembley one and I'm already totally stressed about it 😕

[Psycho Britney]

On 6/19/2024 at 6:55 PM, jengd said:

I have Christmas baubles with the different confetti’s in them.

That's a great idea!🙌😍

[Psycho Britney]

12 hours ago, Susi Sour cream said:

 

Regarding the confetti: In Arnhem we had plain green, white and pink confetti as well as the pink with the Green Day writing and the white with the One Eyed Bastard 

Interesting! I really hope they do  this mix at Wembley!😁 Anybody would think I'm nearly as excited for the confetti as I am for GD!🤣

[Tomcat20]

Have you also noticed that since this tour, a explosive-sniffing dog searches the stage before every show? Do all big bands do that nowadays?

[jengd]

Couple of dogs patrolling last night, not aware of having seen that before.

What a night! Crowd were a bit dull where I was and it’s a bit of an odd venue.  Billie laughed at one point and said “why are some of you pointing backwards”.  I don’t think those seats had been sold but folk had moved in to them to be closer, some were very far from the stage. BUT Green Day were fantastic, as good as ever I saw them I think.  Billie is looking very trim, sounds fantastic, was in great form and clearly enjoying himself.  I’m liking Corey O’Toole, he’s there but not doing as much as Jason who is too present for me sometimes.  Jason W had blue hair, at least it looked like it.  You know the setlist, but they came almost 15 mins early, 7. 45 and played til about 10.20 give or take a minute.  Their energy never faltered, it was over too soon and I can’t wait to do it again Tuesday!