Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Pop/punk probably wouldn’t have made it to the mainstream had it not been for Green Day, who exactly three decades after nationally debuting with “Dookie” and twenty years since winning over an entirely new generation with “American Idiot,” remain the style’s “Saviors,” to quote the title of its latest project.

After locally debuting “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” front man Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool tore straight into all of the aforementioned breakthrough, which sold over ten million copies back then and is still infinitely streamed.

It turns out the adrenaline-soaked screams of “Burnout,” “Having A Blast,” “Longview,” “Welcome To Paradise” and “Basket Case” have held up remarkably well, while “When I Come Around,” in particular, tapped into Green Day’s knack for crafting melodic, hook-heavy masterpieces.

The charging aggression continued come standalone hits such as “Know Your Enemy,” accompanied by a well-prepared fan named Bridget, “Dilemma,” “Minority” and “Brain Stew” before going back into full album mode for the second promised attraction that has since morphed into a Broadway musical.

Green Day felt even more larger than life come the towering crescendos of “American Idiot,” “Jesus Of Suburbia” and “Holiday,” plus the monster ballad “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” had everyone joining in after constantly jumping up and down.

If anything, they got the audience of widely ranging ages warm for the massive acoustic scream-a-long “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life),” which is exactly how it felt to be inside “The Friendly Confines” for the sold out marathon that also included Chicago’s own The Smashing Pumpkins, veterans Rancid and relative newcomersThe Linda Lindas.

The internationally-known locals turned in an hour from the alternative rock era up to today’s ambitious yet accessible “Aghori Mhori Mei,” and despite usually playing twice as long whenever they come home, Billy Corgan and company sure did cram in as much as they could.

Alongside fellow co-founders James Iha on guitar and Jimmy Chamberlin on drums, the Pumpkins plowed through “Today,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Disarm,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Beguiled,” “1979,” “Zero” and at least as many others, always matching Green Day’s ability to last for the long haul.

Click here for more photos of Green Day at Wrigley Field.

For additional information on Green Day, visit GreenDay.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concerts at Wrigley Field include Luke Bryan (Aug. 25) and Pearl Jam (Aug. 29 and 31). For additional details, visit MLB.com/Cubs/Tickets/Concerts.

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