It is a sad day when you see a band work their way up from the trenches since 1988 and have their set cut short by 25 minutes so that Usher can play an extra 25 minutes. I watched various videos from performances at the IHeartRadio Festival 2012. Half the crowd looked bored during Green Day’s performance. I don’t even want to say what the crowd was like when No Doubt hit the stage or when Bon Jovi performed. The only time the crowd seemed to be into the performance was when Rhianna was on stage. I tried to find performance from Usher but it was no where to be found. Billie Joe Armstrong was struggling vocally. He did not appear to be the same vocalist he once was but there was still passion in his voice as he sang about issues with the government establishment and proclaimed how “we didn’t come here to prey to God” / “Get the f#ck up this is Las Vegas” he screamed at the people who sat in their chairs and refused to stand. ”If you want to storm the isle please do” he said. But the festival which is put together by Clear Channel who plays top 40 Hits which consists of pure pop just was not getting into Green Day.
A band that followed in the footsteps of The Clash, Sex Pistols and The Ramones. A band that tries to use their voice to influence the public on issues at hand. Unfortunately the crowd at the IHeartRadio Festival 2012 in Las Vegas just did not care. In fact the only time they came truly alive for Green Day was when Billie Joe Armstrong stopped the show and went off about the fact that his band was disrespected and their set time was cut short. A moment that was both beautiful and heart felt to watch. A moment where a band that has been around for decades realizes they don’t fit the current trend of popular music and that the crowd they are playing to can care less who they are or what they have accomplished. It was but a quick moment where a band shows their true emotions and with a simple phrase like “Let me tell you something, let me tell you something… I’ve been around since 19 f#cking 88.” It is in this phrase and in the tone of his voice that you can hear how hurt Billie Joe Armstrong truly was. Having had his band’s set time cut short while Usher who was a product of the major labels and discovered through a popular TV show called Star Search was given an additional 25 minutes. Greed Day felt disrespected and they felt out of their element at the IHeartRadio Festival. It will be interesting to see how the band reacts to working with Clear Channel. One thing for certain is that Green Day ended up with lots of publicity while there is hardly any talk of Usher or Rhianna from this festival. And the most comical part out of all of this was the photo posted by the festival’s website of Billie Joe Armstrong smashing his guitar in rage and giving the photo the title of “Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Riles Up The Crowd!”
http://www.iheartradio.com/cc-common/iheartradio-music-festival/
