Home to Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, Truist Park in northwest Atlanta, Georgia, played host to the latest stop on Green Day’s Saviors Tour on a sweltering Wednesday night in the South. Featuring artist support from The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, The Linda Lindas, and The Paradox, iconic punk rockers Green Day are out on a massive trek across the globe in an album celebration of both Dookie‘s 30th anniversary and American Idiot‘s 20th anniversary.
With the stadium gates thrown open around 4:30pm, the early crowd with pit tickets made their way down to the floor in the blazing 95-degree heat to secure their spot for the evening’s festivities. Locally-based band The Paradox, an up-and-coming pop punk group that established a decent sized social media following across TikTok and Instagram by posting classic punk covers, took to the stage at 5:00pm.
As internet chatter on Reddit would have it, apparently Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong came across The Paradox’s socials and liked what he saw so much that invited them to join the tour. With a line up that consisted of Eric Dangerfield (lead vocals, guitar), Xelan (guitar), PC3 (drums) and Rayman (bass), The Paradox delivered a short yet energetic performance in front a sweating afternoon audience. They showcased their modern twist on an undeniable ’90s musical vibe through songs like covering Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” to their recently released original, “Kaitlyn”. Dangerfield joked that Truist Park was a bit bigger than his basement they normally play in, but the guys clearly took the amazing opportunity in stride.
The Paradox Band:
Eric Dangerfield – Lead vocals, guitar
PC3 – Drums
Xelan – Guitar, vocals
Rayman – Bass
Next up on the bill was the Los Angeles-based, all-female band The Linda Lindas. Comprised of teenagers Eloise Wong (bass, guitar and vocals), Bela Salazar (guitar and vocals), and Wong’s cousins Lucia de la Garza (guitar and vocals) and Mila de la Garza (drum and vocals), The Linda Lindas ran out from behind the curtain shortly after 5:30pm and started their night off with “Too Many Things,” a original track off their upcoming second studio album, No Obligation (October 2024). Their quirky songs (even one about a cat) and infectious sense of musical fun was a seamless continuation of the pop punk flavor set up by The Paradox before them. It is clear that this musical genre is in good hands with fresh artists like The Linda Lindas.
The Linda Lindas:
Bela Salazar – Guitar, vocals
Eloise Wong – Bass, guitar, vocals
Lucia de la Garza – Guitar, vocals
Mila de la Garza – Drums, vocals
Following yet another quick artist turn, influential punk rockers Rancid stormed out in front of the now-growing crowd as the clock neared 6:10pm. Immediately launching into their popular single “Roots Radicals,” singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong amped up the Atlanta audience by his mere rocker presence. Flanked by Matt Freeman (bass) and Lars Frederiksen (guitar), and with Branden Steineckert behind the kit, the Gretsch guitar-slinging Armstrong lead the dedicated Rancid fans through a fast-paced, punch-you-in-your-face musical journey, concluding with 1995’s fan favorite, “Ruby Soho.” Given that Rancid’s average song length is probably about two-and-a-half minutes and they played just 10 tracks, their Wednesday set was quick, mean, and to the point.
Rancid:
Tim Armstrong – Vocals, guitar
Matt Freeman – Bass, vocals
Lars Frederiksen – Guitar, vocals
Branden Steineckert – Drums, percussion, backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) Roots Radicals
2.) Maxwell Murder
3.) Tomorrow Never Comes
4.) The 11th Hour
5.) Ghost of a Chance
6.) Old Friend
7.) Something in the World Today
8.) Fall Back Down
9.) Time Bomb
10.) Ruby Soho
Shortly before 7:00pm and with the sun slowing starting to set, the Smashing Pumpkins entered the stage to a roaring welcome. With iconic frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan at the helm, fellow founding members James Iha (guitar) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums), along with current live members Kiki Wong (guitar), Jack Bates (bass), and Katie Cole (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), kicked their night off with “The Everlasting Gaze” off their fifth studio album, Machina/The Machines of God (2000). Wong, of social media fame, took over guitarist duties as part of a public casting call following veteran band member Jeff Schroeder’s recent departure.
