When Green Day lead singer and guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong played a San Fransisco show on Sept. 20, he made some comments that triggered the staff at two Las Vegas radio stations. The comment was spurred by Armstrong’s frustration surrounding the departure of the Oakland A’s to their new home in Sin City. Instead of letting the “American Idiot” singer have his say about how he dislikes Las Vegas, KOMP 92.3 pulled all of the band’s songs from its catalog. Soon after, X107.5 did the same.
Displeasure With Team Move
After 57 years of the team residing in Oakland, the A’s played their final game at Oakland Coliseum. A’s owner John Fisher wrote a letter on Sept. 24 that explained how the team’s leadership failed to meet the goal of staying in the Bay Area. He said the franchise spent 16 years “working exclusively” to keep the team in California. In 2021, they began considering Las Vegas to adhere to a “binding MLB agreement to find a new home by 2024.”
Anyone who is a sports fan knows that emotions run high when it comes to major decisions on behalf of the business owners of the team. Fans of the Washington Commanders felt similar when the team moved from Washington, D.C. to Landover, Maryland, leaving the iconic RFK Stadium to disintegrate before their eyes. Over 20 years later, city officials are still trying to figure out how to revive the property.
Thoughts From An A’s Fan
Green Day is an iconic punk band that is currently touring North America. While performing in the Bay Area, he chose to speak openly to the audience about the decision to move the A’s to Las Vegas. While speaking on behalf of Green Day, Armstrong doubled down on his pride for the East Bay Area. Unfortunately, his statement also included his personal feelings about the city of Las Vegas. Billboard reported Armstrong voiced his opinion about Fisher at Green Day’s Sept. 20 show at Oracle Park.
He shouts, “We are East Bay for life! Green Day, East Bay, forever. We don’t take kindly from people like John Fisher. He sold out the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas and I hate Las Vegas. It’s the worst city in America.” Armstrong then took his aggressive comment on social media and posted a picture of him wearing an Oakland A’s hat as a six-year-old boy. His Instagram said the move was devastating for the fans and staff. He reminded his followers that the A’s departure is the third sports team to leave East Bay in five years, which has left “a cultural hole.”
Offense Taken
Displeased with Armstrong’s diss of the city of Las Vegas, two popular rock radio stations from Sin City decided to halt all radio play for Green Day. X107.5 joined KOMP 92.3 in banning the punk songs of the iconic 90s band. X107.5 explained that Armstrong had crossed a line with the city’s residents and, as a result, Green Day would be scrubbed from their catalog, indefinitely. The article stated a midday radio host, Carlota, broke the news on air.
The host said Green Day would no longer be played on their station. She suggested Armstrong should have taken a look at Las Vegas and the people involved in that transaction before he made his derogatory comments about the city. Her next comment admitted that “the Raiders suck” and were a better team back in Oakland. The team is now worth over six billion dollars after Fisher’s transaction. She said, “It was a good business decision, and the A’s want some of that, and I don’t blame them.”
Final Thoughts
This was one of the more interesting stories of a punk band getting banned from radio play. Yet, Armstrong’s irrational actions tarnished Green Day’s reputation during their tour. It would be fair to say that every major American city has been called trash by someone. In this case, positive and negative cases can be made for Oakland and Las Vegas. While watching the final A’s game, many fans were visibly upset on screen. After the game ended, fans asked players to fill empty water bottles with dirt from the field.
Green Day will survive the radio ban, but it is funny that radio stations took his comments and blew them out of proportion. It’s rare to find someone who shares the love for their gifted sports teams, such as the Raiders. Armstrong made a personal statement on behalf of Green Day. It was not a great move. However, he spoke from an emotional place. While bartending, a lesson learned is that almost every sports fan who speaks their mind about their team will speak ill. Condolences go to Green Day, the fans, and the employees who supported the Oakland A’s over their 57-year run.
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