Green Day and the Hella Mega Tour Invade Comerica Park in Detroit

Detroit, Michigan ( August 10,2021)-Despite the resurgence of COVID-19 related cases in Michigan, the virus seemed to be the furthest thing from everyone’s mind Tuesday as fans packed into the Comerica Park in Detroit for what was likely the largest music event in the state since the pandemic started. People stood shoulder to shoulder in the pit to the nose-bleeds, packing the stadium for the Hella Mega Tour that featured performances from 3 of the biggest alt rock bands of the last 25 years Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer.

The tour, so named for bringing together three of modern rock’s largest acts in Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer, was initially slated for 2020 before suffering a pandemic delay along with the rest of the live music calendar. By the time it finally did get out of the gate in late July, it did so with a new context and all the same accoutrements of a massive co-headlining tour in tow. Yes, there were fireballs, and fireworks, and the requisite “put-your-cell-phone-lights-in-the-air” moments. But the overwhelming (and obvious) sense of catharsis that pervaded through the tens-of-thousands of attendees was the star of the show.

After a vibrant and wildly entertaining opening set by tour part-timers, ska punk band the Interrupters who primed the crowd with their unique take on Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” along with their breakout single “She’s Kerosene” it was time for sub-headliner Weezer.

With the blazing sun shining across the stage, it was hard to recognize Rivers Cuomo for a moment because of his new mustache and mullet hair style, not to mention his Ron Burgundy inspired attire; gym shorts, headband with white tube socks pulled up right to his knees. The West coast natives are known for their laid-back, nerdy-but-cool vibe had fans hoping for that quirky charm with their first live performance in well over a year. Weezer seemed to hit the stage running, opening with “Hero” off Van Weezer followed by the Green Album’s smash hit “Hash Pipe,” that threw the rapidly swelling crowd in to a musical euphoria. But much to fans dismay, frontman Rivers Cuomo and the rest of the band seemed to lose that instant charge of energy halfway through the 17 song set.  They dutifully ran through a handful of their other hits, including “My Name is Jonas,” “The Sweater Song,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Buddy Holly” and even throwback deep cut “El Scorcho,” to which their many dedicated fans in the audience screamed along to, unfortunately surpassing the band’s own enthusiasm. Yes, they did play a cover of prerequisite “Africa,” but that alone couldn’t help their very visible lack of stage presence whatsoever. Granted, it could be part of their “too-cool-for-school” stage demeanor or simply the result of the exhaustive heat and humidity that permeated the greater Detroit area. Whatever the reason, it was very evident and cast a shadow on what otherwise could have been a burner of a performance.

Fall Out Boy rejoined the Hella Mega Tour Tuesday after missing the three previous shows due to an unspecified team member’s infection. Returning was a therapeutic opportunity to pause concerns of their own and enjoy a communal night of fun with 50000 new friends. The group was clearly happy to be back on stage with Wentz acknowledging that “this week has been a bit of a cluster… for our band.” He acknowledged the support the band had received from fans, and the quartet’s hour-long set, fortified with regular bursts of fire, played as a faux “space opera,” complete with a narrator on screen and scenery changes. More effective was the 14-song set list that was another hit-filled affair. Fall Out Boy opened with “The Phoenix” then reached back for “Where Is Your Boy” — which front-man Patrick Stump said the band played at the Shelter in Detroit during its early days.  Stumps vocals were spot on  throughout the set as they rocked through favorites such as “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” “Uma Thurman,” “Thanks fr th Mmrs,” “Centuries,” “Dance, Dance” and one of the best songs of the set, “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up).” It was a vintage performance that was both entertaining and fun.

By the time Green Day was ready to take the stage, the sun was down and near capacity crowd was ready. The prerequisite ‘hype bunny’ staggered out to lead the crowd in a now traditional sing-along to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”. Soon after the lights dimmed an explosive “American Idiot” got things started. Green Day keeping the budding intensity going from the start by segueing into “Holiday” and “Know Your Enemy.” Just as all well seasoned performers, the moment directly after the first three hits was a perfect setup for a cut off their latest album,Father of All, to slow it down and allow everyone to catch their breath. Released just a little over a year ago, it was not mentioned nor did they didn’t play a thing from it. Tonight it was all about the classics like “Longview,” “When I Come Around” and “Hitchin’ a Ride.”

Green Day did skew a bit deeper within the fusillade, however. Lyrics such as “It’s wonderful to be alive. … Everything is gonna be all right” from “Pollyanna” felt more meaningful in the context of current circumstances, and Armstrong took more than a few opportunities during the nearly 100-minute set to declare that “We’re still alive!” and a fully noted, “We all waited out this (expletive) pandemic, but now we all get to be together.”

The rest of the night featured a potpourri of hits that would have satisfied the most argent fan. From the ripper “Welcome to Paradise,” and “Basket Case,” to the opposite end of the spectrum “Brain Stew” mixed between a cover of KISS’s “Rock and Roll All Nite,” were just a few cuts that spanned a generation. The set also took softer turns with “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and the appropriate show closer “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”

Near the end of fast paced 21-song set, Green Day broke out “Still Breathing” from 2016’s Revolution Radio. It’s about finding meaning in life after difficult times, and it had a newfound resonance in the Covid era. “I’m like a soldier coming home for the first time,” Armstrong sang. “I dodged a bullet, and I walked across a landmine/Oh, I’m still alive.” This was one of the many subtle reminders about how appreciative the artists on stage were along with the fans who filled Comerica Park that reveled in the opportunity to experience live music once again.

Covid issues aside, Tuesdays show was five hours and 30 minutes of over-the-top entertainment bliss and well worth the nearly two-year wait fans have had to endure since the initial tour announcement. It was if a early 2000’s iPod (remember iPhones weren’t a thing yet in those days) was set to shuffle and continually played a now eclectic mix from “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” to “Beverly Hills” to “Wake Me Up When September Ends,”

If you’ve listened to any “alt rock” radio in the last 15-20 years, you know that Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer have been nearly inescapable. These bands are known for their seismic hits — and the sheer number of them designates these rock groups in a different class of 2021 legacy bands. Each of them may have new material that points to them running out of creative steam, but on stage, they know that their power lies in how happily people will sing along and connect. All told, Hella Mega was a welcome and refreshing respite from the reality outside Comerica’s walls. When Green Day’s Armstrong sang “I hope you had the time of your life” during the evening-ending, fireworks laden “Good Riddance,” it had a different resonance than normal but still reflected exactly how everyone in the stadium was feeling at that moment.

Green Day:
 

Fall Out Boy:
 

Weezer:
 

Interrupters:
 

Comerica Park: