Green Day (w/ Rancid) @ Sheffield Arena (Sheffield, UK) on July 3, 2017 [Photos & Show Review]

Having just played to over 60,000 people at Hyde Park as part of the British Summertime gigs, Californian pop-punk superstars Green Day made a quick stop off in Yorkshire for a one-off headline show in the more intimate surroundings of the Sheffield Arena.

Joining them for the show were fellow punk rockers Rancid who did a more than admirable job of warming up this fiercely excitable crowd with their brand of brash, no-nonsense punk rock. The perfect choice for support, Tim Armstrong and his band mates owned the stage like the seasoned veterans they are finishing their set with “Telegraph Avenue” a track pulled from their recent Trouble Maker album.

Let’s cut to the chase here, Green Day have this live thing in the bag. So they might not have the most elaborate stage show but the energy, the crowd interaction and the songs, oh the songs, simply put the band on another level. Right from the opening bars of “Know Your Enemy” where Billie-Joe drags a delirious fan onstage to join him, through the likes of “Bang Bang”, “Minority”, “Basket Case”, “St.Jimmy” and more, this was a flawless display of superstar-sized, stadium-filling rock.

“This one is for the freaks and the wierdos” roars Green Day’s hyperactive frontman before bringing the energy levels down with a note-perfect rendition of “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” while an Operation Ivy cover of “Knowledge” and a riotous version of “King For A Day” ramp up the energy levels.

For over two hours, Green Day plunder their extensive thirty-year back catalogue and, with this packed arena taking over vocals for a raucous rendition of “American Idiot”, over fourteen thousand fans had the time of their lives in the company of one of the best live rock bands on the planet.

Check out the video for the single “Revolution Radio”