Punk rock icons Green Day returned to their East Bay roots on Sunday night (February 8), delivering a high-energy opening ceremony performance to kick off Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the NFL’s biggest night, the band treated the massive crowd to a career-spanning medley. The set began on a somber, cinematic note with an orchestral arrangement of “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)“. As the acoustic ballad played, a parade of former Super Bowl MVPs walked onto the field, honoring the game’s history.
The atmosphere quickly shifted as the band launched into a trio of hits from their 2004 blockbuster album American Idiot. The medley morphed into “Holiday“, followed by shortened renditions of “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” and the title track, “American Idiot“.
As the set concluded, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong shouted to the stadium: “Welcome to the Bay! It’s Super Bowl LX!”
While Green Day is known for their political outspokenness, their Super Bowl appearance was notably cleaner than recent gigs. Armstrong refrained from singing the altered lyric “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” during “American Idiot“—a variation he has frequently used at live shows in recent months.
However, the broadcast wasn’t entirely uncensored. Official broadcaster NBC muted the audio when Armstrong sang the original line, “The subliminal mindf**k America”, leaving open the possibility that other comments may have been edited out for the television audience.
Although the Super Bowl performance steered clear of direct confrontation, the band’s warm-up show on Friday at San Francisco’s Pier 29 was a different story. During that concert, Armstrong took aim at immigration enforcement, telling any ICE agents in the room to “quit their shi**y a** job”.
Tensions surrounding the entertainment lineup have been high. Former President Donald Trump publicly criticized the selection of both Green Day and halftime performer Bad Bunny, calling it a “terrible choice” that would only “sow hatred”. Trump also confirmed he would not be attending the event this year.
This friction is nothing new for the band. Green Day has spent years as vocal critics of the Trump administration. At the 2024 Download Festival, they encouraged the crowd to call the former President a “fat bastard”, and as far back as 2016, they led chants of “No Trump, no K*K, no fas*ist USA”.
Adding to the political backdrop of the weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom attended the game and declared Sunday “Bad Bunny Day” in the state, a move seen as a direct counter to the right-wing backlash against the halftime headliner.
That’s how you kick off Super Bowl LX 👏 @GreenDay pic.twitter.com/lZnb37Razi
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2026
.@GreenDay gets the show started in Santa Clara! 🎸
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2026
Super Bowl LX – 6:30pm ET on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/rVjp16vmpH
Green Day performs at the Super Bowl LX Pregame show.🤘 pic.twitter.com/kD3nfBgwJP
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 8, 2026
