Billie Joe Armstrong Was a ‘Functioning Alcoholic’
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Editorials, Rock,
Billie Joe Armstrong was a "functioning alcoholic" before he entered rehab.
The Green Day singer's drinking and reliance on prescription drugs had got out of hand before he was finally admitted to rehab last September and he admits to frequently being intoxicated on stage.
"I played onstage loaded a lot. I'd have anywhere from two to six beers and a couple of shots before I went onstage, then go and play the gig and drink for the rest of the evening on the bus. Fall asleep, wake up the next day, feel like s**t, do soundcheck. It was over and over again. In that way, I was a functioning alcoholic. I've been trying to get sober since 1997, right around Nimrod. But I didn't want to be in any programs. Sometimes, being a drunk, you think you can take on the whole world by yourself," he told Rolling Stone.
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Green Day to Resume Their Tour
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Rock,
Green Day have rescheduled their cancelled tour.
The "Holiday" rockers were forced to abandon plans to play in support of new albums ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! last year after singer Billie Joe Armstrong was admitted to rehab for substance abuse problems, but have announced replacement dates starting in March this year.
The group - which also includes Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt - said, "We want to thank everyone for hanging in with us for the last few months. We are very excited to hit the road and see all of you again, though we regret having to cancel more shows."
Billie's issues became apparent when he launched into a foul mouthed rant on stage at the HeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas last September, after which the group cancelled all scheduled performances so he could go to rehab. Billie took time to thank fans for their "support" during his difficult time and shared his excitement at being able to play again.
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Metallica Pay Tribute to Green Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Performances, Covers, Rock,
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Metallica paid tribute to Green Day after replacing them at a festival. The heavy metal group stepped in for the "Oh Love" punk band at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, after they cancelled all forthcoming dates due to frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's ongoing rehab.
Two songs into their set, Metallica singer James Hetfield told the crowd: ''We! Are! Green Day! - Except a little taller!" He later added, "You're hoping Green Day are going to show up, right? So am I. They're getting help. They're getting it sorted out. The world needs them." He also dedicated the track "Battery" to the front man, saying: "This one's for Billie."
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Green Day Postpone Arena Tour
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Rock,
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Green Day have postponed the beginning of their 2013 arena tour while Billie Joe Armstrong continues rehab.
The band's frontman went into treatment for substance abuse problems in September when he smashed a guitar and swore multiple times on stage in Las Vegas, and the group have now called off the remainder of their 2012 club dates and pushed back the beginning of next year's tour.
"Obviously, the timing for this isn't ideal, but Billie Joe's well-being is our main concern. We are happy to say that Billie Joe is doing well, and we want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and well wishes that we have received, and we can't wait to see you all again soon," Bassist Mike Dirnt said in a statement released on Monday.
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Green Day’s New Album is ‘Epic’
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Upcoming Releases, Alternative, Rock,
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Green Day think their new album is "epic." The American Idiot hitmakers are proud of their new album trilogy ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! and feel the triple format has allowed them to achieve something that rocks "really hard."
"It was time for a change and a new era. You just start with one simple song at a time, where less is more, but we made three albums and it ended up becoming epic. We wanted to make something that rocked really hard, and partied really hard, with a lot of meaning behind it. And a lot of soul. Hopefully we achieved that," singer Billie Joe Armstrong told Classic Rock magazine.
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Green Day Slams Bon Jovi
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Gossip, Alternative, Rock,
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Billie Joe Armstrong has branded Bon Jovi the "worst" ever band to play with.
The Green Day frontman is unimpressed with the rock icons' talent and says the "Livin' On A Prayer" hitmakers are the worst group he has ever performed alongside. Speaking about his all-time favorite band to have shared the stage with, Billie Joe told Kerrang! magazine, "The best is probably The Hives ... They're a great live band." But when asked about his least favorite, the 40-year-old rocker revealed, "Oh boy, I have to go with Bon Jovi."
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Green Day Plan 3,000 Show Tour
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Gossip, Alternative, Rock, New Releases,
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The "Oh Love" band are releasing three records - Uno!, Dos! and Tre! - and joked that for such an ambitious project they will have to have a suitably sized tour to match.
"The full tour, we'll probably do about 3,000 shows. Right now, we're just warming up and getting ready to go out there, start swinging. The sky is the limit right now. We're just going to keep going. We want to play a lot of small clubs, a lot of theaters, a lot of arenas, and then who knows what else," bassist Mike Dirnt told MTV News.
Fontman Billie Joe Armstrong - who completes the band up with drummer Tre Cool - also said they always keep up with new music, and let it evolve the direction of their own sound.
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Green Day to Perform at MTV Video Music Awards
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Awards, Music Videos, Performances, Alternative, Pop, Rock, New Releases,
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The band - made up of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool - will give the first televised performance of "Oh Love," from their new album trilogy, Uno!, Dos! and Tre!, at Los Angeles' Staples Center on September 7.
"We're excited to perform on this year's MTV Video Music Awards. MTV has continuously supported us during our career, and we can't think of a better place to play our first TV performance for the albums," Billie Joe said.
The band have previously said they don't know if releasing three new albums between September and January is a good idea or not. "This could possibly be the greatest idea we've ever had or it could possibly be the dumbest idea we've ever had. And that's really exciting to think about. We don't have a f**king clue what we're doing as far as the future is concerned. And it's kind of exciting to think of it that way," Billie Joe said.
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Green Day Debuts New Material in Los Angeles
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Performances, Alternative, Rock, New Releases,
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Green Day debuted new material at an intimate Los Angeles show last night. The American Idiot band debuted songs from their Uno!, Dos! and Tre! album trilogy at the show, held for fan club members at Los Angeles' Echoplex venue. Tickets had gone on sale yesterday morning and some fans had camped out since 5am to get hold of them.
After opening with old favorites "Welcome To Paradise" and "American Idiot" - which were met with a mosh pit - frontman Billie Joe Armstrong asked, "Well how are you? Are you ready for some new f***ing songs?"
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Billie Joe Armstrong: Album Titles Are a Joke
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Upcoming Releases, Alternative, Rock,
The "Basket Case" hitmakers are to release three records, Uno!, Dos! and Tre! and he settled on the titles - Spanish for one and two, while the third is named after drummer Tre Cool, but is close to tres, which is Spanish for three - after his wife convinced him it was a good idea.
"Putting out even a double-record, let alone a triple-record, it didn't seem like it would work for us in this day and age. We wanted all of it to come out because we were proud of it, and then I was thinking in terms of volumes - one, two and three. I was in my kitchen and thought, 'What if we called them Uno!, Dos! and Tre! just as a joke?' And I told my wife about it and she said, 'Actually that's kind of a brilliant idea.' Then I brought it to the guys and asked them what they thought. They let it sink in and said, 'Yeah.' Put my photo on the first one, Mike on the second one and Tre on the third."
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