Green Day Plays A Double-Header At Comerica Park
Green Day hit Detroit Rock City on September 4th, but they weren’t playing with balls — they were performing two of their most iconic albums to date, ‘Dookie’ and ‘American Idiot’ in full, along with a few hits from other albums from their extensive catalog. They were joined by veterans The Smashing Pumpins, punk rock legends Rancid, and newcomers The Linda Lindas.
THE LINDA LINDAS
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM.
The Linda Lindas were dubbed “newcomers” in our intro, but it’s no slight against them by saying that at all. They were slotted first on a bill with absolute icons in the industry, so we mean them no disservice by labeling them as such. Especially since, frankly, they “effing rock.”
The California-bred band has their roots in Latinx and Asian lineage, and throw down Pop and Punk vibes with their performance. The interesting tidbit to also mention is that they’re all under 18 years old. The roll call is as follows: Mila (11), Eloise (13), Lucia (14), and Bela (17), and their relationship is more than just bandmates, as they are two sisters, a cousin, and their close friend, according to their website.
Their ferocity was immaculate and in particular, Eloise was a favorite, painting whiskers on her face (which I’m choosing to believe was an homage to Comerica’s home team, the Detroit Tigers), and she was the band member who graced the catwalk the most out of the 4 players. It’s easy to see why Bikini Kill handpicked them to open for them at Hollywood Palladium, because they were absolutely enjoyable.
Sometimes with kid performers, you think you’re getting a diluted performance, but this was not that what-so-ever. Their 7 song time slot closed out with a song called “Racist, Sexist Boy,” which really clears that up for you, even if you haven’t heard their music. The performance also included a new song called “Excuse Me,” which will be on their upcoming album ‘No Obligation,’ which will be on Epitaph Records and is set to release the album on October 11, 2024.
SEE THE FULL SETLIST FROM THE LINDA LINDAS HERE:
*This setlist does not include the unreleased song “Excuse Me.”
RANCID
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM.
Rancid has been rocking since 1991, and they’ve been a bucket-list band for this photographer for years. “All the punk rockers” know that Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman were former members of the band Operation Ivy before founding Rancid, and are arguably on the Mount Rushmore of Cali Punk as a whole. Armstrong’s voice is unmistakeable with his signature growl, and his wild-man antics tend to make him a focal point of the band itself, as well as its captured photo gallery for this show.
Their current lineup includes Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals and Branden Steineckert on drums, with their former drummer Brett Reed departing from the band in 2006. The setlist for Comerica Park contained the highlights of ‘…And Out Come The Wolves,’ which is one of their more iconic albums, housing tracks like “Ruby Soho,” “Time Bomb,” “Maxwell Murder,” and “Roots Radical.” For fans that may have not known Rancid ahead of this tour date, some of those songs may be earworms they can recall, but if those didn’t ring any bells, “Fall Back Down” is probably the one that sounds the most familiar, off their album ‘Indestructible.’
The setlist was damn-near-perfect for a fan like us. The only surprise we wish would have happened was if they had played the track “Detroit,” which is a deep cut from their self-titled release. The band noted that they have two homes-away-from-home, with Boston, Massachusetts being one, and Detroit being the other, and thanked the fans for being “Loyal f**king pitbulls” for Rancid.
SEE THE FULL SETLIST FROM RANCID:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM.
This was our second time covering The Smashing Pumpkins, and they’re just as sold and relevant as ever. An interesting slot on the lineup as most of the bands were more Punk Rock-adjacent, the Pumpkins held their own by banging through some of their most world-renowned songs out of their catalog.
The core of the band, Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and James Iha always bring their A-Game, being the foundation and its remaining original members of the lineup since its inception. It’s important to note that though it’s well known that Corgan takes on writing all the guitar parts and the only other main contributor is Chamberlin with his top-tier drum work, Iha, along with Jack Bates on Bass, and newcomer and TikTok Legend Kiki Wong handle the composition like pros, along with rounding backing vocals from Katie Cole and Iha, respectively.
Their newest album, ‘Aghhori Mhori Mei,’ is a culmination of the years of musical service the Pumpkins have offered to the world. It does not necessarily revert back to the band’s heavy guitar roots, but it amplifies them more when compared to that of ‘ATUM’ or ‘CYR,’ which employ more of a synth-based production. Surprisingly, however, the band only put forth “Sighommi” in their setlist, playing more of a greatest hits compilation for this mixed audience. This time, Detroit fans were able to hear “Cherub Rock” and “Zero,” as their 2023 show at Pine Knob was rained out 5 songs before the show’s end.
