By: J'net Newton

(3/25/2009 to J'net in Los Angeles at the Heart Like a Hand Grenade premiere after party when asked his opinion of the new album)

In addition to the print article in Alternative Press, AP.com released a two-part online interview with Billie Joe in their "From the Editor's Floor" section. In the first part, Billie Joe talked about the process of creating the new album and said, "I'm pushing myself to be progressive in songwriting and being a songwriter. I come from a culture where I'm into great albums, and I still believe in that." He also discussed working with Butch Vig as producer after so many years with Rob Cavallo. Part Two of the interview talks about the relationship the band members have with each other and about music in general.

The month of January 2009 was frustrating for most Green Day fans, who kept expecting news to appear any day. Aside from many rumors (diligently squashed by our ever-watchful webmaster, Andres) and a blogger's interview with Butch Vig (posted in January but actually taken from a fall 2008 conversation) nothing was happening to satisfy our cravings. Finally, February brought some relief when the new web site posted a hint that something wonderful would be happening on "Sunday" (February 8). The news soon broke that Green Day would be presenters at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.

On Sunday evening, not long before the show started, the Idiot Club posted the news that the new album would be released in May 2009 and titled "21st Century Breakdown." Green Day fans all around the world watched the Grammy Awards ceremony waiting for a sight of Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre. We were rewarded when Green Day appeared to present the final award of the night - "Album of the Year."

The following day, February 9, brought this news from RollingStone.com's Rock & Roll Daily: "Rolling Stone will have a host of details on Billie Joe and Co.’s latest next week — we joined the band in their San Francisco studio for a sneak peak at 21st Century Breakdown, and the full report will run in the next issue." One good thing followed another as February 10 brought a posting of the album cover art and a very short song teaser on the official Green Day web site, both of which were reported on the GDA news page. Then, on February 11, Rolling Stone kindly provided online readers with a sneak peek at some of the material from their upcoming article, which included two new song titles and the news that July will see the start of a "massive world tour."

Apparently, Green Day has allowed several members of the music press to preview the six songs reported by Rolling Stone. On February 12, EW.com (Entertainment Weekly) and MTV.com both reported hearing previews of the same six songs, and each of them provided some additional lyrics beyond what was reported by RS. Friday the 13th did not leave eager Green Day fans disappointed as Billboard.com published its own take on the 6 preview songs, titled, " Green Day Roars Back With 'Breakdown.'" Billboard's article also revealed more information about the world tour discussed earlier, informing readers that it will begin in North America in July and then head to Europe. The following year, 2010, will see Green Day touring in Japan, Southeast Asia, and South America and then returning home for more shows in North America. February 14 brought Green Day fans to a full week of getting new information every day as Spin.com announced their preview of the 6 previously reported songs from 21CB. The Spin folks also caught some new lyrics that weren't reported by the others.


Green Day at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards
So, to recap the preceding few paragraphs, in the one week beginning Sunday, February 8, Green Day enthusiasts not only got to see an appearance by the band at the Grammy's, but also learned the new album's title and month of release along with the month of the tour's kick-off. In addition, fans made gluttons of themselves with all the details released every day in the various previews, including the following treats:

From RollingStone.com:

The songs are defiant, but also defiantly hopeful, referencing the unsettled political climate as well as more personal and generational turmoils.

From EW.com:

"March of the Dogs": My favorite of the songs we heard, this one pairs pull-no-punches lyrics about organized religion with a propulsive backbeat. The hook reminded me of American Idiot's "Holiday," always a good thing.

Note: GDA has since learned from Green Day's management that the song title "March of the Dogs" has been changed to "East Jesus Nowhere."

From MTV.com:

...the songs packed a wallop — both sonically and lyrically — which is proof that, rather than hide from the prospect of trying to match Idiot's success, Green Day intend to face it head on.

Green Day cover a lot of ground, and they do it with a style and swagger that's admirable, especially given all the expectations weighing on them this time around. Taking cues from classic rock, going for the massive once again, they're not backing down from the fight.

From Billboard.com:

While not as overtly political as "American Idiot," the material sampled by Billboard is chock full of social commentary about religion, war and love.

"March of the Dogs" finds Green Day at its most structurally complex, weaving numerous short different ideas into a grand final product.

From Spin.com:

Our verdict? We love it.

"Know Your Enemy"
The song's fast pace and feverish guitar make this track sound like an outtake from the Dookie sessions.

"Before the Lobotomy"
Armstrong sings like you've never heard him before. Strumming an acoustic guitar, he hits all the high notes, as his lyrics lament a character in such pain his "misery [is] drenched in gasoline."

Scans from the Rolling Stone magazine article by David Fricke (February 19, 2009 - issue 1073) can be accessed by clicking on the images below:



A follow up RollingStone.com article on March 20 included a couple of quotes that weren't included in the February 19 article.


