‘Not Part of the MAGA Agenda': Green Day Tear Through Decades of Hits During Coachella Debut
The energy at Coachella had started to shift even before Green Day's long-awaited headlining set on Saturday night. About an hour earlier, Charli XCX had sent the crowd into an all-out frenzy with a set that included surprise appearances from Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Troye Sivan. Then, before Clairo started playing at the Outdoor Theatre, Bernie Sanders came out and made a passionate political speech, urging festival-goers to fight for the country and avoid apathy.
All of that meant that by the time the California rockers took the stage, the crowd was completely fired up and ready to lose it. After a quick countdown, they dove headfirst into a high-voltage rendition of 'American Idiot,' all while fans screamed along to every word. Led by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, the rock outfit continued its tradition of changing the lyrics of the line 'I'm not a part of a redneck agenda,' making it 'I'm not part of the MAGA agenda,' adding a political undertone to the performance.
More from Rolling Stone
Coachella 2025: Stream Green Day's Long-Awaited Headlining Set
Bernie Sanders Urges People to Fight for Justice Before Introducing Clairo's Coachella Set
Weezer Rock Through Hits and Cover Metallica at Coachella Following LAPD Incident
Save for a couple of moments, there were no political overtures or lengthy speeches. The band's messages are embedded into the music already, and their main goal for the night seemed to be to get the audience rocking out as hard as humanly possible, especially because it was their first time at the festival (Armstrong had performed with the Replacements in 2014, and played with The Go-Gos on Friday.) They largely succeeded. When they launched into 'Know Your Enemy,' Armstrong looked into the mass of screaming fans jumping up and down to the music. 'I need a special guest right now,' he said, pointing to someone in the crowd. 'I'm coming down right now.' Within seconds, he found a fan who knew the words and brought her onstage, where she sang along with him, a little stunned and teary.
The whole setlist unfolded like a career-spanning, best-of montage, packed with hits that crisscrossed the decades. There was 'Brain Stew' and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams,' but one of the peaks of the performance came when Green Day kicked off a thrashing version of 'Minority,' followed by 'Basket Case' and 'When I Come Around.' It was a back-to-back wallop that served as a reminder of the band's longevity and staying power through the years.
They briefly slowed things down by covering a few bars of Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin'' as a mini-precursor to the weepy rock ballad 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' from 2004. To make sure the energy didn't dip too much, Armstrong leaped into 'Jesus of Suburbia'n right after, eliciting a sing-a-long from the crowd. Armstrong added more political commentary into the set by tweaking a line from the track and singing 'runnin' away from pain like the kids from Palestine,' earning cheers from the audience.
During 'Bobby Sox,' from the band's most recent album Saviors, confetti rained down on the audience and Armstrong thanked the crowd repeatedly. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' he shouted. 'What an unbelievable night.' It seemed like the show would end there, but they had one more trick left: Armstrong called up a random dude from the audience who swore he could play guitar and had him play the classic 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).' The guy delivered and played while Armstrong sang, closing the set on a poignant note. The band said goodbye and ended their debut with fireworks and pyrotechnics – all while the crowd kept cheering their name over and over.
