Green Day News and Information
Posted 6/18/2009
Green Day is returning to the road after a three-year hiatus, supporting their upcoming release "21st Century Breakdown." The tour will begin July 3rd in Seattle, and will travel to 38 cities through the end of August.
The band, who began in the punk rock scene in the late '80s but went on to crash into the main stream with their alternative rock sound, has sold over 65 million records worldwide, and won three Grammy Awards.
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong came together with Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool and John Kiffmeyer (who eventually left the group, leaving it a trio), and performed on the California Punk circuit before being recognized by Larry Livermore of Lookout! Records.
The band first released "Dookie" in 1994, which sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide - it also picked up a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. After the release, there was a renewed interest in punk rock, which prompted success for fellow California Punk bands The Offspring and Rancid.
The band's follow-up album "Insomniac" was certified platinum, and was a darker sound than fans were used to from the band. Singles from the album include "Geek Stink Breath," "Brain Stew/Jaded," "Walking Contradiction" and "Stuck with Me." It won the band a number of American Music Awards.
In 1997, the group released "Nimrod," which included the massive hit "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," as well as "Nice Guys Finish Last," "Hitchin' a Ride," and "Redundant." In 200, they put out "Warning," which included the hits "Minority" and "Warning." The album, by Green Day standards, was its least popular and was only certified Gold.
While the band's popularity seemed to wane, in 2003 they renewed their relevance in 2004 with the release of "American Idiot," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts (a first for the band). A massive tour followed, featuring 150 stops in over six continents.
After the massive success of "American Idiot," the band took a step from the spotlight for a few years, engaging themselves in smaller projects such as the theme song for The Simpsons Movie.
They got back to recording in 2008, and announced that "21st Century Breakdown" would be released in May of 2009.