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Green Day: Bullet In A BibleDirector: Samuel Bayer Rating: M 151 Minutes Reprise/Warner If you missed Green Day at the Entertainment Centre earlier this year... well, then you're an idiot. And, if you had any doubts as to Green Day's position as one of the best live acts in the world and a serious punk rock force... again, you're probably not all there. But, to quench both those regrets and doubts comes the band's first live CD/DVD, 'Bullet In A Bible.' Of course, if you saw Green Day and know how much they kick ass (good for you), then I'm preaching to the choir, but this is still something you won't want to miss. Recorded earlier this year on the band's 'American Idiot' World Tour in Milton Keynes, England, 'Bullet In A Bible' captures Green Day's ferocious live show in all its glory. The setlist focuses heavily on 'American Idiot,' with some golden oldies (Longview, Hitchin A Ride, Brainstew, etc.) thrown in for good measure. The CD isn't bad, but the band don't deviate enough from the record in their live arrangements to make it essential; although it is fun hearing 65,000 people chant "on my own, here we go!" in easily discernable English accents. There's also the fact that those bangs from the pyrotechnics are just kind of annoying when you can't actually see the fire. Ah, the joys of DVD. Directed by Samuel Bayer, who directed all of the video clips from the 'American Idiot' album, it not only allows you to (ahem) see the fire, it also allows you to see the band. Billy-Joe Armstrong is an amazing performer, and bassist Mike Dirnt's got a snarl that, you know, brings a lot to the music. Seriously, though, Green Day are phenomenal live. Bayer shoots the whole thing in a mixture of black-and-white and full colour, with the occasional, subtle use of slow-motion and blurring effects to further emphasise the action - a stark contrast to Powderfinger's 'These Days' DVD, which used so many gratuitous effects it became almost unbearable to watch. In comparison this is a joy, edited in a furiously energetic way that easily matches Green Day's stage presence. The most remarkable thing about what Bayer's done is not the massive task of capturing the live show - it's his ability to capture the band offstage that is so commendable. Each song is interspersed with interview footage with the band members, backstage footage, rehearsals, even a haunting visit to the Imperial War Museum. Bayer paints a picture of a band that has come a long way since 'Dookie,' a band that takes both the music and the deep political themes of 'American Idiot' very seriously. Bayer shows us three guys who have worked their whole life up to playing the "biggest gig in the history of punk rock" - and then he throws that show at us with all the intensity of actually being there. Plus it's got explosions, man!  |
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