Green Day, “Bullet in a Bible”: After a band puts out a successful album, its record company loves to milk the album for all it’s worth. While Green Day recently wrapped up their U.S. tour, Reprise Records released “Bullet in a Bible,” a CD and DVD (1 hour, 53 minutes) showcasing two June performances in England. The album displays Green Day’s mastery of live performance thanks to its early days spent at the Gilman club in Berkeley. Most tracks featured on “BIAB” are from “American Idiot,” which sold 4.5 million copies. With 65,000 fans singing along with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, the DVD proves just how big Green Day is 16 years after its inception. Other compelling images include pyrotechnics exploding on stage. “You try to create an event, a spectacle, a splash. It’s about having something that’s massive,” the singer/guitarist says on the stadium shows.
“BIAB” showcases Green Day’s re-birth from a punk-band that wrote songs like “Longview,” a song about sitting on the couch masturbating, to an outspoken band with a politically charged message. On tour, Armstrong introduces himself as George W. Bush, and after a few moments says, “Actually, my name is Asshole.” Entertaining moments are at their best when Armstrong makes off the cuff requests like, “I want you to sing so loud that every fuckin’ redneck in America hears you tonight!”
The best reason to buy “BIAB” is not for the live scenes on the DVD, but for interviews and a behind the scenes look at a live tour. Viewers get to see bassist Mike Dirnt running on a treadmill and drummer Tre Cool snorting donut sprinkles. At more serious moments, wisdom provided by Armstrong includes: “Anything that is successful is a series of mistakes.”
The track “Time of Your Life” leaves listeners feeling like they’re at another high school graduation or Aunt Meme’s wedding. It’s too bad “BIAB” doesn’t feature more of the old Green Day, but it looks as if fans won’t ever see the likes of that classic punk band again. The CD/DVD is recommended for loyal “American Idiot” fans. Casual fans should wait until the next full-length studio album.
-Trevor Davis