Green Day alters lyrics of hit song as they launch blistering attack against Donald Trump at Coachella gig
WATCH HERE: Green Day change ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ lyrics in support of Palestine during headline Coachella set
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong is no stranger to airing his political views
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Green Day used their debut Coachella performance to make bold political statements through altered lyrics in two of their hit songs.
The punk rock band took to the main stage on Saturday night, delivering a career-spanning set that didn't shy away from controversy.
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changed lyrics in both American Idiot and Jesus of Suburbia to address current political issues.
The changes targeted Donald Trump's MAGA movement and referenced Palestinian children amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Green Day performed at Coachella this past weekend
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The band has long been known for their political messaging, with Armstrong using their platform to speak out on global issues.
During the opening of their set, Armstrong changed the original lyric "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" in "American Idiot" to "I'm not part of the MAGA agenda".
The alteration directly criticised Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
This wasn't the first time the band made this specific change, having previously done so during their Dick Clark's New Year's Eve performance.
The political statement drew loud cheers from the Coachella crowd.
American Idiot was originally written as a protest song against former president George W. Bush in 2004.
The band has consistently repurposed the track to reflect current political climates since 2016, when Trump first ran for president.
Later in the set, Armstrong made another significant lyric change during Jesus of Suburbia. Instead of singing "Runnin' away from pain when you've been victimised", he sang "Runnin' away from pain like the kids from Palestine / Tales from another broken home".
Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong is no stranger to political stances
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The reference to Palestinian children amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict prompted loud cheers and applause from the audience. Armstrong paused momentarily after the line, allowing the message to resonate with the crowd.
Green Day has a history of altering lyrics to make political statements during performances.
Last month in Australia, Armstrong changed the same song to target US Vice President JD Vance, singing "Am I r******d, or am I just JD Vance?" instead of "Am I r******d, or am I just overjoyed?"
During that Melbourne show, Armstrong also addressed the crowd, asking: "Don't you want politicians to shut the f*** up? Don't you want Elon Musk to shut the f*** up? Don't you want Donald Trump to shut the f*** up?"
The band previously modified American Idiot lyrics in January to say "I'm not a part of the Elon agenda" during a performance in South Africa.
Musk responded to an earlier lyric change by tweeting: "Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it."
Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt later told Rolling Stone: "Elon Musk actually is the machine. He's not shy about saying stupid s**t on the internet."
Beyond the political moments, Green Day delivered a high-energy set spanning their entire discography.
The band invited fans on stage during their performance, including a woman named Brooke who sang Know Your Enemy with Armstrong.
Another fan was brought up to play guitar during Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) for the encore.
The band's explosive performance ended with an unexpected incident when fireworks from their show reportedly hit a palm tree near the stage.
According to TMZ, a rogue firework shot into the crowd and ignited the palm tree in an artists' section.
People Magazine shared footage of the fire on social media, showing the extent of the blaze. It remains unclear if there were any injuries resulting from the incident.
Despite the fiery conclusion, Green Day is scheduled to return to Coachella for the festival's second weekend on Saturday, April 19.