Rock band Green Day pays tribute to Palestine during Coachella performance

Popular US rock band Green Day paid tribute to children in Palestine during their headlining set at the US Coachella music festival by altering one line in their lyrics.

Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of the band, changed the lyrics to their hit song "Jesus of Suburbia" in solidarity with the children in Gaza suffering under Israel's over one year long war on the enclave.

Instead of singing the original line "running away from pain when you've been victimised", Armstrong sings "running away from pain like the kids from Palestine", drawing cheers from the crowd.

The performance came as Israel continues to bombard hospitals, displacement shelters, and prevent vital food aid and medicine from entering into the Strip.

The blockade has left at least 60,000 children "at risk of serious health complications due to malnutrition," Palestine's ministry of health said last week, raising the alarm over the humanitarian situation.

The change in lyrics from the band has been widely praised by users online, who hailed the reference to Palestine and voiced appreciation over them highlighting the condition of children in the enclave.

"I don't feel any shame I won't apologize. When there ain't no where we can go. RUNNING AWAY FROM PAIN LIKE THE KIDS FROM PALESTINE. OHMYGOD I LOVE GREEN DAY SO MUCH!!!!!," one user wrote.

 

 

 

 

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"Billie Joe mentioning Palestine at Coachella when I have lost friends & family members due to this genocide is exactly why i love him & continue to defend Green Day with my life," wrote another.

"Billie Joe just changed the lyrics of jesus of suburbia at coachella to "running away from pain like the kids from palestine" rock n roll is so back i love you green day," one user added.

Armstrong also modified the opening lines of "American Idiot" to say, "I'm not part of the MAGA agenda", referring to Donald Trump's commonly used slogan of "Make America Great Again".

The lead singer has previously shown support for Palestine during performances, having raised a Palestinian flag at a concert in Malaysia.

Green Day has never shied away from embedding politics into their music, with "Jesus of Suburbia" being about a disgruntled youth dealing with the economy and wartime policies with drugs and denial.

The album "American Idiot" introduces the concept of post-9/11 America through the eyes of the band.

Armstrong also made other references and changes to lyrics during "Jesus of Suburbia", singing, "Am I retarded, or am I just J.D. Vance", replacing "Am I retarded, or am I just overjoyed" in a performance in March.

Coachella, attended by 100,000 festival-goers, also saw Palestine solidarity from US politician Bernie Sanders, making a surprise appearance to introduce folk singer Clairo and her band. 

Speaking to the crowd, Sanders, a vocal critic of Israel's war on Gaza, praised Clairo for using her platform to fight for women's rights and to help end the war.

At the same time,  Irish band Kneecap reportedly critiqued the festival organisers for removing their pro-Palestinian message from their YouTube livestream while also calling Israel's war a genocide during their performance on Saturday.