West Palm Beach, FL- On Sept. 3, legendary punk rock band Green Day rocked out before 20,000 screaming fans at South Florida’s Coral Sky Amphitheater. The concert, which started with front man Bille Joe Armstrong demanding everyone “get off [their] asses,” was in fact a two and a half hour show of contagious and non-stop energy and excitement.

Armstrong and his bandmates, drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt, also used the event as a moment to condemn political corruption. Armstrong, an outspoken critic of the corrupt American political system since the 1990s, took aim at Donald Trump and his militarism. “Fuck Donald Trump and his threats of war!” Armstrong screamed as the band started the opening chords of American Idiot a song originally targeted at George W. Bush.

Their newest album was inspired by the Black Lives Matter and anti-police brutality movement. According to Armstrong, he began writing the album after joining a New York City Black Lives Matter protest after the events of Ferguson unfolded. In reference to President Trump’s despicable response to the violence in Charlottesville and the rise of racist violence, Armstrong said, “If the president won’t say anything about it, then I will. Fuck racism and all those Nazis! They can crawl back into their holes and stay there!”

Green Day pleased the crowd with a set-list that included songs ranging from their earliest album (Kerplunk!) to their newest (Revolution Radio). As per tradition, they made sure to include the audience at every moment of the concert, including calling for volunteers at different points in the show to go on stage to rock with the band. One of those was a fan who came from the Dominican Republic that got called on stage to sing Longview, with the band and then stagedive into the crowd.

The band puts all their energy into each of their performances, and this one in South Florida was no exception. It truly was a beautiful (if not hot) night, not just because of the amazing pyrotechnics and light shows, but because it was clear that Green Day is happiest when they are running around on stage performing and engaging with their fans. The band (and the crowd) did not stop rocking and rolling until the show was over.

As the band played their protest song Holiday, Armstrong shouted: “Repeat after me: No to racism! No to sexism! No to homophobia! And no fucking Nazis!” To which he got 20,000 booming responses.

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