We think it’s pretty safe to say that Green Day is back with a vengeance.
The rock trio gave their first ever South by Southwest performance on Friday (March 15th), playing at the Austin’s Moody Theater. According to Billboard, the group, which consists of singer Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool, left little to the imagination with a set that lasted over two hours and spanned the band’s career with songs such as “Brain Stew,” “Holiday,” “Burnout,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Know Your Enemy,” and “Oh Love.”
Green Day also delved into a series of covers, playing Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Don’t Know” and even the Isley Brothers’ “Shout!,” Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
Despite the fact that the band has been on hiatus since Armstrong entered rehab in September, it doesn’t seem as though their technique is to ease back into their live performances. Billboard reports that Armstrong continuously challenged the crowd on Friday night, demanding they get on their feet and “go crazy.” The singer also brought several people onto the stage, shot t-shirts and other items into the audience and even planted a kiss an unsuspecting fan.
All in all, the band gave the crowd at SXSW something to remember them by.
Green Day is currently touring in support of their 2012 album trilogy, Uno!, Dos! Tre!. The band was also at SXSW to premiere two documentaries – Cuatro!, which chronicles the making of the three aforementioned LPs, and Broadway Idiot; a Michael Mayer directed film about the band’s adaptation of their 2004 album American Idiot into a Broadway musical.
For more on this story and Green Day’s SXSW performance, click here, and head to the band’s official website for all of their upcoming concert dates.