Author: Taryn Walters
Source: SFGATE
“But in the end, it’s right / I hope you had the time of your life,” lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong sang as he walked toward the stage — using the iconic line from their song ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ to kick off the 60th annual Super Bowl.
The camera showed an aerial view of a sold-out Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara, California, while white smoke effects emerged from the top. As Green Day took the stage, lights flashed and massive subwoofers boomed behind them. Their drummer, Tré Cool, played a zebra-pattern-themed drum kit with a matching tie. Football fans from around the world screamed as the band quickly transitioned to their next songs.
During ‘Holiday’ and ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams,’ the crowd held up an assortment of flags, Patriots and Seahawks signs, and red foam fingers shaped like the American Idiot album cover art. Everyone in the stands and on the field was decked out in football gear, swaying their hands and enjoying the performance while anxiously awaiting the biggest American sports event of the year to begin.
Armstrong finished the song, taking a step back from the microphone, and the timeless guitar riff to ‘American Idiot’ began. The broadcast directors scrambled to mute the audio for a second as he sang, “The subliminal mindf—k America,” after which the crowd exploded in enthusiasm. Armstrong then yelled, “Let’s go crazy!” as smoke went off behind him, and people jumped, screamed, and sang. The arena was never short of energy — it was truly incredible to watch. Even when the instruments stopped for a second, you could hear hundreds of people yelling “calling out to idiot America” so loudly that their frontman could barely be heard singing through the microphone.
Behind the band, a massive sign arose. It said ‘Super Bowl LX’ in big, bold blue lettering on the left and ‘Green Day’ spray-painted in pink on the right, along with a half-circle string of yellow and blue stars behind it.
As they concluded their last song, colorful confetti strings popped out from the stage, and the camera panned outside the stadium once more, with thick smoke streaks of red, pink, yellow, green, and blue shooting into the sky for a full-circle moment. Armstrong yelled, “Welcome to the Bay! It’s Super Bowl Sixty!” as the crowd roared in excitement.
Lasting a total of 5 minutes and 12 seconds, Green Day put on a short-and-sweet pre-show for a game that will go down in history. Drake Maye of the Patriots got sacked six times. Bad Bunny practically brought Puerto Rico to the field. Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance. And most importantly, our lovely city of Seattle won the Super Bowl! Go Hawks!
Taryn Walters | Music and Arts Reporter