What is it like at a Green Day concert? Well it is a physically draining experience, as I found when I attended a local show last week. However, unlike sitting through What's the Worst That Could Happen?, which required extraordinary physical exertion to remain seated in the theater, this was a fun experience.

Green Day's music has become-let's face it-kinda peppy. Lately, their singles just plain make me feel good. Not that there is anything wrong with that-I mean, listening to most of the crap on the radio lately makes me feel miserable-but wasn't Green Day supposed to be "about," oh, I don't know, being pissed off? Or at least rather irritated? Instead, songs like the recent "Waiting" sound incredibly positive and optimistic. Even a song like "Minority," which seems to be rejecting something, if not just about everything, can't really be considered angry since it sounds like something you would love to sing with a bunch of friends after your third Guinness on St. Patrick's Day.

Well, rest assured, true believers, on stage Green Day appears fun-loving, but also angry and hardcore. From my vantage point in the mosh pit, I can report that there was indeed plenty of rage and frustration. Granted, most of it came from me every time I got kicked in the head by some would-be crowd surfer, but…the boys in the band, led by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, used plenty of swear words, jumped around a bit, and played mostly the harder stuff. So, hey, they are hardcore. Or as "hardcore" as they ever were.

fter enduring the hour long wait to enter the "arena" – and really the word arena suggests something out of Gladiator, but it was more like a converted barn--and enduring the frisking at the door (OK, it was only 5 seconds but the dude scared me), I checked out the Greenpeace, anti-IMF, anti-money, anti-people being successful, etc. tables.

One guy had set up a table with all sorts of shirts and stickers, many with left-wing cause-friendly statements. I especially liked the sensitive bumper sticker that said "Fuck Sexism." What a sensitive declaration! Maybe it wasn't even meant for males, but I was tempted to grab one. Can you imagine the guy that thinks he's gonna get laid by slapping that sticker somewhere? Why doesn't he just put up a sticker that says "I really love talking to chicks about fucking emotional shit"?

Anyway, my urge to get a sticker disappeared when I found out the guy wanted money for the stickers…to which I say, "Fuck Commercialism." Somehow I was comforted, though, that even the radicals want to make a buck when it comes down to it.

There was a little bit of political commentary during the show, as well. It consisted mainly of Armstrong referring to "the retard in the White House," and the fans cheering. Hey, that is actually more intelligent political discourse than I see on the average episode of Hardball, so it's not that I'm complaining. It was sort of odd to hear him say that he hopes the White House realizes there are a lot of angry young people in the building tonight. I felt like adding, "Yeah, who don't vote!"

But enough about politics...this was about the music, man. Well, maybe not really. In the bleachers, it may be about the music, but in the mosh pit (more accurately described as "the floor" in this case) it is about so much more. It provides a variety of experiences for all 5 senses:

Sight: There were some red lights and some neat banners, but Green Day isn't exactly doing a Pink Floyd laser show out there. The most interesting sights were the goofy facial expressions of the band members, the perpetually pissed expressions of the stage security, and of course the occasional expression of female nudity on the floor.

Touch: Well, it was a bunch of people touching each other pretty much constantly. Personally, I preferred the touch of the female concertgoers to the sweaty male ones (women don't sweat, they glisten) but maybe that's just me. There was also the sensation of being crushed, pushed, elbowed, kicked…all part of that wonderful sense we call touch.

Taste: Not much here until the two dollar sports drink I bought during the encore-the best damn two dollar sports drink I have ever had. Dehydration sucks.

Smell: I alluded to the fact that a lot of sweaty people were crammed against each other on the floor of a dinky, hot arena. Let's not go into detail on "smell," OK?

Sound: Oh yeah, Green Day was playing songs on the stage.

Yes, the atmosphere offered something for all five of the senses-but wait! What about that sixth sense-the sense of community you get from the cool "vibe" of the crowd? Well, that was certainly evident as well. My only concern is how to adequately capture that feel-good vibe. Can I describe it best by relating the cries of "Show your tits" whenever a woman got up on somebody's shoulders? (Did any of them have "Fuck Sexism" stickers?) Or perhaps by recounting the fact that when people formed circles and started the really aggressive slamming into each other, they generally used forearms and elbows instead of closed fists? Ahh, one thing is certain. You could definitely feel the love in that crowd.

There was something else I was going to talk about, wasn't there? Oh, yeah, the music! Every now and then I was able to focus not on the sharp elbow in the small of my back, but on something that was going on musically. That stuff was pretty cool.

There was one transcendent moment where music and vibe came together. During one segment, the band asked for volunteers to come up and play their instruments. My first reaction was "Great! If they took 3 people up there, there would be 3 less people down here and maybe I will be able to exhale again." Armstrong called for drummers and of course everyone volunteered-everyone thinks they can play drums, after all-and then a bassist and a guitarist. As the makeshift band assembled and began grooving, I resisted the impulse to yell, "We didn't come to see you guys play!" Hey, 25 bucks a ticket wasn't terrible and I guess if the band wanted to take a breather, that was OK. I could sit and listen to a little amateur hour and then watch the 12-year-old stage dive.

I think this way of thinking was a sign that somehow I had accepted the "vibe" of the crowd. After all, the message was that everyone was part of the show. The music and good times were being created for AND by everyone. Green Day was not "better" than anyone else. Actually, that last one may be the biggest message-those 3 recruits actually didn't sound all that different. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Who cares, man, it's a vibe thing.

Overall, it was a good show, vibe or no vibe. I was a little disappointed they didn't play "Redundant," but on the other hand, the Super Soakers were a pleasant surprise. Hey, it was hot in there, if I didn't mention it before. Maybe writing about the "mosh pit" like this makes me seem old-but not half as old as I felt that night, jumping around on the floor with kids who are too young to remember the Reagan Administration. I'll bet the guys in Green Day remember the Reagan Administration. They were probably against it.

The moral of the story? If you like Green Day, you'll be pleasantly angry or angrily pleased when you see their show. Just work out for a few months or so if you plan to spend time on the floor.