Toronto Sun: "Green Day lit up a grey day yesterday with a free after-school special, treating a mostly high-school-aged audience of just under 2,000 to a quick, six-song set in the alley behind HMV's downtown superstore at Yonge and Dundas. The show offered a quick fix for the many fans who couldn't get tickets to the Berkeley, Calif., neo-punk trio's official concert at the Phoenix last night, which sold out in a mere five minutes when tickets went on sale last month. Although the crowd was active, there were no major incidents. Some fans reportedly braved the cold as early as 9 a.m. to catch the best view of the band, but the numbers didn't swell until security guards opened the gates to the alley about 1 1/2 hours before Green Day took the stage at 4:15 p.m. Other spectators watched from nearby fire escapes and a parking garage that overlooks the alley. The long, narrow laneway, crammed with crowd-surfing fans, looked at first like a recipe for disaster. The 20-minute show came off without a hitch, thanks to a well-behaved crowd and a visible police presence. HMV also hired a private security company, who no doubt took extra precautions after things went haywire and some merchandise was vandalized - allegedly by the band members themselves - at a similar Green Day in-store appearance in New York last week.
The band, for their part, toned down their prankster antics yesterday as they ripped through tunes like Nice Guys Finish Last and Hitchin' A Ride, from their new album Nimrod, as well as older hits Longview and Basket Case. 'How the fuck are you doin', godammit?' was about as chatty as singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong got before he smashed up his gear and left the stage, flanked by bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool. The Green Day faithful were impressed. 'This was a chance to see what I'm going to be missing tonight because I couldn't get tickets,' said one 15-year-old fan, identifying himself as Billy. 'Besides, the price was right.' 'I hope they come back soon and play a bigger place,' added 16-year-old Matt Benson. 'And I hope it's inside, 'cause this is freezing.'"