Review – The Longshot threw a punk rock party at Foufounes Electriques

Billie Joe Armstrong is bringing things back-to-basics. The Longshot is the Green Day frontman’s latest side project, the sort of power-pop / ’77-style punk band that Armstrong likely grew up listening to. The band is currently on a short North American run in support of their debut LP Love is For Losers, playing small venus a fraction of the size Armstrong plays in with Green Day.

The Montreal stop was at punk rock institution Foufounes Electriques, a venue Armstrong last played with Green Day way back on the Dookie tour in 1994. To say this show was highly anticipated would be a huge understatement — the show sold out instantly when tickets went on-sale, with fans driving in from as far as Texas for last night’s show (the lineup to get in started at 5:00 am).

Toronto’s Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs got things off to a great start with their contagious blend of Americana and punk rock that seemed to win over the packed crowd in no time. Opening a show like this is often a thankless task, but the band definitely made their mark with their anthemic, rootsy take on punk, not too dissimilar to what Armstrong is doing with The Longshot, but with more of a classic Rn’R sound.

The Longshot then took the stage to the sort of adulation usually only reserved for arena shows. The band wasted no time, immediately kicking in to “Kill Your Friends,” off their debut LP. Right from the get go the crowd was surging towards the stage, with crowd surfers falling into the stage and stumbling around in awe as they found themselves face-to-face with a grinning Armstrong.

It must have kicked in that if you got on-stage you could have your own personal moment with Armstrong, which then led to an endless barrage of people getting on-stage to grab a background mic and sing along (ballsy), stand around aimlessly until security politely escorted them off, or grab a hug or even plant a kiss on the bemused Armstrong (really ballsy).

Armstrong seemed to take the whole thing in stride, even as the cascading wall of fans often knocked his microphone stand over as they fell onto the stage. “Get rid of this goddamn monitor,” he yelled out a few minutes into their set. “I need to be closer to the peeps!”

For the next 75 minutes, the band ripped through the majority of their debut LP, along with a selection of classic punk covers, including tracks from The Replacements, Ramones, David Bowie, The Damned, and many more. The band even ran through a pair of Green Day covers from the band’s 2012 ¡Uno! LP, which is far from the band’s most loved album, but which fit in very well with what The Longshot is doing now. The entire band seemed ready to burst at the seams, with guitarist Kevin Preston putting forward his best Pete Townsend impression with an impressively furious windmill, and drummer David S. Field keeping up the maniacal pace (on his birthday to boot).

Even at a small club, Armstrong truly knows how to work a crowd, from his inspirational banter between songs to his sheer exuberance on-stage. He truly seemed to relish getting up close and personal with the crowd, in a way that must be impossible in the arenas and stadiums that Green Day continues to fill around the world.

The Longshot setlist

Kill Your Friends
Devil’s Kind
Taxi Driver
Happiness
Rockaway Beach (Ramones cover)
Soul Surrender
Bastards of Young (The Replacements cover)
Neat Neat Neat (The Damned cover) (First time live by The Longshot)
As Tears Go By (The Rolling Stones cover)
Cult Hero
Fell for You (Green Day cover)
Walking Out on Love (The Nerves cover)
Body Bag
Love is for Losers
Turn Me Loose
Stay the Night (Green Day cover)
I Fought the Law (The Crickets cover)
Chasing a Ghost

Encore:
Fever Blister
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover)
A Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls cover)
Kiss Me Deadly (Generation X cover)