OTTAWA -- It's hard to think of many other frontmen who would run around with as much energy and for as long as Mr. Antics himself, Billie Joe Armstrong, did last night.

Mick Jagger, maybe? Doesn't matter. The Green Day frontman and his band might be far from their bratty youth, but judging from their show last night, they are as wild and wicked as ever.

The San Francisco-born group heavily entertained a crowd of 12,000 at the Corel Centre. It was non-stop: A raucous, unbelievably high-energy two hours of brash and playful music. There were big explosions, neon lights, confetti, even a disco ball.

The trio, who brought a small horn section and guitarist to join drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt on stage, clearly appreciate their fans for their success, and returned the thousands of tiny favours with one of the best draws Ottawa has seen in a while.

If the Rolling Stones hadn't just entertained 40,000 people at Lansdowne Park, that is.

BUSH BASHING

The band drew most material from their much-lauded most recent release, American Idiot, starting the show with the title song and moving right through the first three tracks on the album.

That included a five-part, 10-minute version of Jesus of Suburbia, and Holiday, which Armstrong announced was a big "f--- you to George W. Bush," predictably delighting the crowd with one of many F-bombs to come.

Armstrong never stopped moving throughout. He variously played the harmonica, donned devil horns, mooned the crowd, appeared to fall down -- but get back up so quickly no one could be sure -- spray the audience with water and spend long moments proving he could get the them to do whatever he wanted.

No matter how many times he asked them to "Ay-oh" or wave their arms they complied happily. The only time there was dissension in the ranks happened when it became apparent Armstrong was descending into the male version of Meg Ryan's orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally and everyone started laughing.

There was lots more from Idiot including the frenetic St. Jimmy and ballad Wake Me Up When September Ends, which Armstrong appropriately dedicated "to the people of New Orleans."

They also dipped back into the vault more than once, delighting the crowd with old tunes such as Longview, Basket Case and Minority. They covered Operation Ivy's Knowledge, a combo of Shout and Stand By Me that had Armstrong clad in a ridiculous purple cape and red crown hat, and also turned in their worthy rendition of Queen's We Are The Champions.

The band also continued their tradition of plucking locals out of the crowd to play guitar and drums. One walked away with the guitar provided; the other took a running stage dive to the delight of fans.

It's not hard to see why the group, playing together for more than 16 years, has fans in teenagers and parents alike. Right up until their generous encore -- which included recent hit Boulevard of Broken Dreams and the lump-in-your throat inducing Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) as the last, last song -- the talented boys of Green Day proved they have earned them many times over.