It’s unclear what’s more unlikely, that Green Day broke into superstardom with an album named after excrement and a lead single about masturbation or that, 10 years later, they mounted a massive comeback with a punk rock opera that was turned into a Broadway musical. Whatever the case, the Bay Area pop punk trio is spending the summer playing “Dookie” and “American Idiot” in full to celebrate their 30th and 20th anniversaries. Saturday night, they headlined Target Field in Minneapolis on a bill featuring the Linda Lindas, Rancid and Smashing Pumpkins and accompanied by absolutely gorgeous late summer weather.
Three years ago, Green Day made their debut playing the Twins ball field with the well-matched Fall Out Boy and Weezer. Pairing the guys with the Smashing Pumpkins, however, makes less sense, given that the two bands share little in common beyond loud guitars. Maybe Billy Corgan needs the money.
He reunited three-fourths of the classic Pumpkins lineup in 2018 and then hit the road for a tour that focused the attention almost completely on himself. Saturday, he was a bit more magnanimous and shared the spotlight with guitarist James Iha. The hourlong set bounced between the old hits (“1979,” “Today,” “Cherub Rock”) and more recent, underwhelming selections (“That Which Animates the Spirit,” “Beguiled”).
Curiously enough, Corgan didn’t play anything from “Aghori Mhori Mei,” his new record that he’s been touting as a return to sound o.