Photos and Review by Jeff Palmucci
Galleries: Green Day, Weezer, The Interrupters
Last week I went to a live concert for the first time in a year and a half. It wasn’t any old concert either. Green Day, Weezer, and The Interrupters were at Fenway for the Hella Mega Tour. I was pretty psyched, along with the rest of the crowd. [1]
The Hella Mega Tour is pretty aptly named, given it is one of the first really big shows back after lockdown. It certainly felt pretty “mega” to me.
As everyone knows, Fall Out Boy had to bow out of this show because of a positive covid diagnosis. Nobody was seriously ill (they were vaccinated, get your shots!) but they didn’t want to risk contagion. They returned to the show for the Detroit show, so you should be able to see all the bands if they haven’t come to your town yet. The others picked up the FOB slack a little, with the Interrupters playing a Fall Out Boy medley. Weezer played Sugar We’re Going Down Swinging in it’s entirety, with the crowd taking over the chorus.
The Interrupters were out first. This was the first time I saw the band and they warmed up the crowd with a really energetic set. Ever since the show, I’ve been playing these guys on Spotify. I wasn’t as familiar with their music as the other two bands, but I’m a big fan of the genre, and quickly got into them. Like most bands these days, they’ve got a heavy YouTube presence and you should go listen to She Got Arrested right now!
Weezer was out next, and I’ve been a fan of these guys for a long time. Probably ever since their video shipped on the Windows 95 release disc. That video was by far the best part of that whole software release. (crappiest operating system ever! If you ask me why in the comments, be prepared for a rant)
Rivers came out in a Red Sox cap, of course prompting a wildly enthusiastic “Yankees Suck” chant. Their set was an awesome combination of pink, purple, and blue, which conjured up nostalgic memories of the 70’s for some reason. The played a combination of old hits and songs off the new album Van Weezer. The new album is obviously influenced by an 80’s metal vibe, and I really like it. If you are looking for a good new track to try, listen to The End of the Game. You can definitely hear Eddie in the intro, but it’s got the Weezer fun lyrics and vibe. Plus, the video is kind of kooky and get you wondering “what the hell is going on here?”
Green Day was out last and, as always, put on an amazing show. As they’ve done for years and years, the pink bunny comes out to warm up the crowd. Now, I want you to take a look at the bunny costume. This thing is pretty old and probably the original. I mean, one of the eyes is broken off and the tail was replaced with a pair of pink bandaids. It’s also obviously never seen the inside of a washing machine, which is what makes it so funny. Whoever gets out and does the bit does it while inside this nasty, gross, foul smelling costume. (ask me about the time I played a honey bear at a festival in my home town of Shelton, CT.) What’s even more funny is it is more than likely a member of the band. See the excellent analysis here. That is true dedication to a bit, and kudos to you Mr. Bunny!
They also have this bit where they invite some random audience member who can play up on the stage with the band. We weren’t allowed to do video for the show, but you can see an example on YouTube. Fans, have obviously caught on to this bit, and that’s why that guy in the crowd shot above has “I Can Play” written on his face. The girl Billie invited on the stage that night had to leave via a mandatory stage dive, after which she rode on the crowd for quite a while. That looks freakin fun!
They also had a fair amount of pyrotechnics at the show, which was unexpected. You’d expect this at a screamy metal show, but not so much here. They had fireworks, flamethrowers, and a cool spark shower that they used during 21 Guns. Some loud fireworks accentuated the bang bang in Bang Bang, which kind of made me jump. And finally they ended the show with a firework finale that somewhat made up for all the cancelled July 4th fireworks this year.
This is a great show with which to break your covid isolation. Step 1 get vaccinated. Step 2 get your tickets here.
[1] That photo was just before Green Day came on where everyone is signing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of their lungs.