Green Day's American Idiot (Chicago) Tickets

My teenage kids pushed us to see this show. I thought it was a great rock opera type, felt like seeing (or how I might have imagined seeing), The Who's Tommy, or Floyds Wall. It was great rock music, loud mostly, and had a message that was complicated, but good to see. Any teens or young adults who are interested, are thoughtful, good people, who like good music.

While I enjoyed the music, chorus and live band on stage, this musical is not destined to be a classic/must see. The lead performances were adequate but not impressive. The story line is hard to follow and definitely geared to the feelings of the type of youth that I neither was nor am. For even somewhat of a Green Day fan I would say, go check it out. If you have no interest in their music, save your bucks and go see a more mainstream show.

High Energy, not for kids under 15. Music was great and so was the band.

Admittedly, I chose this play because of the rave reviews it had received. I did not know what American Idiot was about nor was I familiar with Green Day. The morning of the play, one of my wife's friends told her that it was punk rock. We already had our tickets, so we went with an open mind and with the understanding that this would probably be quite a change from the type of theater events we are accustomed to attending. The music was loud but that didn't bother us as much as the language and the on-stage sex. We left after 40 minutes. While waiting for the valet to bring our car around, we saw another couple exit the theater and throw away their playbills in the trash. We love the Cadillac Palace and have seen many performances there. Every time, without exception, the theater was packed. On Wednesday, April 17, it wasn't even half full on the main floor. Maybe others knew something that we didn't. We learned a valuable lesson, though: research CAREFULLY before purchasing expensive tickets!

The show was good but the storyline was weak. We loved the music and the cast sang the songs well, although there could have been a little more bass in some of the songs. We enjoyed it but it didn't "knock us over". Surprised that this won a Tony Award for Best Musical.

The music was great and the actors did a good job. My one complaint was that the storyline seemed a bit forced. I think this is because they are trying to squeeze in so much in a 90 minute segment (no intermission). Also, I clicked that I would recommend to a friend but I'm going to put a caveat about who should see this. We almost took a family friend's son with us since he loves Green Day but luckily we didn't. He's only 11 and there was a lot of inappropriate scenes and language for a kid. Adults who love Green Day should enjoy the music.

I've been waiting three years to finally have the time and resources to see this play, and it certainly didn't disappoint! The performance and energy levels were so high; it was incredible! I laughed, got choked up at least three times and really wish I could've seen this again before it moved on. Definitely a great way to spend a day at the theatre!

The music was great (of course... it was Green Day)... didn't fit in with whatever it was that was supposed to be the plot. Thought it was inappropriate to just shove in "Good Riddance (Time of your life)' as an encore. This isn't a concert, it's supposed to be a musical story. Glad I got the tickets two for one or I would feel like an American Idiot.

I go to alot of theatre . This was one if the most entertaining, creative, and edgy pieces I have ever seen. It is not a drama, nor would I call it a musical, I would describe it as a true "punk rock opera". The music is incredible( no suprise, written by Green Day and the poetic genius that is Billie Joe Armstrong") Michael Mayer ( Spring Awakenings) is the Director. If you approach this as an opera you will find this to be an amazing work of art. It is the story of three young 20 something boys right after 9/11 trying to decide/ find where they fit into this 24/7 media based world where a coke commercial follows the reality of war on your favorite tv channel. It is a story of starting out... Searching.... And changing.... Based on the search... In the end the understanding that the true American Idiot is the lead who says he does not want to be defined that way is the acceptance and self realization from where true growth resides. 5 stars...

