Green Day – Silence Is The Enemy (Godfather Records GR393)

Silence Is The Enemy (Godfather Records GR393)

E-Werk, Köln, Germany – May 9th, 2009

(69:34):  21st Century Breakdown, Know Your Enemy, East Jesus Nowhere, Before the Lobotomy, Murder City, 21 Guns, American Idiot, Jesus Of Suburbia (Jesus Of Suburbia, City Of The Damned, I Don’t Care, Dearly Beloved, Tales Of Another Broken Home), She, Basket Case.  Bonus tracks, TV Total, May 6th, 2009:  Know Your Enemy, Zane Lowe Show, Maida Vale, London, England – May 5th, 2009:  21st Century Breakdown, East Jesus Nowhere, Before The Lobotomy, She

Several days before the release of 21st Century Breakdownon May 15th, Green Day played a secret gig at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany.  Before 2,000 lucky fans, they blazed through their setlist and played a majority of songs from the new album.  Silence Is The Enemycontains the 1LIVE radio broadcast in amazingly clear and powerful quality that was recorded on May 9th.  The broadcast was on May 17th of the edited show. 

Missing from radio tape but played that night are “Song Of The Century” at the beginning, “Last of the American Girls” after “Before the lobotomy,” “¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)”  after “Murder City,” “American Eulogy” and “See The Light” after “21 Guns, “Longview” after “Jesus Of Suburbia,” and “King For A Day,” “Shout” and “Minority” after “Basket Case.”

A review of the show points out the risk involved in playing songs from the new album before its official release, but that the new material, and particularly the song “Little Girl” (which was not broadcast) is a song of sinister force and in general praised the sustained Green Day work, calling it a “punk opera.”  The encores begin with “American Idiot” and the “Jesus Of Suburbia” suite.  The bonus tracks are telecasts taken from the same time also in excellent quality.  In general, if you’re a Green Day fan this is a title worth having.