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Billie Joe Armstrong Played Plenty of Old School Hits at Surprise Show With Cover Band Side Project

Comprised of Green Day’s vocalist, audio engineer, and tour manager, the Coverups have played at least one show a year since 2018.

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Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and his side project, the Coverups, played a surprise concert last night (March 25) in Berkeley, California, which was announced earlier in the day.

Fan-captured videos posted on social media and YouTube showed Billie Joe Armstrong fronting the Coverups. They played through a 30-song set of a variety of songs. They covered some big hits, mainly old-school rock and punk. Videos show a close, intimate setting as the band took the stage at Cornerstone, a craft brewery venue in Berkley.

Highlights from the set include takes on David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69 and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” which saw Armstrong wail on guitar while the crowd sang along.

“Summer of ’69” seems like an unconventional choice for a cover at first. But it sounded surprisingly good in Armstrong’s familiar vocal style. It ended up with a distinct Green Day-esque makeover. The punk-leaning covers included The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” Nirvana’s “Drain You,” and Misfits’ “Where Eagles Dare.”

Other songs played were Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,” Tommy James and the Shondells’ “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat.” But there was also The Strokes’ “Last Nite” and Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” to round it all out.

Billie Joe Armstrong and the Coverups Play Bowie, Ozzy, The Strokes, and More at Secret Show

The Coverups formed in 2018 with Armstrong, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt, touring guitarist Jason White, audio engineer Chris Dugan, and tour manager Bill Schneider. As a Green Day adjacent side project, they’ve played one show a year (except 2020), exclusively performing cover songs. However, Dirnt has not played with the Coverups since 2019.

This year, the band played several covers that have been staples in Green Day’s live shows. They wove in plenty of new material as well. Often, the band covers songs by artists who influenced Armstrong.

There’s more to come from the Coverups this year. They’re set to play the Notes & Words benefit concert in nearby Oakland on May 2.

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