If you like Green Day, the music certainly won't disappoint. I actually prefered the company's performance of the music over Green Day's as the addition of the female voices, harmony, and enunciation of lyrics enhanced already strong songs. The bad was amazing -- I particularly enjoyed watching the band leader and finding the cellist under the stairs -- as were the musical talents of the actors. The lead (Alex Nee) is a ringer for Billie Joe Armstrong, which is pretty wild, but more than that, he's genuinely talented both as storyteller and musician. The stand-outs for me, however, were Heather (Kennedy Caughell), Whatshername ( ), and Tunny (Thomas Hettrick). Not only did Heather and Whatshername seem to have the most developed characters -- subtext would be nice, boys -- but the music felt as if it was tailor-made for their voices, pretty impressive since it wasn't. It was Will's "Give me Novacaine" that left me breathless though. I genuinely stopped breathing for a moment as the purity of his voice rose over the modern dance occuring center stage. (Side note: What I wouldn't give to move as beautifully as Whatshername... ) That said, for the most part I didn't connect emotionally to the story or to the characters. It all felt a little bit "Rent Lite". That wasn't the fault of the actors or of Green Day, but rather the book. There isn't much to work with there. You have three disenfranchised characters who are disenfranchised because... it's cool? They're young? We don't know; they just are. Unlike in Rent, these are slackers without a vision. They're not trying to change the world, they just want to go... make music I think. They had guitars so I'm guessing that's why they decided to leave. You can see where I'm going here. The story itself was all a little hazy -- and without a strong story, without fleshed out characters, it's difficult to CARE about these people. I appreciated the skill on stage, but felt a bit like I was watching a 20-something college production. Look, we're cool because we swear and play punk-rock music and use stage effects! Um, ok, fine, you're cool. Now make me care about your story. All this wasn't helped by the THREE endings. There was the curtain call number -- I forget which song -- where different characters are highlighted and I thought, "Huh, that's an interesting way to do a curtain call. The play would have been stronger ending earlier on '21 Guns', but ok." Then they had the actual curtain call, which felt like a bit of a cheat given the choreography & specials of the previous song, and then the urtain went down... but no, we're not done. Now we're going to try to manipulate you with a feel good, every one holding guitars, look we have hope song. What?? Johnny is in the same place as he began, as is Tunny, and Will lost a leg but found a girl. I don't feel like we're one big hopeful community. I feel like you're trying to manipulate me into feeling that. Please, don't. In a nutshell, yes, I recommend this if you like Green Day. It's a great way to experience their music. If you are looking for truly connecting with characters though, go see Wicked... or a good version of Rent without too many fans in the audience... or Miss Saigon... or Les Miserables in the theatre... or CST... or even a well-reviewed community theatre play.

I've been a Green Day fan since the early 90's and have been wanting to see this show since its release. I thought Billie Joe would put together a great show. I found that it didn't have much depth. I was hoping there would be more to the story line.! The show played out exactly as I expected. No surprises at all! The set was kind of cool and I enjoyed the music, but I wouldn't recommend the show to anyone but a Green Day fan.

We had a great time and enjoyed the show. Great mix of technology and live performance. Took 11 & 13 year olds they enjoyed as well.

The cast grabbed our audience and wouldn't let go! All my favorite Green Day music, and stunning production values. Caution: "f bomb" is overused, and scenes of drug use will be inappropriate for a younger audience.

I thought this was a great show. I already knew the album and have loved Green Day since I was a teenager. I thought this rendition of the album was brilliant, the actors were believable, talented, fun and energetic. At times, it was difficult to behave as if I was at the theater and not at a rock concert, other times I was drawn in by the drama and motionless. If you like Green Day, go. If you liked American Idiot the album, go. If you like a compelling story with an amazing soundrack, go. If you like Rock & Roll, go. I will say, however, that there seemed to be an awful lot of people there that wouldn't like the show, and not surprisingly - they didn't like the show. Many of them were not able to maintain their manners, either. There was a LOT of getting up and shuffling around, huffing and puffing, complaining about the noise... So DON'T go if you think you might fall into this category.

This action filled musical is great. The scenery is excellent, the story line compelling and of course, the music was great. It was a very enjoyable 2 hours!!

It was an amazing show. Fast paced and kept you interested throughout the entire show.

I enjoyed this show a lot, even though the beginning was a bit lacking. Lacking what, I am not sure. My attention was not captured, until about three songs in. From that point on I laughed, cheered and even teared up a bit in a couple of parts. The lighting and on stage media was amazing. By the end I was on my feet cheering!

It was like being at Green Day concert! We couldn't sit still in our seats.

Overall a decent show. The music was loud so it was difficult to catch all the lyrics (hence fully understand the storyline). I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

I loved the play! American Idiot is one of my favorite albums and hearing it come together in theatre was wonderful! The creators kept Green Day's authentic style and edge while still making the play a Broadway smash! I truly think this is a must for any Green Day fan or avid Broadway fan!