#TBT Green Day - Leeds Festival 2001

It's Leeds and Reading Festival this weekend, I have many fond memories from the eleven August Bank Holiday Weekends spent in fields in both camps, this was my first. My first festival experience. My first time I was blown away by a band, I can still remember it, probably more clearly than many festival experiences since. It was a great introduction to something that became my summer life for over ten years. Camping for four nights, spending days in muddy fields doesn't appeal to me now, aged twenty seven but as a teen I was in my element. A holiday abroad, sunning it up on a beach, no thanks, I wanted to get lairy with my mates and watch some of my favorite bands, it became a tradition ended by 'old' age.

I didn't camp in 2001 or drink, it was a gentle introduction and the year after was very different but Green Day's main stage set on the Saturday night was the perfect live performance from a band I adored. As live bands go Green Day are one of the best, the pop punk trio not only have great tunes but they are true showmen who work their audiences' like nobody else can. It was just perfect.

Then Travis headlined... Green Day set the bar high. Fran Healy had no chance of living up to what had come before him.