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Now that the U.S. leg of Green Day's epic Hella Mega Tour has concluded, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is reflecting on the emotional experience.
“The crowd looked like this giant flock of birds freaking out,” Billie told Kerrang! “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.”
Billie credits the two-year break from live shows due to the ongoing pandemic for making the experiences joyous for the performers and fans alike. Green Day was initially meant to hit the road with Fall Out Boy and Weezer in March of 2020 but had to reschedule to 2021 and 2022.
“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 continued. “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 fucking wringer. And here we are starting in f---ing Texas.”
In June, the bands will take the Hella Mega Tour to the UK and Europe. Click here to see tour dates.