Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong heads to rehab after on-stage meltdown

Remember the good old days when rock stars would not only rail against whatever was pissing them off, but be entirely unapologetic about doing so? In a world where corporations rule everything, including, evidently, punk-rock bands, those days appear to be over.

On Friday, while performing at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had the kind of on-stage shit fit that would have impressed circa-’91 Axl Rose. The singer grabbed the mike 20 minutes into his band’s set and started railing about how Green Day was being told to cut things short, his tirade including him yelling “I’m not fucking Justin Bieber, you motherfuckers”.

After going Pete Townshend on his guitar, Armstrong tossed it aside and stalked off-stage.

Now, two days later, Green Day has issued an apology to Clear Channel, the organizers of iHeart Radio, stating that the set was not cut short. The band has also announced that Armstrong is headed to treatment for substance abuse. Somewhere, Sid Vicious is rolling over in his grave.

Green Day releases its latest album, Uno, on Tuesday.

Follow Mike Usinger on the Tweeter at twitter.com/MikeUsinger.

Comments

18 Comments

Jan Ethan Shrimpdick

Sep 23, 2012 at 6:02pm

I liked it better when he sang for the Cranberries...
This is a total "Doug Donut Moment"....except..people have heard of the Cranberries..

out at night

Sep 23, 2012 at 7:56pm

I think if Billy Joe is going into rehab it isn't Clear Channel telling him to do it!

Sifd Vicious? A nice kid by some accounts. Also a bit of a no talent. xl Rose? A mercurial weirdo, maybe with a Phil Spector moment waiting somewhere in his future.

Billy Joe Armstrong? A hardworking, talented and productive musician and family man who maybe needs a break. Why don't you give him one, instead of clinging to some dated and over-romanticized notions of rawk 'n' rowl gnarlyness and self-destruction as necessary cred?

Yasmina

Sep 23, 2012 at 8:48pm

i'm crying of laughter idk why

Lollapalooza

Sep 23, 2012 at 9:22pm

I think he's great and those guys deserve to finish their set.

RF

Sep 23, 2012 at 10:48pm

The whole guitar-smashing thing is way cooler if the guitar is actually amplified.

That's punk?

Sep 24, 2012 at 12:23am

I hope he'll have the time of his life.

Jan Ethan Shrimpdick

Sep 24, 2012 at 8:58am

she coulda done the whole B Side of "No Need To Argue" in the time it took to break that guitar.

Musta been made of titaniumz!

You Go Delores Donut!

cranky mom

Sep 24, 2012 at 10:00am

why does he need rehab? that is how we all acted in 1988.

Weak Sauce Publicity Stunt

Sep 24, 2012 at 10:11am

This reeks of publicity stunt -- funny timing right before an album release... Weak sauce attempt to earn Green Day punk street cred which they have never had.

Pat Crowe

Sep 24, 2012 at 10:57am

Ramones, rip offs.
Weak.