Green Day Celebrates 120 Years of Harley-Davidson @ Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival
Photo by Pamela Littky
Green Day revved up tens of thousands of Harley-Davidson fans for a weekend of music at the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival in Milwaukee’s Veterans Park, celebrating the motorcycle manufacturer’s 120th anniversary.
“Happy birthday, Harley-Davidson,” Billie Joe Armstrong, the band’s lead singer, said to the crowd before joking that he took a “badass electric scooter” to the grounds.
Armstrong, alongside bandmates bassist Mike Dirnt and once-Wisconsin-native drummer Tré Cool, proved to be not just an “American Idiot” but rather an electric rockstar.
Photo by Brady Jager
Opening the show with a dancing, bunny-suit-wearing roadie drinking a bottle of Spotted Cow, Wisconsinites knew that Green Day felt at home in the drunkest state in America. More gags included a KISS mask during a cover of “Rock And Roll All Nite,” and multiple fans were brought on stage to join the fun.
After a whiplash-inducing start with an immediate “American Idiot” to “Holiday” introduction, Armstrong selected a lucky fan to join him in singing the bridge of “Know Your Enemy.” Later, he invited another fan, Maddy, to play guitar for a cover of Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge.”
Maddy froze with stage fright, but Armstrong took the time to encourage her, despite fans’ joking boos when she announced she was from Chicago. Alas, she got to participate in a Green Day jam session, complete with a finale jump alongside Armstrong, And she got to keep the guitar.
After “Waiting,” a couple joined the band onstage, where a man proposed to his girlfriend. In lieu of kissing her new fiancé, the woman kissed Armstrong on the cheek. In true Armstrong fashion, he was quick with a punny response.
“Don’t kiss me, kiss him!” he said. “Congratulations,” he followed up with, hugging both lucky lovebirds before joking that they are now stuck with each other — segueing perfectly to “Stuck with Me.”
With the infectious energy, Armstrong joked that he felt inspired to create his own biker gang, aptly named the Hell’s Idiots. The band had cheeky fun with their set, incorporating songs like “Tequila” and “Shout” into their Grammy-winning iconic tracks.
Photo by Brady Jager
However, Green Day knew how to be sentimental as well. Tracks like “21 Guns” and “Wake Me up When September Ends” caused tears to swell up in the eyes of drunken motorcyclists.
Armstrong began the finale song, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” alone with his guitar before being joined by Dirnt and Cool. Armstrong’s bandmates sabotaged his last note by un-tuning his guitar, causing an ear-wrenching sound and cueing an awe-inducing fireworks display behind them.
“This was a crazy night,” Armstrong said. “I’m gonna remember nights like this.”
Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival continues July 15 with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Foo Fighters headlining. Green Day will perform at festivals such as Louder Than Life and When We Were Young.