The Coverups are arguably the best side projects led by a major rocker since the era when Jack White formed the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather and when Dave Grohl moved between Queens of the Stone Age, Probot and Them Crooked Vultures.

The difference is Billie Joe Armstrong's motives seem entirely basic: to play a bunch of fun, rocking cover songs live with a small group of people for the pure joy of it.

Currently the lineup is Billie Joe (vocals, guitar; Green Day), Jason White (guitar, vocals; Green Day, Pinhead Gunpowder), Bill Schneider (bass, vocals; Pinhead Gunpowder, The Influents) and Chris Dugan (drums; The Coverups, The Effection; Green Day's recording engineer). Green Day's Mike Dirnt co-founded the side project but has since peaced out for the time being.

On Monday (7/20) at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip, the band rocked out for just the third time this year.

It was an all-ages gig at the historic venue to celebrate a new guitar amp Marshall was unveiling in honor of Billie Joe called the 1959BJA Dookie Amp.

While admission to the 26-song show was free, the 100 watt amp handmade in the UK is not.

List price of the baby blue bad boy is $4,000 and according to Guitar World, who loved the sound, it's really meant for a small number of musicians: namely Grammy-winning pop punk superstars.

"Yes, it's far too loud for almost any situation short of Green Day’s stadium tours. Yes, it’s highly impractical and inflexible, lacking any modern conveniences whatsoever; forget power scaling or reactive load, it doesn't even have an effects loop," the magazine's reviewer Conor Frys wrote last week.

"And if you do happen to get into a room with one, and a decent guitar, you tend to forget about all that as it pulverises your brain and eardrums – into Brain Stew, if you will."

"It's loud. It's cute. It's pastel," the 54-year old frontman said of his new signature amp, the first one he's ever had.

And as he played through it the 500 capacity club, it was clear that it wasn't the type of thing you give to a kid for their Sweet Sixteen birthday.

Neither was the setlist which pulled heavily on straight up rock music of the '70s and '80s Gen Xers like Armstrong have been injecting in their souls all their lives.

God bless the young Green Day fans in the front row, but a set featuring classic covers of Bryan Adams, David Bowie, Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick, The Clash, The Go-Go’s, Billy Idol, Modern English, Mötley Crüe, Nirvana, Ozzy, The Plimsouls, Poison, Pretenders, Ramones, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Strokes, Sweet, Tiffany, Tommy James, and Tom Petty is music to the ears of those of us with grays in our hair - if we have hair at all.

For context, Billie Joe et al did The Replacements' "Bastards of Young," an incredible anthem that should be covered more often but just isn't.

The last band of heft to do it this year was Titus Andronicus, who last month were the openers of a four-band bill headlined by The Hold Steady (who have never covered the Replacements even though the influences are obvious and their singer says the Mats changed his life).

But to show how olde that song is, the last time it was played at The Roxy was almost exactly 40 years ago when The Replacements did it there while they were supporting the album it came off of, Tim.

I should know. I was there. It was a show that changed my life - in part because The Replacements loved to mix heavy doses of covers into their live act. Of the 31 tunes Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson and the others pulverized that night, on 5 were from Tim, while 13 were covers.

Zero chance The Coverups exist without The Replacements' influence, one that Billie Joe well knows because he played with the Minneapolis group years in 2014 at Coachella.

Not only did he play "Bastards of Young" with them, but he sported a plaid suit to match the fellas.

A touching moment happened about 2/3rds of the way through the set when Billie dedicated "Drain You" to fallen L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who passed away on Saturday of brain cancer.

Instead of playing one of L7's tunes, The Coverups chose one the audience would have a better chance of knowing, a Nirvana cut from their breakout LP Nevermind.

If I had one critique it would have been for them to have tried an L7 tune instead. Sure Jennifer's ties to the Seattle trio were strong: she briefly dated Grohl and reluctantly introduced Kurt to Courtney.

But one of the best things about covers, especially at Replacements shows, was when they turned you on to songs you hadn't heard or bands you'd only heard about. Surely some of the youngsters at the Roxy the other night had never heard a Buzzcocks tune performed live - and they're better for it now.

Green Day is taking a breather, but Billie Joe is not. The Coverups have another show planned for today at Comic-Con in San Diego. Then he will be at the Ramones' 50th anniversary bash at Hollywood Forever cemetery in August.

Then in October he's going out on the road with his other side project the more punk inspired Pinhead Gunpowder. All of the gigs are sold out, but you can go to their website for more details.

Coverups, Billie Joe, and Pinhead Gunpowder 2026

7/23 The Coverups, Comic-Con Fandom Party, Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, CA
8/30 Billie Joe Armstrong, Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
10/7 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
10/8 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, Metro, Chicago, IL
10/10 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, Saint Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
10/11 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
10/14 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
10/16 Pinhead Gunpowder with Night Shop, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
11/3 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, The Showbox, Seattle, WA
11/4 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
11/7 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, August Hall, San Francisco, CA
11/8 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, Fremont Theater, San Luis Obispo, CA
11/10 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, Pacific Electric, Los Angeles, CA
11/11 Pinhead Gunpowder with Constant Insult, Garden Amp, Garden Grove, CA