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In the summer of 2005 Green Day performed live before 65,000 fans in Milton Keynes, UK. This CD and DVD collection is a powerful document of those concerts and a worthy second part of the story begun with the release of the American Idiot album.

What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year makes. This time last year Green Day'sAmerican Idiot had been out for 7 weeks and had tumbled to #13 on the charts.

When it was released in September of 2004 it was quickly seen as a clarion call for opposition to the George W. Bush administration. However, despite the efforts of a wide range of recording artists, including a last-minute powerful release from rapper Eminem, George W. Bush was re-elected and dissent quieted. American Idiot seemed reduced to yet another fruitless cry in the darkness. A year later, in a stunning reversal, a top White House staffer is under indictment, the news is filled with the greatest active dissent in a century from elected representatives in the midst of an American-led war, the public disapproves of the man in the Oval Office at a level beginning to rival public anger with the presidency of Richard Nixon, and Green Day recently took home a truckoad of awards from the MTV Video Music Awards as well as Album of the Year from the MTV Europe Awards. Bullet in a Bible, the filmed and recorded distillation of Green Day's American Idiot concert tour, sounds and looks a bit like a victory rally.

Life Under George W. Bush Via Green Day

One of the United States' most successful exports is its popular music. American Idiot was no slouch in that category. It topped the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and was chosen by European music fans as their top album of the year. For a huge segment of popular music fans around the world, American Idiot is the picture of life under the administration of George W. Bush, and it is a distinctly unflattering one. Hearing and seeing thousands of UK music fans in Bullet in a Bible singing along as Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's lead vocalist, belts out "Don't want to be an American idiot, one nation controlled by the media" is both chilling and exhilarating.

Powerful Connection

Bullet in a Bible was recorded and filmed this past June at England's Milton Keynes Bowl. The huge audience of 65,000 were riveted by the trio once seen as snotty punks and now revered as a heroic, almost legendary, band. The continual participation and roars of approval from the crowd make it obvious Green Day truly connected with their English fans. In the words of Ian Winwood, of the UK's venerable NME, in his review of the June 19, 2005 concert: "You might call it adoration; you might also call it love." That sense of connection emanates from every song on Bullet in a Bible whether just listening to the audio disc or watching the DVD. It makes this much more than a typical live concert recording. It is a statement of the sheer power of Green Day's achievement in 2005.

A Must for Concert Collections

The sound of the Bullet in a Bible CD is crisp and clean featuring tight, amped-up performances of key American Idiot tracks such as the title song, "Holiday," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," and Green Day classics "Basket Case" and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." The DVD is directed by Samuel Bayer, the man behind the group's award-winning videos from American Idiot. Hyper-kinetic editing and cuts from color to black and white footage add to the power of the group's performance. If you have missed seeing Green Day live, this DVD is a worthy substitute. Documentary features of the band touring the local area and speaking about the creating and meaning of American Idiot provide useful, informative breaks between songs.

Bullet in a Bible is more than just a concert souvenir. It is also the second half of the story of American Idiot. The rapturous response of fans adds depth to the emotionally and politically charged songs. Bullet in a Bible is a must for any pop-rock collection of concert recordings or films.