On Sunday night, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Green Day returned to the venue where it all started for them, performing at Berkeley’s infamous DIY punk club 924 Gilman Street. But this was more than a simple homecoming; it was the first time in 14 years the band had played there, because the venue had banned them when Green Day released their third album, Dookie, on a major label. (They previously defied the ban, playing 924 Gilman last in 2001.) Graduating to the majors is a big no-no in the punk scene, which is infamously opposed to “selling out.” 924 Gilman Street is a landmark venue to the California punk scene of the ’80s and ’90s, playing host to then underground bands like Rancid, AFI, and The Offspring in addition to Green Day.
The reason the ban was lifted? A secret benefit show for AK Press, a DIY publishing house that lost its warehouse due to a recent fire. Green Day performed a 21-song set that included songs spanning the group’s entire career, and even an Operation Ivy cover with that band’s Tim Armstrong joining Billy Joe and the boys.
(Via the A.V. Club & Consequence of Sound)
