~A couple photos of the boys at the American Idiot premiere last night [1, 2]. There’s a review from the Mercury News but it’s not very enthusiastic at all: “The music sounds stale, sung by more than a dozen actors that have rehearsed the original fire right out of the songs.”

~New article on the American Idiot musical. Billie Joe: “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my career, you know — me, a kid from Rodeo.”

~The LA Times has an extensive article on the American Idiot musical. Photo gallery.

~Photos of the American Idiot musical cast on stage: 1, 2.

~A blogger and Green Day fan reviews the American Idiot musical: “Billie Joe Armstrong is one of the best songwriters, perhaps ever, but certainly of his generation.”

~You can read some early reviews from fans of the American Idiot musical, which premiered last night, on the Green Day Community forum.

Update: the GDC forum got a mention here. And another fan review.

Update, Sept. 17: Press reviews, more.

[Earlier posts on the musical: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. ]

~The Berkeley Rep Blog has a post on the dress rehearsal for the American Idiot musical, including a small photo of two members of Green Day in the audience.

~Performances of the American Idiot musical at the Berkeley Rep Theatre have been extended by three weeks. Tix to the new dates will be available Sept 9.

~Another great article on the American Idiot musical: “It’s amazing,” Armstrong said. “People are going to be blown away.”

~Another good article on the American Idiot musical. Video interview with Green Day and more article links on Berkeley Rep blog. [ Earlier post. See more posts on the AI musical. ]

The San Francisco Bay Guardian has an in-depth article on the American Idiot musical, including an extensive interview with director Michael Mayer, thoughts from other members of the production, and some comments from Billie Joe. It captures the palpable excitement and passion that all involved have for the project.

One of the themes of the article is the immediate and deep connection that formed between Mayer and Billie Joe, even though they come from widely different backgrounds and sensibilities. It’s a credit to both, that they have such an intuitive understanding of each other’s artistic vision, but it’s especially gratifying for us besotted Green Day fans to see Billie Joe’s depth acknowledged, and without the often-seen backhanded compliment that it’s somehow unexpected, that somehow because he moons his audiences, delights in goofy pranks, and says the word “fucking” a couple dozen times during the course of a concert, his artistry and intellectual depth — which is not in any way concealed, it’s plainly showcased for all to see in Green Day’s heart-stopping albums and heady live performances — should come as a surpise.

Art and music critics have a tendency to compartmentalize. Something can be artful and deep, in which case it’s expected to take itself very seriously and manifest its intent with grave pretentiousness and heaviness, or it can be goofy and silly, but in that case it’s not expected or even allowed to make any claims to having a serious artistic or intellectual message. The genius of Green Day is that they live so completely and so seamlessly in both worlds, and both — the goofiness and the serious artistry — are essential components of their message.

If there was only the side of Green Day that makes great albums they would still be a great band. I’ve said that before. But that’s not nearly enough for them. Their huge generosity and love for the fans, the endless interactions, and the silly moments (not just during live shows but in interviews and in the personal anecdotes they sometimes share with us), are all part of their all-out campaign to touch each and every one of our hearts. That’s high art, and essential to Green Day’s delivery: it’s not a sideline. All artists hope to touch the people their work reaches, but not many are willing or able to pull out all the stops, or to incorporate into their acts and their work the most diverse artistic traditions, from high-brow to low-brow, as Green Day have done.

Mayer, whose background is the the grand, expansive tradition of musical theater, totally gets it, and his comments help me understand it better:

“I feel like where we connect is old school,” he says of Armstrong, slapping the table for emphasis. “Tin Pan Alley.” Slap. “Vaudeville.” Slap. “That’s the music he grew up with. He became a punk-rocker — I became a theater homo!”

“Even though we come from different worlds and are such different people,” Mayer says, “you know, at the end of the day, Billie Joe is such a showman! Such a theatrical guy. Not since Al Jolson have I seen someone so in love with the audience and with putting on a performance for them.”

The author of the article makes some insightful comments too, but she feels the need to qualify Green Day’s comedic side as intended just for kids:

Live, the band couples the playfully goofy, childlike comedy that tickles the 14-year-olds up front with the palpable sense of morality — driven by a beaten yet still beating anarchist heart — found on its increasingly serious-minded, idealistic recordings.

As a 45-year-old, I can attest, as I’m sure any of you reading this can, that Green Day’s antics tickle all age groups… But I really loved the statement about Green Day’s “beaten yet still beating anarchist heart.” Being from San Francisco, the author knows well and reminds readers of Green Day’s roots in the politically charged scene and strong ideals of Gilman St., and I think the sentiment of being “beaten but still beating” is a nice summing up of the mix of despair and hopefulness in both American Idiot and Breakdown. I think it may be true that, for some fans, the silly antics do overshadow the seriousness of Green Day’s political and intellectual commitment. Depending on your perspective, that may be a shame, but Green Day themselves seem all to happy to embrace all fans, regardless of what part of their message they respond to, and to bestow their goofy-yet-serious brand of rock-and-roll salvation on all.

~Photos of the set [1, 2] (source) of the American Idiot musical. Keep up on the progress on the Berkeley Rep blog. Earlier photos of working on the set. [More posts on the musical: 1 (fan reviews), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.]

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