Green Day has a come a long way since its punk roots while still remaining remarkably in touch with the things that made it appealing in the first place: simple, melody-driven songs and sentiments that balance snot and sophistication. Then again, the band has been a mainstream force for much longer than it was underground, so Broadway musicals and rock operas (see the band’s last two albums) are practically de rigueur at this point. The band plays Comfort Dental Amphitheatre on Saturday as part of its “21st Century Breakdown” tour, with AFI. $35-$85.
The Chemical Brothers are elder statesmen in the electro-dance scene, but the British DJ pair of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons aren’t content to rest on their laurels. Their seventh and latest studio album, “Further,” finds them returning to all-instrumental form for the first time in 15 years — i.e. no random guest vocalists. Reviews have been mixed, however, on the album’s relatively musty approach to a genre that has evolved quickly without them. The band plays the Fillmore Auditorium on Wednesday. $34.50-$40.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
