In a House With Unlocked Doors… Part Twelve
Four shows in eight days? Hell, yeah!!!!!
By Sharon Mitchell
Up until the summer, I thought 2012 was going to end up as another year that I DIDN’T see Green Day, after being spoiled in 2009 and 2010, and with the Trilogy landing on our shelves so late in the year. I was wrong.
To coincide with the release of ¡UNO!, the band travelled to Japan for a festival and a couple of shows, before hitting the UK amidst a heap of hints and rumours.
With less than a week’s notice, they finally let us in on a secret – a show at the pretty tiny Shepherds Bush Empire on Thursday 23rd August, and of course, I had to be there!
We couldn’t join the queue because our guests were late arriving, and they had to be with us to collect wristbands and tickets at the door, as it was too late to send them out in the mail.
We had lots of friends travel for miles to see the show, and whilst we were talking to a group of them, some men came out from the back of the venue and slapped both Graham and me on the arms. A security man pounced on Graham, ripping something from his sleeve – a valid official satin video pass for that night!
After the security man walked away, i checked my arm and found I had an identical permit on my sleeve that they hadn’t noticed. I didn’t use it, but it is a very cool souvenir of the night.
The show started with just Tre on stage, telling everyone that Billie had lost his voice – and then Mike appeared, followed by Billie on the drums. With no support, the show, in such a small venue, was very special indeed.
Once again, this band had given us an “I was there’ moment.
Two days later, the band surprised the UK again by appearing unannounced at the Reading Festival, at some stupidly early time of the morning. I had a ticket, but security got edgy at the amazing response to the band’s performance in a side tent and I had to watch on screen, until they finally let us in near the end of the set.
The organizers mucked this up badly – Green Day should have been on the main stage – a 10,000 capacity tent was never going to be big enough.
From the UK, the boys went to Europe, and we were lucky enough to get to see two dates in Germany, even though that meant getting an overnight train between the venues, hundreds of miles apart. German station platforms are not the warmest or most comfortable places on earth, but it was worth it. This was Green Day!!!
My friends have always had good luck getting on stage, and the shows in Munchengladbach (where we were in the golden circle) and Berlin (barrier, baby!) were just as lucky for some of them. Sahin from Germany got on stage to play She in Munchengladbach, and Billie gave him a guitar, and then Polly was called on to sing Know Your Enemy the next night in Berlin.
Another friend, Em, held up a sign reading “Hammer Time!” whenever Billie shouted ‘STOP!’ in King For a Day, and not only did Billie learn part of that song and sing it, he pulled Em up on stage as well on that rainy night in Berlin.
My daughter, who had travelled with us this time, later got the setlist from the stage, and we all left Germany very happy with our experiences. I got some of the best photos I have ever taken at these two shows.
The magic was working again.
