2 days ago
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong Pauses Concert to Chew Out Audience Member
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong introduced his American Idiot protagonist as 'the son of rage and love' back in 2004. More than 20 years later, Armstrong lived up to that title during a performance on Sunday (June 22).
In fan-captured footage from the livestream of Green Day's set at Hurricane Festival in Germany, Armstrong can be seen singing a call-and-response portion of the band's song 'Jesus of Suburbia,' as he appears to point directly at a fan in the crowd and flipping them off.
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After a moment, Armstrong threw his microphone down and took off his guitar, pointing directly at the fan and mouthing words intensely at them. After a moment, he picked his mic back up and asked the audience to put their 'hands up.'
Commenters on the clips circulating online claim that the fan in question was repeatedly spraying the singer with a water gun during the performance, which led to the confrontation. 'Billie Joe reacts to person who kept sh00t1ng water on his face with a waterg0n throughout the whole show,' read one comment.
Billboard has reached out to Green Day's representatives for comment.
Green Day has been hitting the festival circuit hard throughout 2025, with appearances thus far at Coachella, BottleRock and Download Festival in the U.K., the latter of which saw Armstrong take a moment during the band's performance to call out the rise of far-right policies throughout the United States. 'Donald Trump in his administration is a fascist government. And it's up to us to fight back,' he told the crowd.
The band was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May, where bassist Mike Dirnt thanked fans for sticking with the band throughout its decades-long run. 'I hope everybody comes here and takes pictures for as long as you want to and as long as you can,' Dirnt said during the ceremony. 'We'll never say 'thank you' enough.'
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