Review – Green Day – Awesome as F**k

Green Day are without a doubt one of the greatest live bands the world has ever seen, and Awesome as F**k is a celebration of their potency in the live arena, captured throughout their 2009/10 tour, in support of last studio album 21st Century Breakdown.

This album is a departure from the norm though in terms of live records, as rather than releasing the setlist from one of the shows on the tour, the tracks on Awesome as F**k have been selected from across the entire tour, in a number of different cities. In many ways that allows them to pick the best of the bunch from all of the shows, but it does give it a little bit of a disjointed feel, in that you clearly hear master of ceremonies Billie Joe Armstrong addressing the crowd as London, Berlin, and Montreal, depending from what show that particularly song was culled from.

If you can step aside from that though, you are treated to Green Day at their absolute finest.

Nobody can doubt how epic they are as a live force, and what a show they put on, being honed in the craft of making stadium and arena sized gigs feel intimate, and personal to each spectator. They have a slew of hit singles to their name, but the tracklisting chosen in this release is somewhat curious for a Green Day compilation. There is no “Minority”, no “Basket Case”, and no “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” to name but a few. Other songs you may expect to find in there are also missing.

What there is though, is the choice cuts from 21st Century Breakdown, sounding better in the live arena that on studio release, amongst a mixed setlist of live favourites and classics from across their back catalogue, as well as a number of old songs they haven’t played live in a long time. It is a varied set, but it comes across well, as Green Day sound like they own the stage. Sure it would be better to be there, or to watch the DVD, but on record, it still sounds like the spectacle it is, and you get a real sense of urgency from listening to this.

The tracks are anthemic, sounding bigger (and at times, more relevant) than ever. Awesome as F**k is an excellent and timely reminder of how solid the veterans Green Day are as a band, and although this may not be their best setlist, it is still a massively enjoyable listen. I would have preferred to hear some other songs in place of the old cuts, but this is a hugely accomplished and captivating set of tracks. Holiday sounds better than it has ever done, with absence clearly making the heart grow fonder, and 21st Century Breakdown is a grandiose epic. The same can also be said about Viva La Gloria, American Idiot, set closer Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), and a lot more songs on this record.

Listening to this, you get a real sense of occasion, and you are left in doubt that by the end of the set the numerous crowds they played to on this world tour clearly all did have the time of their lives.

7/10