Best of Rolling Stone
The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs
All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
St. Vincent Taps Mon Laferte for Spanglish Duet of ‘Violent Times'
Last year, St. Vincent reimagined her LP All Born Screaming in Spanish, releasing Todos Nacen Gritando in November. Now, she's bringing along the stunnning vocals of Mon Laferte to add a twist to the en español version of 'Violent Times,' or 'Tiempos Violentos.' 'When I first heard the Spanish version, I felt a deep attraction,' Mon Laferte says of the song. 'It was beautiful and haunting. I wanted to give it my own voice, make it my own too, and do it alongside an artist I've long admired.' More from Rolling Stone Remy Bond Channels the 'Diamond Sadness' of the Seventies in 'Moviestar' Video Shakira and Alejandro Sanz Reunite - Again! - for Love Song 'Bésame' Connie Francis Reacts to Going Viral on Tiktok for 1961 B-Side 'Pretty Little Baby' On the new version of the track, Laferte opens the song in Spanish, before St. Vincent joins in English as the two take turns tackling the song's lyrics and their own language. 'Collaborating with Mon gave the song a new shape, a new lifeblood, a new depth. Like a dream falling into another dream,' St. Vincent said. Todos Nacen Gritando heard St. Vincent recreate all 10 songs form her original album, but in Spanish, including songs such as 'Hell Is Near' and 'Big Time Nothing,' which she translated to 'El Infierno Está Cerca' and 'El Mero Cero.' I have had some of my favorite shows of my life in Spanish-speaking countries, and I'm always kind of blown away by the fact that people will sing along with my songs in perfect English, and that it could be their second or third or fourth language,' St. Vincent told Rolling Stone last year. 'I've always loved Spanish and wanted to be better at it, frankly. So this was a double whammy where I could get better at the language that I love and also meet people halfway.' The St. Vincent collaboration follows Laferte's 'Otra Noche de Llorar,' which she dropped in March, and last year's 'Obra de Dios.' She released her album Autopoiética in 2023. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Vetting Official Hasn't Been Fully Vetted for His Own Security Clearance
President Donald Trump's man in charge of vetting staff has not yet been fully vetted himself for a security clearance five months into the second Trump administration. Sergio Gor is the director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He is tasked with vetting thousands of executive branch employees. However, Gor has not yet submitted paperwork on his own background for a permanent clearance, according to a report from the New York Post which cited multiple sources. Gor's office is responsible for assessing candidates for approximately 4,000 political appointees including recruiting and screening candidates as well as dealing with security clearances and conflicts of interests. Some 1,600 of the positions require Senate confirmation. The powerful Trump aide has yet to turn in his Standard Form 86, or SF-86, the more than 100-page background investigation form required for a security clearance, three administration sources said. The extensive form covers citizenship, employment history, relatives, foreign contacts and travel, financial activities, drug use and more. Gor, 38, is reportedly from Malta. However, an official there could not confirm his birthplace, and Gor declined to provide it to the Post besides to say it was not Russia. Gor is a close MAGA ally of Trump and his son Don Jr. with whom he co-founded Winning Team Publishing in 2021. The top Trump aide also once worked as a booker for Fox News and as a spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul. He also served as officiant and DJ at Matt Gaetz's wedding in 2021, according to Vanity Fair. While his work largely takes place behind the scenes at the White House, Gor made headlines earlier this month for being the person behind the move to withdraw Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA and clashing with While he does not have a permanent security clearance, the Trump staffer does have an interim security clearance. Gor opposed the use of the SF-86 during the presidential transition and was concerned with Trump picks being weeded out by the 'deep state.' A source told the Post that he was 'actively working to convince everyone' that the form wasn't necessary and Trump could provide the clearance through executive authority. A White House official claimed Gor had completed the form and noted his interim clearance, which is given while background checks are completed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the Post of 'engaging in baseless gossip.' White House counsel David Warrington also told the Post that Gor is 'fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal security clearance is active, any insinuation he doesn't maintain a clearance is false.'
