A night with Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins & more in Nashville

My first memory of hearing Green Day dates back to my teenage years during an after-school track practice: I distinctly remember the guitar riff from “Brain Stew” playing and from that moment, I was hooked. Back then, the radio would play the song at least five times a day, always followed by “Jaded”, which — in my opinion — is the only way those two songs should be heard. Fast forward nearly 25 years and I found myself seeing Green Day live for the first time as they brought their Saviors Tour to Nashville. Sharing the bill with them were punk rock legends Rancid, The Smashing Pumpkins, and up-and-coming teen punk band, The Linda Lindas.

The Linda Lindas — a remarkably young band, with the youngest member only 14 years old — played their very first show in Nashville.

What stood out to me most was their boundless energy onstage. It seemed like each band member was constantly running back and forth, jumping around, and delivering enthusiastic monologues about their love for cats. One member had even painted their face to look like a cat and, at one point, yelled into the mic, “Our whole band loves cats!” I couldn’t help but think, if they’re this good at such a young age, imagine where they’ll be in 10 to 20 years?! They were an incredibly fun start to what would be a long night of great music.

Next up was Rancid — a band synonymous with punk music. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect… they’ve been around for so long and I wasn’t sure if their music would resonate with the younger crowd in attendance. But I was pleasantly surprised when, within minutes of taking the stage, they had the entire crowd bouncing up and down. Although I had forgotten most of Rancid’s catalog over the years, as soon as they played the opening notes of “Ruby Soho”, my brain instantly clicked and I found myself singing along with every word.

It felt like I was getting the chance to check off a band I had never seen during my youth — finally getting to experience them live.

The Smashing Pumpkins is one I’ve always struggled to connect with. Not that they’re bad in any sense; I’ve just never felt they were quite heavy enough for my taste, even though some of their songs were on the heavier side. I had always thought of them as more suited for emo kids or goths. 25 years later, I still hold some of those feelings toward Billy Corgan and the rest of the band, but after seeing them live, I’ve come to appreciate their sound and stage presence. They played all their hits, including “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” and “Zero”. Preference aside, I’m glad I got the opportunity to see them at least once.

Green Day, however, did something I’ve never seen any band do in all my years of attending concerts — they played two full albums from start to finish. They chose to perform their 1994 smash hit Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot in their entirety. It was an incredible way to bridge two distinct eras of their history and appeal to different generations of fans all at once. The show was phenomenal — easily one of the best I’ve seen all year! They performed nearly every iconic song in their catalog, with my favorite of the night being “Minority”.

If only “Brain Stew” was followed by “Jaded”… maybe next time they’ll grant me that wish.

Aside from amazing music, I noticed the merch line was seriously the longest I have ever seen at any show. It felt as though every single person who attended bought a shirt or a poster. I, myself, stood in line for over an hour. Overall, even though it lasted for roughly five hours, the show felt like it flew by and I can safely say I will be making sure I see Green Day when they return to the music city!

Photography by Derek Jones

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