Five Things I Learned from the Longshot, Frankie and the Studs, and the Trash Bags show, May 4, 2018 at the Beauty Bar

Billie Joe Armstrong is a living TouchTunes

The Longshot already has a respectable number of songs for a band that’s only really existed for a month and a half. But still, it wasn’t enough to fill a proper set time. That meant covers were a-plenty and, as it turns out, Billie Joe has pretty good taste. Covers included “Rockaway Beach,” originally by the Ramones, “I Fought the Law,” originally by the Crickets  (though the Longshot were clearly more inspired by the Clash’s take on the song), “Kiss Me Deadly” by Generation X and my personal favorite, “Bastards of Young,” originally by the Replacements, which Billie Joe filled in for on guitar during the band’s reunion tour a few years back. But hey, this is the guy who covers Operation Ivy at arenas across the world to this day, so good covers are to be expected.

The Longshot fans are very dedicated

I guess it would be more appropriate to say “Billie Joe” fans or “Green Day” fans. But however you want to look at it, these people are the epitome of dedication. Tickets for the Beauty Bar show, which is a venue closer in size to what Green Day would be playing in their Lookout! Records days (despite Armstrong’s proclamation that this was their biggest show so far), sold out just minutes after going on sale (and after the on sale date and time being pushed back). On top of this, I was surprised to see a line around the block two hours before the show started.

No one likes ¡Uno! as much as Billie Joe Armstrong

The release of Green Day’s trilogy ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! would seemingly be a sore spot for Green Day. Armstrong infamously melted down right here in Vegas at an iHeartRadio event that was intended to promote the first in the trilogy and the singer/songwriter entered rehab shortly after, thus resulting in a canceled tour and poor album sales (comparative to other major label Green Day releases). So it was somewhat surprising that when the Longshot busted out their Green Day covers, both were from ¡Uno!. “Fell for You” and “Stay the Night” aren’t likely to find their way into a proper Green Day setlist anytime soon, and while I was really hoping for some deep cuts from Kerplunk or 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, the garage rock feel of these two tracks felt right at home with the Longshot.

Armstrong is a regular Danzig: cell phones are a no-go for the Longshot

At one point during the band’s set, Armstrong stopped to call out one fan for using their phone during the band’s performance. I couldn’t tell from my vantage point in back if the audience member was texting or trying to snap a photo, but either way Billie wasn’t having it. Later on, he incorporated anti-cell phone rhetoric into some of his lyrics, albeit in a very light-hearted way.

What other arena artist would embark on a tour like this?

Above all us, it really looked like the band was having a blast. It’s been a long time since Billie Joe has done a tour in venues this size and frankly, I don’t see many other musicians of his stature going this route (can you imagine a world where Tom DeLonge took Box Car Racer or Angels and Airwaves on a full USA trek of sub-300 venues)? The band (Jeff Matika on bass and vocals, alongside Kevin Preston on guitar and David S. Field on drums) all had smiles on their faces and had genuine, constant interaction with the crowd. Considering Armstrong often struggled with the surprising success Green Day achieved and the move to larger venues, it must have felt good to be playing a more personal set of gigs again. As a fan, it was a fun to watch.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/

The Longshot setlist:

Kill Your Friends
Devil’s Kind
Taxi Driver
Body Bag
Rockaway Beach (Ramones cover)
Soul Surrender
Bastards of Young (the Replacements cover)
As Tears Go By (the Rolling Stones cover)
Cult Hero
Fell for You (Green Day cover)
Walking Out on Love (the Nerves cover)
Happiness
Love is for Losers
Turn Me Loose
Stay the Night (Green Day cover)
I Fought the Law (the Crickets cover)
Chasing a Ghost

Encore:
A Million Miles Away (the Plimsouls cover)
The Last Time
Kiss Me Deadly (Generation X cover)