The century changed, those teenagers grew up, so did the band and ten years later, a more mature and a better produced Green Day emerged with one of their best albums of their career and even the noughties. American Idiot!
They had managed to take their punk rebel attitude, charge it up with the political situation of the time, optimize the production and take punk rock to level , it had never been before ... Operatic!
Sure, some of the fans hissed, spat, spoke about them succumbing to the MAN and loosing their scratchy one amp, one monitor almost mono underground punk sound. But Billy and the boys knew that this was the next step in maturity for them and for the genre as well.
Meanwhile, the parents of those whiny fans moaned as they witnessed Ozzy Osbourne duet with Miss Piggy, Iggy Pop sell car insurance and Johnny Rotten endorse English Country Butter!
However, they weren't done yet! In September 2009, Tony-Award winning director Michael Mayer collaborating with Green Day, brought American Idiot to the stage.
The official soundtrack of the Broadway show was released in April 2010.
The first impression you get on listening to American Idiot (The Original Broadway Cast Recording) is that Green Day has been 'American Idol'-ised
...And those whining ex-fans went " See! We told you so!"
But as you sink deeper into it, you come to realise that what Green Day together with Music Supervisor Tom Kitt have done; is taken what was a phenomenal punk rock opera album both lyrically and musically and have added on even more layers to it; be it in additional background vocals, female leads, orchestrations, horn sections, eastern percussion and even gospel choirs!
You soon forget about the Reality TV show moments and soar into the broader picture of the sound and you then come to realise that Green Day, the youth cast and the grander production takes American Idiot with all its rebellious attitude and gives it SOUL!
So now its just a matter of time until My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade does the same, given its already existing storyline and the similar operatic sound.The Goths would then have to thank the grown up punks as they put on their blackest suits and head down to the theatre.