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
JD Vance wades into the immigration thicket: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Happy first day of summer! In today's edition, Jonathan Allen explores the challenges awaiting Vice President JD Vance as he lands in Los Angeles. Plus, we dive into President Donald Trump's penchant for a giving a two-week timetable on big issues. And Dylan Ebs answers this week's reader question on ranked choice voting. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Vice President JD Vance is wading into the immigration thicket today by traveling to Los Angeles, where Marines and National Guard forces have been deployed to provide backup for federal agents executing raids. For Vance, it's tricky territory because President Donald Trump keeps changing his mind — or at least his rhetoric — on immigration enforcement. On one hand, Trump is anxious to fulfill a campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The MAGA base demands it. And Vance, who hopes to inherit the MAGA base, seldom strays far from its orthodoxy. But on the other hand, Trump has wavered on parts of his own mass deportation plan. After Trump said that workers in certain sectors — farming, hotels and restaurants — would not be targeted in raids, he quickly reversed that policy. Vance finds himself taking on a more visible role just as the MAGA movement is feeling the strain of a president torn between ideology and popularity. It's nothing new for a vice president to land in the middle of a vexing issue. Kamala Harris had the border portfolio in Joe Biden's administration. If Trump's immigration policies end up being a success, Vance will no doubt profit from it. But if they don't, he may suffer. Read more: Appeals court says Trump can keep control of California National Guard troops, by Dennis Romero President Donald Trump's two-week timeline to decide on whether the U.S. will strike Iran's nuclear sites is a familiar one. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' he said in a statement issued through White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Since the beginning of May, Trump has promised action on questions or decisions in 'two weeks' around 10 times — and he used the same timeline repeatedly during his first term in office. 'We're going to be announcing something, I would say over the next two or three weeks, that will be phenomenal in terms of tax and developing our aviation infrastructure,' Trump said of tax overhaul plans on Feb. 9, 2017. He released a one-page outline of the plan 11 weeks later, according to a Bloomberg review that year. He went on to repeatedly cite the time frame for impending actions on health care and infrastructure that never materialized during his first four years in office. Trump's use of the timing prediction has accelerated in recent weeks — and he's used it on items ranging from trade deals and tariffs to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Much of what he's predicted hasn't come to pass, with questions he's said he'd answer remaining unanswered. Read more on Trump's frequent two-week timeline → Catch up on our latest reporting on the Israel-Iran conflict: Trump is relying on a small circle of advisers as he weighs Iran strikes, by Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee, Garrett Haake and Dan De Luce What could happen if Trump does decide to bomb Iran's main nuclear site, by Alexander Smith Iran not sure it can trust America after Israeli attack, Iran's foreign minister tells NBC News, by Dan De Luce 'She's wrong': Trump breaks with Gabbard on Iran assessment, by Vaughn Hillyard Follow live updates → Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's question comes from Thomas Gysegem: 'Will there be ranked voting in the New York City mayoral primary? Please explain how ranked voting works.' To answer that, we turned to our intern, Dylan Ebs, who just put together a helpful explainer on the process. Ranked choice voting, which New York is utilizing for next week's mayoral primary election, is a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one. The number of candidates voters can rank depends on the specific rules in an area. In New York City, voters can rank up to five in one race. Voters don't have to fill their ballots, though. A voter whose heart is set on only one candidate can pick just one. But if that candidate doesn't get the most votes, that voter won't have a say in later rounds of counting. After the votes are tabulated, the last-place candidate is eliminated. Ballots from voters who supported that candidate then have the next choice counted. If no candidate has hit 50%, then counting continues, eliminating another last-place candidate and counting the next-ranked choices on all those ballots in the next round. The process continues until a candidate reaches majority support and wins. ⚖️ In the courts: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil from immigration custody. Read more → ⚖️ In the courts, cont.: A federal judge in Massachusetts again blocked the government's attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that victims of terrorism can sue Palestinian entities in U.S. courts. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch, cont.: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized her colleagues in a scathing dissent in a case involving vehicle emissions regulations. Read more → 🚗 Road rage arrest: An Ohio man who allegedly ran GOP Rep. Max Miller off the road while waving a Palestinian flag and hurling antisemitic threats has been arrested. Read more → 🗽 Big Apple showdown: Progressive candidates in New York City's mayoral election are banding together in an effort to stop former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's comeback tour. Read more → ➡️ Split screen: Trump did not formally mark Juneteenth yesterday and said the U.S. has 'too many non-working holidays,' while his predecessor, Joe Biden, celebrated the occasion at a Black church in Texas. Read more → 🗳️ Running it back: Trump called for a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden more than four years ago. Read more → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
