Green Day has once again infused politics into its concert, this time by changing a phrase in their most popular song to criticize President Donald Trump.
The rock band finally hit the stage at Coachella Friday night (April 12), headlining day two alongside Travis Scott, Charlie XCX, and Sam Fender, and making a dramatic lyric alteration during ‘American Idiot.’
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, lead vocalist and guitarist, has not shied away from expressing his dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, having done so last month when touring Australia.
However, he has now done it on US soil, in his native state of California, with himself and bassist/backing vocalist Mike Dirnt from Rodeo, an unincorporated village just under a half-hour drive northeast of San Francisco.
Armstrong swapped a line while performing the group’s most famous song, which has received over a billion Spotify plays.
“Well, maybe I’m the f***ot, America. I’m not a part of a redneck agenda,” is what we all remember.
However, the crowd at Coachella heard, “Well, maybe I’m the f***ot, America / I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”
Armstrong’s words split Twitter users, with one person writing, “Sad.” I used to enjoy them. “They’re just liberal tools now.”
A second person added, “Tiresome. Why is he still in the country? “I thought they were leaving.”
Others praised the politics, with one calling their performance “the best Coachella performance in years.”
Another said, “This is a true punk who wants peace.”
Green Day’s performance of ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ on Saturday night also included commentary on the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Armstrong again switched a line out.
The first verse begins, “I don’t feel any shame, I won’t apologize / When there ain’t nowhere you can go / Runnin’ away from pain when you’ve been victimized / Tales from another broken home.”
However, yesterday fans heard the following: “I don’t feel any shame; I won’t apologize. When there’s nowhere, you can go. Runnin’ away from pain, like the kids from Palestine. Tales from another broken home.”
Last month, Armstrong changed a phrase in the same song to target JD Vance, who had recently berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of cameras in the Oval Office.
The original read, “Am I r*****ed, or am I just overjoyed?”
He changed it to read, “Am I r****ed, or am I just JD Vance?”
It drew both praise and criticism, with one person tweeting, “Kudos for the anti-fascism, but not so much for the ableism.”