Review: Green Day set Emirates Old Trafford ablaze with storming night of punk rock

"Manchester, are you ready for a party?" Billie Joe Armstrong asks Emirates Old Trafford.

Green Day have 50,000 of their devoted followers together to celebrate three decades of punk rock, marking the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot, seven years since their last show in the city.

The evening kicks off with the all-female punk band Maid of Ace, electrifying the early crowd, followed by special guests Nothing But Thieves, who set the crowd into the next gear.

The venue pulsates with a mash-up of classics Bohemian Rhapsody and Blitzkrieg Bop before Green Day storm onto stage, accompanied by flames and explosions. Fourteen years after their last performance at this iconic venue, the Friday night crowd erupts with 2023 single The American Dream Is Killing Me.

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"Welcome to the 30th anniversary of Dookie," Armstrong announces to huge cheers as the stage lights up and the unforgettable album opener Burnout blasts through the air.

It feels like something of a pilgrimage for fans who have travelled across the country to attend, as each track from the 1994 time capsule transports the audience back to their youth.

There is a brief pause when a fan goes down during Chump, demonstrating Armstrong's genuine concern for his fans, but the celebratory mood quickly returns. A stunning double rainbow arches over the venue, creating a quintessential Manchester moment as the band performs a crowd-pleasing version of Welcome to Paradise in the rain and the sun.

A raucous Basket Case has the entire ground bouncing, with a sea of people heading towards the stage as the 90s nostalgia fest peaks. The Dookie segment concludes before Armstrong invites a lucky fan on stage to sing during Know Your Enemy, bringing the night straight into the 2000s.

The euphoric punk-rock party between album show reaches new levels with 2000 hit Minority, every word being sung back at the band.

The unmistakable chords of American Idiot take us onto the next section of the punk rock journey - accompanied by more explosions and fire. This band knows how to put on a show.

Jesus of Suburbia sends the audience into orbit along with a shower of confetti, while the always brilliant Boulevard of Broken Dreams provides an emotional sing-a-long.

A cover of Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen in Love pays homage to previous generations of punk and feels perfectly appropriate in Manchester before they break into the always poignant Wake Me Up When September Ends. The high-energy set quickly returns with Homecoming and Whatsername, bringing the main show to a triumphant conclusion with more flames and explosions.

The encore begins with their 2024 single, Bobby Sox, as Green Day remind everyone in attendance that they aren't quite done yet, in every sense.

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) serves as an appropriate finale, with the entire audience soaking in the moment as more explosions and flames ignite the stage.

As fans head back into the Manchester night, there’s a hope it won’t be another seven years before Green Day return to these shores to deliver another blast of punk rock nostalgia.

Setlist

The American Dream Is Killing Me

Dookie

Burnout

Having a Blast

Chump

Longview

Welcome to Paradise

Pulling Teeth

Basket Case

She

Sassafras Roots

When I Come Around

Coming Clean

Emenius Sleepus

In the End

F.O.D.

All by Myself

Know Your Enemy

Look Ma, No Brains!

One Eyed Bastard

Dilemma

Minority

Brain Stew

American Idiot

Jesus of Suburbia

Holiday

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Are We the Waiting

St. Jimmy

Give Me Novacaine

She's a Rebel

Extraordinary Girl

Letterbomb

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Homecoming

Whatsername

Encore

Bobby Sox

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)