Green Day have been banned from two Las Vegas radio station’s playlists after Billie Joe Armstrong declared the city “a shithole”.
The frontman was performing a show at San Francisco’s Oracle Park earlier in the month (September 20), when he expressed his disapproval that his hometown baseball team, the Oakland A’s, are moving to Las Vegas.
Taking shots at the team’s owner, according to San Francisco Bay Area news station KRON4, the punk-rock singer said: “We don’t take shit from people like fucking John Fisher.” He added: “I hate Las Vegas. It’s the worst shithole in America.”
The comments haven’t gone down too well with Las Vegas radio stations, with KOMP 92.3 writing on Instagram: “KOMP 92.3 has pulled any and all Green Day from our playlist. It’s not us, Billie…it’s you. #vegas4ever.”
The post was accompanied with a cancellation graphic overlaid on top of a picture of the trio.
Another Las Vegas radio station called X107.5 was also upset by Armstrong’s comments, writing on its website: “Well, Sin City heard him loud and clear—and X107.5 is not having it. In response to Armstrong’s inflammatory comments, the station is banning all Green Day music, effective immediately.”
It added: “Considering he played a pop-up show at Fremont Country Club last year, we’re surprised at his comments. The show was spectacular! But now, Armstrong has crossed a line with Las Vegas locals.”
“So we’re breaking up with Green Day completely. Bye Bye, Billie!”
One radio host from the station also addressed the controversy on-air. “Maybe he (Billie Joe) should take a look at the city and the people involved in that transaction than talking smack about the city of Las Vegas,” host Carlota Gonzalez said during the announcement.
Green Day’s upcoming shows across 2024 and 2025 include performances in Mexico, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and more as part of their ‘Saviors’ world tour.
Elsewhere, Green Day are among artists who have been affected by a US copyright dispute on YouTube which has seen hundreds of iconic music videos pulled from the platform. The block affected artists including Nirvana, Adele, Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, R.E.M and more.