Green Day fans began to notice on Oct. 9 that something was up on the band’s Instagram. Longtime lovers of Easter eggs and secret tracks, the veteran rockers posted a photo of a concert bill depicting a zombie with two dates for Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival (Oct. 20 and 21) preceded by a third, crossed-out line.
A black-and-white video of a banner unfurling atop downtown Las Vegas’ Fremont Country Club dropped the following day. It read “Send out an S.O.S., it’s getting serious,” while the marquee of the venue teased “next show announcement Wednesday.”
While everyone continued to lose their minds in the comments, the details of a Green Day gig began to spread like a game of telephone through the city’s industry insiders. On Wednesday, a post revealed that there would be a surprise set to warm up for the festival with Ultra Q — frontman Billie Joe Armstong’s son’s band — opening for the punk rock legends.
A ticket link popped up in the GD Instagram stories with a call to action encouraging zombie attire. That day, the banner on the club switched to read “Eat at Chef Wong’s One Night Only” — a reference to the Bad Year blimp’s messaging on the Dookie album cover — and the marquee switched to “Green Day October 19.”
Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday for the same-day show, and within minutes, there were more than 10,000 people in the queue for the 850-capacity club. As attendees arrived at Fremont Country Club, a “Welcome to Paradise, Enjoy the Show” sign got its turn.
Those lucky enough to score entry began filing in around 7 p.m. to take in the opener, many in full zombie makeup and attire, while ushers and other staff also completed the look. Green Day took the stage right before 9:30 p.m. and carved through a 29-song set that quaked the rafters.
Billboard was inside Fremont Country Club for the throwback to the band’s sweaty-thrasher roots. With Armstrong in top form, along with Mike Dirt, Tré Cool and three touring musicians — and the crowd living for it — all the buildup culminated in these major moments.
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