The May issue of Q magazine (released in late March) featured the band on the cover and included a lengthy article calling Green Day, "...the most important band in America..." Q's associated web site posted a gallery of photos taken during the interviews with Green Day. You can view the photo gallery and read the article here:

Photo Gallery

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8
On the same day that the Q magazine article became available, Spin.com broke the news that the release date for 21st Century Breakdown will be May 15, 2009. The news post also included the information that the first single will be "Know Your Enemy" and will begin appearing on radio stations in mid-April as well as being available for digital purchase at that time.


Green Day in the Studio
Following on the heels of that long-awaited news, MTV.com revealed in a news post on March 26 that, "The video for "Know Your Enemy," the first single from Green Day's hotly anticipated 21st Century Breakdown album, will premiere exclusively on more than 250 MTV on-air and online outlets worldwide on April 24." On March 31, MTV released an article based on an interview with the video's director, Matthew Cullen. Several details were shared that piqued the interest of Green Day followers, including the fact that, "...the video is Green Day performing. There isn't another single person in it..." Cullen also talked about his vision for the video and said that he "...was trying to match the song, which is huge..." This news only increased the excitement in the community and the anticipation surrounding the video's premiere. On April 2, Green Day Authority learned that the "Know Your Enemy" single would be released on April 16 and posted a link to the cover art. That same day, a yahoo news post announcing that a 90 second preview of the KYE single would open the April 6 NCAA Basketball Final was confirmed on GreenDay.com.


Green Day with Matthew Cullen at the "Know Your Enemy" Video Shoot
Friday, April 3 marked the availability of the Special Edition of 21st Century Breakdown for pre-order at "GreenDayMusic.com. The special edition will contain the CD, three 10" vinyls, one for each act, a 60 page book that holds all the media, including art created for the album, and a digital download of the album at 12:01am on May 15, the official release date. The actual package will not be shipped until June 18. This is a limited edition, and only 3,000 will be made. Anyone ordering the special edition will receive an email from Warner with a link to the exclusive download available at 12:01am on the release date. Also on April 3, a 21st Century Breakdown widget was made available at GreenDay.com for enthusiasts to add to their myspace, facebook or other blog pages. The widget is included at the top of this page, beside the Song List.

On April 5, the day before the 90-second preview of "Know Your Enemy" on CBS, GreenDay.com posted a 30-second snippet of the song. On the evening of April 6, Green Day fans who tuned into CBS not only heard a 90-second preview but were also treated to scenes from the single's soon to be debuted video. Forum comments included such observations as:

• That was actually so cool. I just stared at the screen. Amazing! 2009 is our year! (anarchy_in_germany)
• It was okay. Wasn't epic though. (CarnageXB)
• That was the greatest music video ever. I think I heard a bit of screaming from Billie... (Greenday_Aussie)

Here are links for downloading the video , downloading the audio , and viewing some high quality screen shots from the video. Additional links and discussion can be found here.


Still from NCAA Preview of "Know Your Enemy" Video
Pandemonium exploded in the community when April 7 brought an announcement of the previously well-kept secret that Green Day would be performing that night at the Independent in San Francisco, a venue that seats approximately 500. Twenty dollar tickets sold out in a short time, and those who were fortunate enough to attend were treated to a lengthy set list in an intimate setting, including many old favorites and much of the new album. Even fans standing in the street were able to enjoy the music. A few of those inside were able to take photos, which can be found here. Other links and discussion are available here.


At the Fox Theater, Oakland, April 14, 2009
Since then, Green Day has performed three additional surprise shows, playing the new material with several of their older songs at each one. On April 9, they delighted fans at the DNA Lounge with an intimate show and an outstanding set list, including quite a few requests from the crowd. On April 14, a larger crowd attended the Fox Theater show in Oakland, where the entire performance was filmed. Programs with lyrics were handed out to all attendees, and the first 21st Century Breakdown merchandise was available for purchase. The next night, April 15, saw the band back to performing in a small venue at the Uptown in Oakland.

The wait for new Green Day music was officially over worldwide when "Know Your Enemy," the first single from the new album, was released on April 16. Reaction from the community was mixed; however, most industry reviews were positive. Rolling Stone magazine put the single on its "Hot List" in the April 30 edition with this comment:

These dudes cracked the code of pop-punk super-catchiness ages ago - but
the first single from their new album takes it to some heretofore unknown
peak. Imagine if AC/DC had replaced Bon Scott with Joe Strummer.
Seriously, imagine it!

Tour dates for the first two months of the 21st Century Breakdown tour were finally released on April 20. The most up-to-date information about each date can be viewed here. In addition, the Green Day Community's On the Road forum contains a thread for each show so people who are attending can plan to meet and enjoy socializing before and/or after the show. These threads are also a good source of information for people who are traveling to an unfamiliar venue.


