The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and we’re all counting down the days until Bad Bunny causes a massive MAGA meltdown with what we’re sure will be a defiant halftime performance from an artist who has seasoned beef with President Donald Trump. As if the whole thing couldn’t get any juicier, the NFL just announced that they also booked Green Day to perform the Super Bowl opening ceremony ― the punk rock band that fueled our anti-imperialist teenage angst.
If you know Green Day’s music, then you understand how significant and potentially strategic the choice to have them perform at the opening ceremony is. Their most overtly political song, “American Idiot,” was an unapologetic anti-war banger and a critique of Bush’s America, an era that actually seems pretty chill compared to present-day Trump’s America. And they’re pretty consistent in their lyrical advocacy.
Green Day has already called out Trump explicitly in the past. In a 2016 VMAs performance, they chanted, “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA” loudly and crisply onstage during the televised event. As one social media creator pointed out, the band has never been shy about their political stance and frequently adapts lyrics during their live performances to reflect what’s currently going on in our country.
