Billie Joe Armstrong acted like a man with a new lease on life.
The Green Day leader was joyful, energetic and full of passion during his East Bay punk-pop band's sold-out concert at the Greek Theatre. He was happy to be home and performing for the first time in years in Berkeley. Heck, he was just happy period.
"We're all alive," he exclaimed to the 8,500 fans in attendance. "We're all still (expletive) alive!"
What we were witnessing in that moment was a man who had learned, perhaps the hard way, the importance of taking time to smell the roses.
"With so much scary (expletive) going on right now, you've got to live every moment -- every (expletive) moment."
It's safe to assume that he was referencing Monday's tragedy in Boston, but the vocalist-guitarist could've also been alluding to his own his recent experiences. His battle with substance abuse problems led him to rehab and threatened to crush Green Day's career.
It's now an older, wiser Billie Joe Armstrong who fans are seeing take the stage. Yet, one that is no less fun than the previous model.
Kicking off the show with this tour's namesake song, "99 Revolutions," Armstrong acted like a highly caffeinated kid in a candy shop for 2 ½ hours.
