Whitefish Bay middle schooler secures setlist from Green Day’s performance at Louder Than Life

Cate Gerard is a Green Day fan.

She said if she had to pick favorites, the song would be “Welcome to Paradise” and the album is “Dookie.”

The seventh grader at Whitefish Bay Middle School secured a piece of the iconic band’s performance at Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, this past weekend, walking away with the setlist.

Although not seen as more than a piece of paper to some, setlists are viewed as collector’s items to others.

Cate, 12, first saw her favorite band earlier this year at HarleyFest along Milwaukee’s lakefront, according to her father, Michael Gerard.

Soon, Michael Gerard purchased tickets to the Kentucky festival so his daughter could see them perform again. The Gerards spent the summer catching Green Day shows and Cate’s other favorite band, Ghost.

Cate Gerard always wanted to be the kid that got selected to go on stage and perform with the band. She practiced her electric guitar at Shorewood School of Rock in the days leading up to the concert.

Her dad said it was clear that they needed to be there when the doors opened so that she could secure a spot in the front row, which she did.

The pair waited nine hours Sunday as tens of thousands of festival-goers crowded around.

Louder Than Life is considered America’s biggest rock festival. Other headliners included the Foo Fighters, Tool and Limp Bizkit.

The festival hasn’t released final attendance for 2023, but they were anticipating roughly 40,000 attendees each day over the course of the four-day festival. To put that in local perspective, the daily average for Summerfest in 2023 was a little less than 70,000 people.

Michael Gerard said it “got crazy” as festival-goers began to congregate. There were “hundreds of crowd surfers going overhead,” he said.

He made sure to check in with Cate to ask if she wanted to leave, but it became clear that Cate was determined to see Green Day perform.

Cate Gerard stood there defiantly as she wore her custom-made battle jacket that she decorated with Green Day patches.

“A couple of big strong guys from Indiana helped me protect Cate from the mosh pit,” Michael Gerard said.

Soon it came time for Green Day lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong to pick a kid to go on stage.

Cate Gerard was not the lucky one — but apparently caught the attention of someone.

Michael Gerard said a couple of security guards approached them afterwards and offered to get the band’s setlist. “I didn’t even know what that was but apparently it’s a big deal,” Michael Gerard said.

Setlists do have value on some online auction sites, but like most memorabilia, they appreciate with time.

Michael Gerard said he has made a stop a Frame Up in Whitefish Bay to get it framed, and foresees many more Green Day concerts in his future.

He said if HarleyFest becomes an annual event then maybe Green Day will be an annual headliner.

On the other hand, Cate remains determined to get on stage with her idols.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Whitefish Bay student receives Green Day’s setlist at Louder Than Life