Good Morning America Shreds American Idol With Live Green Day Concert

Rock lives …on GMA (!)  I’m supposed too be too old to like Green Day.  Hell, when “Dookie” came out in the 90’s I thought  it was kind of annoying - especially when it blasted out of my 13 year old’s boom box while the younger kids were bombarding me with the audio from Raffi videos.  Now, fifteen years later, I’m watching them (the ones that sing “American Idiot” not “Baby Beluga”) at 8:45 in the morning as they breathe life back into a whole genre of music.  You can tag them punk, you can call them rock, you don’t need to understand the words or second guess them — you don’t need to “get it” — it really doesn’t matter.  Green Day had me digging for the remote to “crank it up”.

I kind of remember being pressured not to like or respect Green Day as artists when they first exploded on the music scene.  Not really punk.  A bunch of posers.  Oh yeah, something about guy-liner.  Or was that later on? Anyway, some of that sounds a bit too familiar lately.  Bottom line:  they deliver the goods.

After watching the last few episodes American Idol this season I wondered if Rock, particularly on network television, was nearing its “Help I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up” moment.

Thanks to GMA (who knew?) for coming to the table.  Ok, so the jury is still out about whether the Jonas Brothers are the next Beatles and some of  the bands might not be your preferred genre but, somehow this crew pulls it off every time.  I also think it’s fascinating that Chris Cuomo can go from interviewing Liz Cheney to being on stage with Green Day in same show.   At the end of the day, or at least at the end of the morning, it’s refreshing to see live music - particularly rock - presented the way it’s supposed to be - simply for a good time.  No snarky commentary.

Alternatively, I never did  turn up the volume on American Idol’s Rock Night - or during the finale.   I really wanted a reason to though …especially  the night Slash played coach.   I just kept thinking “somethin’ ain’t right”.  This is probably because I had recently been thinking about the “is rock dead?” question… and if so, who were the last great rock bands & rock stars with “cred” to emerge toward the end of the rock era.   Hmm, certainly U2.  Hey!  They were on the GMA concert series recently and I turned up the volume then too.  Guns N’ Roses and Slash were also near the top of the list.  Maybe I was missing something but, seeing Slash on American Idol, I kept thinking “what’s wrong with this picture”.  Quite simply, Slash and “slick”.. just don’t mix for me.

It’s more than talent that counts, it’s at least the perception of being the “real thing” vs. the “slick package”. Guns N’ Roses with Slash & Axl feels right.  Velvet Revolver with Slash & Scott Weiland - that works.  Velvet Revolver with Slash and Adam?  You-gotta-be-kiddin’- me.  But, that was the buzz. Also according to one of the legendary, Voice-Of-God music mags: Adam Lambert was leading American Idol to “Rock Glory”.  Oh, give me a freakin’ break.  C’mon, the kid is great  - he’s “technically proficient” - he’s an original, creative.  However,  when he covers Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin, etc. - I’m hearing what I’m supposed to be hearing - but, I’m not feelin’ what I’m supposed to be feelin’.

I had the same problem with Carrie Underwood last year when she toured with Keith Urban.  She’s got the whole package.  The voice, the songs, the look, the clothes, the loyal fan base, the marketing… the “swagger”.  Bigger, better …the ultimate modern day country music commercial success.  That’s precisely what I saw and heard during her performance.  She did every thing right …she was perfect.  Too perfect.  I heard it but, I didn’t feel it.  The Keith Urban performance that followed seemed to put it all in perspective. It was one of the best (rock?) concerts I’ve seen in the past decade.  It was the real thing.  It didn’t feel like the Keith Urban “brand” had been concocted in some music research lab.  The music, the connection with the audience, the “package” all seemed genuine… and just plain fun.  Just like Green Day.

Yeah I know it’s ALL showbiz, and that includes Robin, Diane, Chris and Sam.  They’re not music experts like Simon, Paula, Randy & Kara.  And maybe that’s a great thing.  One of the most creative media geniuses I knew worked for NBC back in the early eighties.  My friend John McGhan has long passed away.  Somehow the GMA cast and crew seem to be practicing what he used to preach almost daily to “the suits” at corporate - at least when it came to connecting with the music loving audience:

“Think like a fan and make everybody a star”

More ramblings later.  In the meantime, check out Green Day on GMA here.