【Super Bowl LX】 "Trump's Cursing Removed, But..." Green Day Quietly Resists with 'American Idiot'

The punk rock band Green Day, taking the stage at the world's largest sports event, the Super Bowl, delivered a surprisingly moderate yet heavy message. Despite the criticism of President Donald Trump as a "terrible choice," they did not stop performing their signature song 'American Idiot'.

According to foreign media including CNN on the 9th (Korean time), Green Day took the stage at the opening performance of Super Bowl LX (60) held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on the 8th. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, they kicked off with a short intro of 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' and unleashed politically charged classics like 'Holiday', 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', and 'American Idiot'.

◆ "MAGA" Was Removed, But "Idiot" Remained

The most notable song was undoubtedly 'American Idiot'. In recent years, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has changed the lyrics "I'm not part of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not part of the MAGA agenda" during live performances, directly targeting Trump. However, on the Super Bowl stage, which was watched by the entire world, he omitted the second verse containing that line entirely and replaced it with a guitar solo. The lyrics "Sieg Heil to the President Gasman" from 'Holiday' were also omitted.

Instead, Armstrong sang the first verse lyrics, "I don't want a nation under new madness / subliminal mindf*ck America" as they were. Although the profanity was muted during the NBC broadcast, the audience filled the stadium with a sing-along response.

◆ Outside the Stage, Sharp Criticism of "Quit ICE"

In contrast to the restraint on stage, comments outside were unrestrained. Armstrong stated at a FanDuel party held two days before the Super Bowl on the 6th, "To all the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents across the country, quit that pathetic job," adding, "When all this is over, Trump and his aides will discard you like a bad habit."

President Trump publicly opposed Green Day and Bad Bunny's Super Bowl appearances last month, stating they only incite hatred. However, Green Day managed to convey a message of resistance to the world in a clever way while maintaining the spirit of punk rock on the Super Bowl stage held in their hometown.