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A full moon hung over the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival grounds on Saturday night, but the real lunacy was on stage with headliner Green Day.Fireworks cracked in the distance, black beach balls flew through the air, and a man in a bunny suit had already revved the crowd right at the beginning into a frenzy by the time Billie Joe Armstrong asked, “How many of you are on mental health medication?” Welcome to the world of Green Day — part punk circus, part group therapy, and all heart.That bunny wasn’t just for laughs, either.
Dubbed Punk Bunny, the chaotic mascot is part of Green Day’s recent medium roast coffee brand Punk Bunny Coffee — a nod to the band’s still-simmering DIY spirit and tie-in to the 20th anniversary of “American Idiot.”Green Day perform on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Fans cheer and sing along as Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)A fan holds up a shirt reading “Hey Billie! Can I play guitar?!” during Green Day’s performance on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)Show Caption1 of 10Green Day perform on the Coachella Stage during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)ExpandIt all started, as all great revolutions do, with Queen. As “Bohemian Rhapsody” blasted through the Coachella main stage speakers, the camera panned to thousands of fans singing every word in sync. It was a theatrical, over-the-top warm-up for the punk chaos to come.
Then, out came the bunny.That moment seamlessly gave way to a Ramones classic “Blitzkrieg Bop,” a Darth Vader-style sound collage of Green Day’s history flashing across the big screen, and a mashup of “We Will Rock You” by Queen and “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. It was dramatic, silly, and very fitting.
And then — the lights dropped. The opening riff of “American Idiot” hit fast. Flames erupted, the stage was washed in red light, and the album’s grenade-heart logo loomed massive behind the band.
Armstrong even slipped in a not-so-subtle lyric change, shouting “MAG-A-nation controlled by the media,” which got a very loud reaction.“This is a full moon tonight, did you notice that?” Armstrong shouted mid-set. “A full moon for Green Day and you guys!” He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, bringing up fans on stage like Brooke from the audience, who crushed “Know Your Enemy.
”It was pure fun, but with power. Every song, from the firestarter “Holiday” to the anthemic closer “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” — landed perfectly with nostalgia. Even deep into the night, Armstrong made the crowd jump on command, bringing up another fan in a “you’ve-been-wearing-that-damn-shirt-all-night” moment to play guitar with him.
And to Armstrong’s and everyone in the crowd’s surprise, he played well.Of course, it wouldn’t be a Green Day show without a little mess. Armstrong pretended to stumble and fall over during “Brain Stew,” beach balls went flying, and a few transitions were intentionally chaotic — but that’s the point.
This was a band throwing the most raucous punk pep rally on the biggest stage in the desert.“Put away the camera just a little bit,” Armstrong said at one point. “Everyone’s going to believe you’ve been to Coachella, I swear to God.
So let’s be in the moment. You feel me?”Twenty years after American Idiot, Green Day proved they’re still very much in the moment.Related ArticlesCoachella 2025: Highlights from Saturday include Billie Eilish joining Charli XCX and Bernie Sanders introducing ClairoCoachella 2025: Weezer rocked the festival, but didn’t mention bassist Scott Shriner’s wifeCoachella 2025: Record Safari returns for the festival for Record Store DayCoachella 2025: Inside the exclusive headliner merch booths for Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post MaloneCoachella 2025: Lady Gaga, Missy Elliott, and the Go-Go’s with Billie Joe Armstrong among Friday’s highlights.
