Billie Joe Armstrong Talks “Unbelievable” Green Day Tour
Billie Joe Armstrong has spoken to Kerrang ahead of the UK and European leg of Green Day‘s Hella Mega Tour. The frontman talked about the band’s recent North American dates and reflected on how it felt to play his first shows after a two-year break from playing live because of the global pandemic.
“The crowd looked like this giant flock of birds freaking out,” Billie recalled of the first US Hella Mega date. “Coming offstage, afterwards, no-one could believe what was happening with this shared experience for all of us. And it was like that every single night. People were just grateful to be alive, to be around people again. It was awesome. We wanted to make it a special tour back in 2019, but when it ended up [happening] it was an unbelievable experience.”
one month eu/uk… are you ready or ARE YOU READY https://t.co/epElNIazhv pic.twitter.com/1rJD72KzsY
— Hella Mega (@HellaMegaTour) May 11, 2022
Bille Joe also remembered how it felt before playing those first gigs back, “We soundchecked the day before and I was so overwhelmed by the size [of the place] – it was like the first time I ever played a stadium in my life,” he explained. “Everyone – the crew, every single person – was completely overwhelmed because no-one knew how this was going to go down. I was freaking out. Everyone was. We didn’t know what to think… the whole country had been through the wringer.”
GREEN DAY TOUR DATES – SUPPORTED BY FALL OUT BOY AND WEEZER
JUNE 2022
1 – Berlin, Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide
3 – Nürburg, Rock am Ring
7 – Copenhagen, Forum
9 – Ålesund, Color Line Stadion
11 – Johanneshov, Tele2 Arena
15 – Milan, Milano Summer Festival
16 – Florence, Firenze Rocks Festival
18 – Hradec Králové, Rock For People
19 – Vienna, Ernst-Happel Stadion
21 – Antwerp, Sportpaleis
22 – Groningen, Stadspark
24 – London, London Stadium
25 – Huddersfield, John Smith’s Stadium
27 – Dublin, Venue TBA
29 – Glasgow, Bellahouston Park
JULY 2022
2 – Paris, La Defense Arena