Speaking of TikToker Kiki Wong, the press was in a frenzy trying to figure out her name from the other photographers around them. If you’re not in the know, The Smashing Pumpkins camp put out an open call on social media to find their next guitarist to add to the lineup after Jeff Schroeder departed the band last year. After thousands of submissions, Wong won out, bringing her already-signature playing style to the band’s alchemy. She fits right in, and levels to the occasion in energy and fierce licks, even playing face-to-face with Corgan in a noodling fest. She also comes with a 1.3 Million fan base, bringing a new audience to the Pumpkins, which can’t hurt.
There are many documented opinions on Corgan, but we’re in the camp of him being a guitar god. Their discography is so iconic, and there’s a stroke of genius to how he plays, and his vocals are so unique that you can’t argue that they still have the staying power to be part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll landscape. Over the years, we feel that his demeanor has softened, and there was one particular moment where his 6′ 3″ frame paused on stage and looked out at the crowd. Zooming in at 600mm from the soundboard, what we read on his face was gratitude that he still gets to live this musical dream circus, along with his side project with his wrestling company NWA. Maybe it’s being a father, and maybe it’s a passing of time wisdom… Or I’m reading him completely wrong. All I know is, you can pry their discography from my cold dead hands, because I might be a little biased here.
SEE THE SETLIST FOR THE SMASHING PUMPKINS HERE:
*This setlist does not include U2’s “Zoo Station” cover, as well as “Doomsday Clock” from the non-streamable album ‘Zeitgeist.’
GREEN DAY
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM.
Green Day said what all of us have been thinking since the pandemic: “The American Dream is Killing Me” kicked off the dual-album set for the band, at their core: Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool. It is wild to look at these three men who have been kicking ass in the scene since 1987 / 1990 depending on the band member and seeing them perform two full albums live, without a scheduled nap in between. They got a break though, because it’s hard to leave this part out, despite our desire to do so.
During “Longview,” the band came to a dramatic halt after someone on side stage pulled the orange-jumpsuit-clad Mike Dirnt offstage, followed swiftly by the rest of the band. After less than a 10-minute delay, it was said that a drone entered the stadium, and the authorities had to locate the operator for the show to go on. In case you want to know more about this, read this report from the Detroit News about the feds investigation. We, however, want to focus on the music.
Once the band hit the stage again, they pounded through the rest of their acclaimed album ‘Dookie,’ which includes hits like “When I Come Around,” “Welcome To Paradise,” and “Basket Case.” The interlude between albums included the only track played from ’21st Century Breakdown,’ “Know Your Enemy,” where Armstrong was joined by a fan on stage. Check out a photo of that from Photographer Samantha Nork from her point-and-shoot camera at the barricade as a fan, along with her other images from the stage setups we didn’t capture during the show, which speaks to the overall production value and theatricality of the tour.
Other songs from their catalog included “Look Ma, No Brains!,” “One Eyed Bastard,” and “Dilemma,” from their newest album ‘Saviors,’ where the tour garnered it’s name, and you can’t have a Green Day show without throwing out fan favorites “Minority” and “Brain Stew.” The band’s energy hasn’t waivered, and looking at Billie Joe up close, we’re surprised he hasn’t shrank to Benjamin Button status, as he’s clearly aging backwards, somehow.
Along with a staging change came a clothing change for the band to better reflect their 2004 era, as they resumed the show with playing ‘American Idiot’ in full. For some reason, despite reports over the last year, some press members were shocked to hear the “redneck agenda” lyric changed to “MAGA Agenda.” This band has never shied away from their political views, and this album is one of the mainstays in political commentary in Punk Music, though back in the day, it was more so directed at George W. Bush rather than Donald Trump, who makes Bush look like a sweet little old man these days.
The band closed out the show with one more song from ‘Saviors,’ called “Bobby Sox” which made headlines for being a queer anthem for the out-bisexual Billie Joe, and ending the set with “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” which is iconic in their catalog, for its recent inclusion in the new ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ movie, and quite possibly, your graduating class song.
SEE THE FULL SETLIST FOR GREEN DAY HERE: