Billie Joe Armstrong thinks transgender Green Day fans show how important the band is in rock music.
In an interview with Billboard, the singer was asked if performing full classic albums on tours is a good way to connect with fans. He replied, referring to their recent concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco:
“Playing it the other night at the Fillmore, just looking at people’s faces, there were people that were crying. I saw this one person that was in the crowd that was transgender, and I could see the tears coming out. I realized how far we’ve come. Green Day has been a space for people to feel a connection with people that are kindred spirits.”
Armstrong Is Surprised When He Sees People Cry
He went on to talk about their fans’ reaction to their older songs:
“It was really heavy to see people just sort of – we’re playing ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Whatsername’ and ‘Are We The Waiting’ and people [are] just crying. I was kind of taken aback by it. I think it’s great that bands are revisiting their albums because these are works of art. [Weezer’s] ‘Blue Album’ is a work of art, just as much as ‘Tommy’ is a work of art. This sounds really pretentious, but it’s like when an orchestra is playing Mozart. I think rock music is just as important.”
Billie Talked About Sexual Identities Before
The vocalist also previously told People in January of this year that he likes being a bisexual icon:
“I like it. I think it’s f*cking cool that someone calls me a bisexual icon. I’ve seen that before. I’m like, ‘F*ck, yeah!’”
Armstrong also discussed the big changes of the ’90s:
“Being a Gen X-er, I feel like there was a seed that got planted where it was the era in the ’90s that we came up, where men were discovering more of being with other men and being more bisexual, and coming out with that, whether it was someone like Kurt Cobain or what I was saying.”
In the rest of his chat, Billie also said he supports transgender people and thinks the fear around them is close-minded. He believes parents should let their kids be themselves.