Green Day speak after 'American Idiot' musical opens in Berkeley

Green Day have spoken following the official opening of the musical 'American Idiot', based on their 2004 album of the same name.

The production is being staged at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and, following several preview nights, it had its opening night on Wednesday (September 16).

Green Day, who attended the production with family members and friends including producer Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone they had felt no pressure ahead of the musical's debut.

"I had no concerns," frontman Billie Joe Armstrong explained. "I was interested and flattered to meet [director] Michael Mayer. We were floored by [Mayer's 2006 musical] 'Spring Awakening' so there were no worries.

"I think this is a broader version of the album. We started with [characters] Johnny, St. Jimmy, and Whatsername, and Mayer added Will, Tunny and Heather. Your heart goes out to them."

Bassist Mike Dirnt said he wouldn't be reading any reviews of the show, having learned from experience.

"You can't or else they effect how you feel about your own work," he said. "I learned the hard way."

The 'American Idiot' musical featured the album in its entirety as a soundtrack, plus B-sides and songs from follow-up '21st Century Breakdown'. It was followed by a party at which Armstrong shaved the head of a willing fan.

'American Idiot' will be shown at the theatre until November 1. See Berkeleyrep.org for more information.

Green Day tickets:
• Oct 23, 2009 19:30 at The O2 Arena, London
• Oct 24, 2009 19:30 at The O2 Arena, London
• Oct 27, 2009 19:30 at Lg Arena, The Nec, Birmingham
More Green Day tickets

Green Day and fans watch 'American Idiot' musical preview

Green Day fans have given their reactions to previews of the band's new 'American Idiot' musical.

Fans who snapped up tickets to the musical's preview screenings at Roda Theatre in the band's hometown of Berkeley have given their thoughts on the 85-minute musical on Green Day forums, with many writing that members of the band sat alongside the audience at early previews.

Greendaycommunity.org forum member Pasalacqua91 said 'American Idiot' drew a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

"The cast was phenomenal. They opened with 'American Idiot' and the set was fantastic," they wrote, adding: "The dancing was awesome, and the play sort of reminded me of 'Rent' [by Jonathan Larson] but it was even better!"

Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt mingled with fans before and after the performance, and sat with the audience to watch the musical.

Another forum member, J'net, wrote that the production, "more than did justice to Green Day's music".

As well as songs from the 'American Idiot' album, fans stated that the musical features other Green Day tracks including 'Know Your Enemy', 'Too Much Too Soon', 'When It's Time', 'Last Night On Earth', 'Before the Lobotomy' and '21 Guns'.

The musical opens to the public on Wednesday (September 16), and runs at Roda Theatre until November 1.

Meanwhile, Green Day recently gave their reaction to Lady Gaga's recent admission that she was obsessed with their 'Dookie' album in her youth.

Green Day tickets:

• Oct 23, 2009 19:30 at The O2 Arena, London
• Oct 24, 2009 19:30 at The O2 Arena, London
• Oct 27, 2009 19:30 at Lg Arena, The Nec, Birmingham

More Green Day tickets

Green Day-Seven Awards In One Night

In the summer of 2003 Green Day went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album, tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines. After completing 20 tracks, the master tapes were stolen from the studio. Green Day chose not to try to re-create the stolen album, but instead started over. By the end of 2003, Green Day collaborated with Iggy Pop on two tracks for his album Skull Ring. On February 1, 2004 a new song, a cover of "I Fought the Law" made its debut on a commercial for iTunes during NFL Super Bowl XXXVIII. The band underwent serious "band therapy," engaging in several long talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was "the band's Nazi" and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members.
The resulting Green Day 2004 album, American Idiot, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, the band's first ever album to top the chart, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot." The album was billed as a "punk rock opera" which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of Suburbia". American Idiot won the 2005 Grammy for "Best Rock Album" and Green Day swept the 2005 MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the coveted Viewer's Choice Award.
Through 2005, Green Day toured in support of the album with about 150 dates — the longest tour in its career — visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the United Kingdom, where Green Day drew a crowd of 130,000 people over a span of two days. While touring for American Idiot, Green Day filmed and recorded the two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On Earth' in a Kerrang! Magazine Poll.

Geen Day-An Introduction

Green Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. Green Day has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass guitar, vocals), and Tré Cool (drums, percussion) for the majority of its existence.

Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Green Day early releases for independent record label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label.Nevertheless, Green Day`s major label debut Dookie (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide. As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States. Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectively Green Day 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S. Green Day`s eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009.

Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States. Green Day have won three Grammy Awards; Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".