Review of Green Day: Bullet in a Bible (2005) by John T — 01 Jun 2014

Recorded at their June 2005 two-night run at Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, the first half is essentially a run-through of the band's 2004 album American Idiot, complete with anti-American rabble-rousing and a set of barbed insults tossed back at the "rednecks" back in the States. They then band careen into a sort of greatest-hits set, with "Longview" and "Hitchin' a Ride" sharing space with a brass-laden "King for a Day" that sees Billie Joe Armstrong prancing around the stage in crown and ermine cape, singing snatches of Lulu's "Shout" and Eric Idle's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Fot their encore they perform "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". Favorite tracks for me include "Holiday", "Longview", "Brain Stew", "Basket Case", and "Wake Me Up When September Ends".

Two major complaints: rather than having the show in one section and the interviews with the band in another section, they are all intermixed, severely limiting the continuity of the show. Moreover,is the incessant editing of the show - the camera jumps angles every few seconds - deteracted from the music. At 65 min., they could have squeezed in a couple more songs, but in the end this is a very enjoyable performance.