Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong had some choice words for the city of Las Vegas for taking his beloved baseball team away from the Bay Area — and now there's consequences.
At a hometown show in San Francisco's Oracle Park on Sept. 20, the punk frontman did not mince his words. Although he was originally a diehard Oakland A's fan, the team's planned move to Las Vegas switched his loyalty to the Oakland Ballers, even going as far as vandalizing the team's logo during a tour stop in Canada.
“We don’t take no s--- from people like John f---ing Fisher who sold out the Oakland A’s to Las f---ing Vegas,” he said onstage. "I hate Las Vegas. It’s the worst s---hole in America.”
Armstrong is referring to John Fisher, former part-owner of the San Francisco Giants alongside his father and current owner of the A's as of 2005. In April, the team announced their planned relocation to the Las Vegas Strip at the soon-to-be-completed New Las Vegas Stadium to replace the shuttered Tropicana Las Vegas. At the team's last Oakland game, the crowd broke out in a "F--- John Fisher" chant.
The owner couldn't hear, because he hasn't been to a game in two seasons.
While Bay Area residents and fans alike would be sympathetic to Armstrong's expletives, Las Vegas residents were less enthused. Las Vegas rock stationKOMP 92.3 announced on Instagr -
am that they "pulled any and all Green Day from our playlist."
Another station, X 107.5, announced on their website that they will also be banning the punk band from their rotation. "Well, Sin City heard him loud and clear—and X107.5 is not having it," the statement reads. "In response to Armstrong’s inflammatory comments, the station is banningallGreen Day music, effective immediately."
X 107.5 further goes on to say that Armstrong "crossed a line with Las Vegas locals."
Armstrong has not addressed the ban. He did, however, reminisce on his love for his old team in a heartfelt Instagram post. "The athletics leaving Oakland is devastating. I feel for all the fans and the people that will lose their jobs because of greed," he wrote. "3 sports teams have left Oakland in the past 5 years Leaving a cultural hole in the east bay hearts and sport."
He's referring to the Golden State Warriors moving back to San Francisco and the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas.
Last year, Green Day released their 14th album, Saviors. "We’ve never been more excited to unleash new music than with Saviors, a record that’s meant to be rocked live, together," they said in a statement upon the tour announcement in November. "So let’s thrash."
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