The legendary band Green Day made their long-awaited debut at Coachella on Saturday night with a powerful performance that included a rare and pointed reference to Palestine which went viral.
The band’s headline set, marking the second day of the Coachella music festival, captivated the crowd not only with its energy but also with a bold political statement.
During the conclusion of their performance, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong altered a lyric in their viral song “Jesus of Suburbia” to acknowledge the ongoing war in Gaza.
Instead of the original line, Armstrong sang, “Running away from pain like kids in Palestine,” drawing a series of cheers and applause from the Coachella audience. The original lyric reads: “Running away from pain when you’ve been victimised.”
This is not the first time Green Day went viral for highlighting a political issues, but it was one of the few times they have addressed the crisis in Palestine so directly during a major festival.
Armstrong had previously shown his support for Palestine earlier this year when he raised a Palestinian flag at a concert in Malaysia.
The Green Day performance was otherwise packed with the band’s signature crowd engagement. Earlier in the set, he also modified the opening lines of “American Idiot” to say, “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” a common change during recent Green Day shows.
The Coachella festival is turning out to be a platform for unexpected political moments. Just before Green Day took the stage, US Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance to introduce indie artist Clairo, telling the crowd, “The future of what happens to America is dependent on your generation.”
Elsewhere at Coachella, controversy erupted on Friday when the livestream of Irish rap trio Kneecap’s performance was cut off as the group led a chant critical of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
According to a post on X, Kneecap claimed their statements about Palestine were also removed from the broadcast. “Not the only thing that was cut,” they wrote.
“Our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”