GREEN DAY’S BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG FLIPS OUT ON STAGE, ENTERS REHAB
Christopher Polk / Getty Images / Clear Channel
Pampered, rich brat who’s lost site of how lucky he is, or punk rock hero finally showing some venom after years of repression?
Either way, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s on-stage meltdown at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas, NV this past weekend will surely go down as a monumental moment in punk history. The singer flew off the handle during the band’s nearly 20 (!) year-old song “Basket Case” when a teleprompter informed him the band only had one minute left in their set, stopping the music and launching into an epic rant. Watch below:
Clear Channel, the event’s organizers, say they did not abbreviate Green Day’s set; instead, the band took the stage nearly 30 minutes late forcing an abbreviated set so the show could proceed on schedule.
In case it’s not obvious from the above that Armstrong was boozed up, check out his post-show interview with former MTV personality Kennedy (who’s still looking great, I might add!):
Armstrong has since checked into rehab. The first of Green Day’s upcoming three new albums, ¡Uno!, is set to be released tomorrow.
The Faceless’ Michael Keene didn’t take too well to Armstrong’s display of emotion via Twitter:
Billy Joe isn’t a hero for that childish display. He’s a spoiled, rich, rock star w/ a bruised ego who’s lost sight of how lucky he is. For a guy who’s made millions off of a guitar repetoire that doesn’t extend beyond power chords, you’d think he’d be a little more gracious.
I don’t disagree with Keene, but I still think it’s cool to see such a “real” moment from a rockstar who’s clearly had enough. It’s mighty tempting to speculate that this all could be a publicity stunt to game sales for ¡Uno!, but to me it doesn’t seem likely.
So… wat u think? Was Armstrong’s soul sold to corporate sponsorship too long ago for him to ever re-climb the “punk” mantle or does the rocker still have some spit n’ vinegar left in him after all? Is he an old rocker rocker whining about “kids these days” (lol @ that “1988” line) or should kids these days respect? Are you too tr00 to admit that you listened to Dookie on repeat for days on end in 6th grade??
-VN