On April 24, the Matthew Cullen directed video of "Know Your Enemy" debuted around the globe. Reviews in the forum were mixed and ranged from intense dislike to overwhelmed awe, with most falling somewhere in between. Since late March, so many reviews, previews, and interviews have appeared from multiple sources that it would be impossible to list them all. The left sidebar's Links section above, has links to the most significant ones. This interview/review from the UK's TimesOnline went into more depth than most, giving some fascinating insight into the process of creating and completing the new album. The author, Dan Cairns, summed up his feelings about the album with this:

Yet 21st Century Breakdown isn’t a masterpiece because of its ambition. ... The album is a masterpiece, rather, because it realises its ambitions. ... its real triumph, in an age of trimming, of market testing, of self-censorship and lowest common denominators, is not simply to aim insanely high, but to make it to the summit.

This kind of feedback from such a well-respected source only increased the previously strong levels of anticipation for the album's release.

During the remaining days of April:

• Tour dates were announced for European shows starting in late September and going through the first half of November.
• "Know Your Enemy" became available on CD with Lights Out as the B-side (and "Hearts Collide" as a second B-side on some international versions).
• In its second week on the charts, "Know Your Enemy" officially took the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock charts.
• The Rolling Stone review of 21st Century Breakdown was released, rating the album 4.5 out of 5. Since American Idiot was rated 3.5 out of 5, this news heightened anticipation even more.

During the first half of May, tickets went on sale for most of the tour dates announced so far. Many venues sold out quickly, and a couple of additional shows were added. Supporting acts The Bravery (Jul 3 - Jul 25), Kaiser Chiefs (Jul 27 - Aug 7), and Franz Ferdinand (Aug 8 - Aug 26) were announced for the U.S. and Canadian tour dates.

The final weeks leading up to the album release were filled with events to keep 21st Century Breakdown on our minds, such as:

Magazine articles and reviews - here's a sample:

• Jon Pareles, New York Times, interviews with all 3 members of Green Day and Butch Vig
• Mitchell Peters, Billboard, Question and Answer article
• David Fricke, Rolling Stone, cover story
• Kerrang's review gave 21CB 5 out of 5 K's, and ThrashHits gave it a rating of 5 out of 6 - read more about these reviews here.

Special preview shows-

• May 7 - Berlin, Germany
• May 9 - Cologne, Germany
• May 12 - Paris, France (La Trabendo)

In addition, the album was streamed in its entirety on The Leak and several other web sites on May 8, one week before the official release date.

It's Here!
May 15 finally arrived, and 21st Century Breakdown was officially released. Green Day spent a good part of the day at an exclusive Best Buy signing event in New York for the first 500 people to purchase the CD there. That week, three exclusive shows were performed at:

• The Bowery Ballroom
• Webster Hall
• P.C. Richards & Son Theater

The band performed so well and had such incredibly high energy that several reviewers were inspired to say the first two shows were the best Green Day shows ever.


Green Day performs "King for a Day" at Webster Hall in NYC
Photo by David Bergman ©2009
During their visit to New York, which lasted over a week, the band also appeared on:

• Saturday Night Live
• The Colbert Report
• Good Morning America's Concert Series
• The Late Show with David Letterman
• CBS Sunday Morning

After a short three-day sales week (since the album was released on a Friday), 21st Century Breakdown had sold 215,000 albums and captured the number one spot on Billboard's Top 200 for the week. Billboard enthusiastically reviewed the New York Bowery and Webster shows, and you can find a link to that article here. Also, around this time, an announcement was made that "21 Guns" would be the second single from the new album. Green Day next traveled to Japan, where they performed at BLITZ (Akasaka, Japan) and on the MTV Japan Music Video Awards on the 28th and 30th of May, respectively.

The week of June 1 found the band in Los Angeles, where they performed one exclusive concert at the Henry Fonda Theater. They also appeared at Hot Topic for an exclusive "meet and greet" as well as recording several shows, including:

• The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
• Four episodes of Last Call with Carson Daly (recorded in one day and aired the following week)
• An episode of the KROQ radio show, Breakfast with Kevin and Bean

Audience members at the Carson Daly taping were astounded when the Foxboro Hot Tubs followed Green Day and performed "Mother Mary" and "Stop, Drop, and Roll!" On June 5, tour dates and venues were announced for a short December tour of Australia and New Zealand. To finish off the week in Los Angeles, the band worked with director Marc Webb on June 6 to record the music video for the "21 Guns" single.


I think the majority of us would agree that this was the most fascinating wait for a new Green Day album we've yet seen. Several readers commented on the positive feeling of getting so much information from the band about the process of the new album's development. This page will continue to be updated for a short time with new information about release-related activities and links to interesting threads, articles, sound bites, etc. Even when this page is finished, though, there's still a wealth of information on the Green Day Authority web site for anyone interested in knowing more. Before the page is finalized, I'll include links to some of the most interesting pages you might want to check out. Stay tuned!!!