ABC/Heidi GutmanGreen Day will kick off the summer leg of its North American tour tonight, August 1, in Auburn, Washington. The punk trio will be touring in support of its new album, Revolution Radio, and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong could not be happier about the response to the new material.
“We play [singles] ‘Bang Bang’ or…’Still Breathing,’ but we also have been able to kinda get into more deeper cuts on the record, like a song like ‘Forever Now,'” Armstrong tells ABC Radio. “So we’re playing seven to eight new songs.”
He adds, “I think for a band that’s been around since 1987, we’re in a really great position to be able to just play new music. We’re not just sorta living on a legacy.”
Of course, Green Day also will be playing its classic material, like the 1994 single “Basket Case,” which, more than 20 years later, remains a staple of the band’s set list.
“I feel like that song has been like the outsider, weirdo-kid anthem,” says Armstrong.
No matter what Green Day has been playing, though, the Revolution Radio tour has been a career highlight for the group.
“It’s been our favorite tour we’ve ever done, which is really exciting, especially at this juncture of our career,” says bassist Mike Dirnt. “If it keeps going the way it has been, it’s gonna be the best tour we’ve ever done in the States.”
Green Day’s North American tour will conclude September 16 in Los Angeles.
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