Green Day Live At Wembley
What’s it like to photograph Green Day live at Wembley Stadium?
In June 2024 I found out. I was again working with Crashburn when Ryan Mackfall directed a full multi-cam live performance of Green Day’s sold-out show at Wembley!
This wasn’t the first time that Green Day had played at Wembley, but this time it was a little more special. They were touring in support of their new album “Saviors” and 2024 also marked the 30th anniversary of “Dookie” and the 20th anniversary of “American Idiot”.
So… For Green Day live at Wembley, they played both albums in full.
Green Day live at Wembley
Wembley is immense! There’s no other way to describe it, and when we all walked out onto the pitch, the scale of the place hit me. It’s iconic, and although I’ve been to Wembley before, seeing it empty, you realise how imposing it is.
I’d previously worked with Crashburn for Train Live at Royal Albert Hall, and that was a milestone moment. But Green Day live at Wembley took it to another level.
When I think back to the early days of photographing local bands and small shows in dark, sweaty clubs, shooting at Wembley and for an artist like Green Day felt like a dream. But one that I always aspired to, and this is the proof that hard work & determination can pay off.
Green Day live at Wembley
The last time I’d seen Green Day live was Milton Keynes in 2005 at the end of the American Idiot tour. This show went on to be immortalised on the DVD Bullet in a Bible. I remember watching it and feeling like I was back there in the crowd. It somehow captured the scale and emotion of the show and the energy of Green Day.
Almost 20 years later, I was part of the team that was capturing another moment in Green Day’s incredible career.
My role with Crashburn was the Behind the Scenes (BTS) Photographer. Documenting the film crew from start to finish, still shots of Green Day’s show and production. To give an immersive look at what goes into filming a concert of this scale.
Arriving at Wembley early, we walked out onto the pitch area and got to take in the stadium before the doors opened a few hours later. Even when empty, it feels intense and exhilarating.
As this was a multi-cam live performance, there were several camera locations around the stadium, and as the crew finalised the camera positions, I got to walk around Wembley. Going from the stage to the back of the stadium gave me the scale of how big this place is.
When the doors opened and the 75,000 people started to fill this legendary venue, you could feel the excitement. I went with a few of the crew as they did some fan interviews, and then Maid of Ace & Nothing But Thieves got the crowd warmed up.
Then it was time for the crew to take their positions. And just before 20.30, Bohemian Rhapsody started playing over the PA, and it was showtime!
The following two & a half hours went by in a blur as Green Day powered through their colossal set. With the crew everywhere and wanting to cover as many of their positions as well as the show, I started in the pit with shots of the band and some of the crew that were filming from there. As the band started Dookie, I got shots of the stage setup and then went to the middle of the pitch, where we had a couple of camera towers. From there, it was up into the seats and to the back of the stadium.
There was so much going on in the show, including the punk bunny, various stage designs reflecting the Dookie & Green Day album covers, inflatables, and pyro. …Lots of pyro!
Working with Crashburn gave me such a privileged position to cover the show. When you photograph a show, you usually get the first three songs from the pit and that’s it. Being able to photograph the show from multiple positions throughout the entire set was an incredible opportunity. It allowed me to capture not just the crew working, but the energy of the performance and crowd reactions.
I wrapped up the set from the back of the stadium once more, knowing there were going to be fireworks. And that was it, the end of an incredible day.
I’ll leave the last word to Ryan, hopefully answering one of the questions he gets asked all the time, and the perfect conclusion.
“I can’t reveal where or how the results will appear, but the experience was an incredible one to say the least”.
