Even though all the members of Green Day are now firmly in their 50s, the trio (and the new guy) have maintained a youthful vibe and punk rock behaviors which include yelling truth to power.
So when the Bay Area trio were invited to rock the Super Bowl pregame, the buzz was "what will Billie Joe say?" "will someone wear an offensive shirt?" "will they play a defiant cover from Rage Against the Machine?"
When the time came on Sunday (2/8), the band showed up, rocked, didn't get in the way when a bunch of NFL legends joined them on the tiny stage, and then left without so much as a bird being thrown.
On cue, some online accused Green Day of being sellouts.
Something they've heard ever since signing with Reprise Records in 1993, leaving Lookout!, and making Dookie the following year which has since gone 20x platinum.
But while some were expecting... or hoping for... a line or two in "American Idiot" about some [fill in the blank] agenda, they missed out on something more subtle.
Subtle, unless you were an NBC censor who knew the "mindfuck America" was coming and got rid of it.
The song, the title track of the 2004 Grammy winning disc named Best Rock Album which moved 23 million units and turned into a Tony-winning Broadway musical, is as direct a protest song that has come out this century.
We've come quite a way where the punk rock or progressive audience wants even more hot salsa on that burrito otherwise be dissatisfied.
What these angsty fans need to remember is they were on the mic and intentionally sang a word that is clearly prohibited on network tv. Many other artists would have simply sung some other word or phrase and not forced the censor to click the button, but Green Day, true to their Gilman Street roots, sang all the words in their song.
To the joy of Tre Cool who smiled at the cam after Billie belted it.
Jalen Hurts, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, and Tom Brady may have heard it when they gathered on the stage with the band to wave at the fans, but Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea were blissfully bereft of the profanity.
Green Day's foul-mouth protests happened a few days earlier up the 101 in The City.
On Super Bowl Friday (2/6), on Pier 29 at an invite-only private event sponsored by the gambling site FanDuel and the music streamer Spotify, Green Day delivered a full 19-song set.
There they started the set with "American Idiot" and less than 90 seconds into the song Billie was dissing the sitting POTUS.
During the next song, "Holiday" Billie rallied against "Epstein's Island."
Later he called out any ICE agents in the house and warned them that when the time comes the current administration won't be around to protect them, so they should quit their jobs, pronto.
So Green Day remained the punk souls you couldn't stop, you just hoped you could contain.
They stayed true to themselves, and most importantly read the room -- something that as you get older and wiser, you realize its value.
Green Day has nothing left on their calendar for 2026, but if you think their last gig of the year was a shortened set where they got bleeped, I've got a golden bridge to sell you.
Go to the Green Day website and sign up for their email list to be the first to learn about new tour dates.
