Green Day @ Wiltern Theatre

Eighteen months ago, these punk pioneers were one step from the nostalgia circuit, desperately trying to recapture the spark that made Dookie a multi-platinum mid-’90s phenomenon and ushered moshing into the pop mainstream. And then along came American Idiot, in which Billie Joe and company not only got political but plugged into the cross-generational zeitgeist in creating their own version of Tommy. Coming off a year and a half of nonstop touring, a bevy of Grammy and MTV awards, the NoCal band followed up two sold-out shows at the 20,000+ Home Depot to play a live webcast in front of an invited crowd for Kevin Wall’s Network LIVE initiative, a joint project with AEG, AOL Music and XM.

The opening act, Network, was actually Green Day in disguise, a DEVO-esque techno-rock extravaganza complete with flashing lasers, featuring group members swathed in bandages and fat suits. They returned to perform American Idiot in order from start to finish, with Armstrong, admitting how much he enjoyed returning to a smaller venue after traipsing the ”three football fields’ length of the Home Depot stage, galvanizing the pulsating crowd.

Hearing the album like that once again confirmed how Green Day kicked it up a notch, and their sterling comeback ( is there a better American rock band at the moment ) proves you can shift career momentum through artistic ambition.

As for AOL Music, these guys are now giving the likes of MTV a run for their money as a destination for pop fans. And it’s about time someone did.