I last caught the Smashing Pumpkins here in Atlanta about two years ago when they were on tour as the headliner with Jane’s Addiction in support. While the setlist for that show was obviously longer, Corgan and the Pumpkins landed hit after hit throughout their performance, much to the joy of the cellphone-recording fans who had finally filled out the stadium floor seating. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to live performances of radio hits such as “Today,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “1979,” “Cherub Rock,” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” I still argue to this day that this is one of the best lyrical lines ever – “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.” Corgan and crew closed out their 14-song appearance with the well-known track “Zero” from their 1995 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness release.
The Smashing Pumpkins:
Billy Corgan – Lead and backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass
James Iha – Guitar, bass, backing and occasional lead vocals
Jimmy Chamberlin – drums
Current touring members
Jack Bates – Bass
Katie Cole – Keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Kiki Wong – Guitar
Setlist:
1.) The Everlasting Gaze
2.) Doomsday Clock
3.) Zoo Station (U2 cover)
4.) Today
5.) That Which Animates the Spirit
6.) Tonight, Tonight
7.) Ava Adore
8.) Disarm
9.) Bullet With Butterfly Wings
10.) Sighommi
11.) 1979
12.) Jellybelly
13.) Cherub Rock
14.) Zero
After four bands and over three hours of build up, Atlanta was finally treated to the headliner payoff at 8:30pm – Grammy Award-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Green Day. Anchored by charismatic lead vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool, Green Day erupted into “The American Dream is Killing Me” off their latest release, Saviors (January 2024).
As advertised, the Saviors Tour is a celebration of Green Day’s decorated musical history. With the band playing Dookie (1994) and American Idiot (2004) in order from front-to-back, along with other expected fan favorites, Green Day was anticipated to perform for over two hours, and perform they did.
In front of a multi-generational crowd, the seemingly ageless and full of energy 52-year-old Armstrong never took his foot off the pedal, delivering his crunchy guitar chords alongside his immediately-recognizable vocals, which together provide Green Day their distinctive and differentiating sound. Not to be ignored, Cool is one of the best rhythmic rock drummers out there, and Dirnt comes across as both articulate and angry as the standard-bearer punk rock bass player.
The upside to attending a concert with essentially a predetermined setlist is that you know going in what to expect, which in Green Day’s case meant enjoying an evening of arguably all their greatest hits live including “Basket Case,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “When I Come Around,” “American Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” I will admit that I was a little concerned that Green Day would still be able to attract an audience as large as needed to properly fill a baseball stadium, but cellphone flashlights dotted the night sky all the way into the upper deck as they punctuated their night with popular hit “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” off their fifth studio album, Nimrod (1997).
The Saviors Tour continues on until September ends, wrapping up on Saturday, September 28th at Petco Park in San Diego, California.
Green Day:
Billie Joe Armstrong – Lead vocals, guitar; harmonica;piano
Mike Dirnt – Bass; backing and occasional lead vocals
Tre Cool – Drums, percussion, occasional backing and lead vocals and guitar
Current touring musicians
Jason White – Guitar, backing vocals
Jason Freese – Keyboards, accordion, saxophone, trombone, backing vocals, occasional acoustic guitar
Kevin Preston – guitar, backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) The American Dream is Killing Me
Dookie
2.) Burnout
3.) Having a Blast
4.) Chump
5.) Longview
6.) Welcome to Paradise
7.) Pulling Teeth
8.) Basket Case
9.) She
10.) Sassafras Roots
11.) When I Come Around
12.) Coming Clean
13.) Emenius Sleepus
14.) In the End
15.) F.O.D.
16.) All by Myself
17.) Know Your Enemy
18.) Look Ma, No Brains!
19.) One Eyed Bastard
20.) Dilemma
21.) Minority
22.) Brain Stew
American Idiot
23.) American Idiot
24.) Jesus of Suburbia
25.) Holiday
26.) Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27.) Are We the Waiting
28.) St. Jimmy
29.) Give Me Novacaine
30.) She’s a Rebel
31.) Extraordinary Girl
32.) Letterbomb
33.) Wake Me Up When September Ends
34.) Homecoming
35.) Whatsername
(end American Idiot)
36.) Bobby Sox
37.) Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Follow The Paradox Band Online
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
