Billie Joe Armstrong speaks out for those hit by LA wildfires and calls out “shitposting” at The Coverups London gig

16 January, 2025

Billie Joe Armstrong performing live on stage

Billie Joe Armstrong has shared his support for those caught up in the LA wildfires, while calling out some of the online “shitposting” about the disaster.

The Green Day frontman delivered an impassioned speech during an intimate gig with his covers band, The Coverups, at the O2 Islington Academy in north London last night (January 15).

“I just wanted to tell you guys to keep everybody in your hearts, and don’t be afraid to reach out or anything like that,” Armstrong told the crowd ahead of the show’s final song – a cover of ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding’.

“I don’t know… This is gonna keep going for a long time,” he continued. “I don’t know how specifically you can do anything [to help] right now ’cause there’s a lot of stuff that’s on the internet, that people just are shitposting right now.”

The singer and guitarist, who is from Oakland, California, then introduced the “last song” of the evening. “I just want to dedicate it to the people that are survivors of [the California wildfires],” he said. “This song’s called ‘Peace, Love And Understanding’.”

The original track was written by Nick Lowe, and initially released with his band Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. It was famously covered by Elvis Costello and The Attractions, and featured on the US version of their 1979 album ‘Armed Forces’.

You can see fan-shot footage of the moment here:

According to a recent CNN report, at least 25 people have died in the Los Angeles wildfires. BBC News reported yesterday (January 15) that 13 people were still missing. Forecasters also identified an area of “extreme fire danger” due to high winds.

The blazes, now raging for over a week, have destroyed approximately 12,000 structures and forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents from their homes.

Many figures from the entertainment world have been affected by the devastation, with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith confirming that his home in Malibu had been destroyed and Primus’ Ler LaLonde revealing that his residence had been reduced to ruins.

Meanwhile, Paris Hilton has opened up about watching her house burn down, while James Woods, Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes and Mark Hamill are among the other high-profile names to have been impacted.

Hilton later launched a fund to help families who have lost their homes, and donated $100,000. “I am matching the first $100,000 of this fundraiser and personally contributing $100,000 directly to my nonprofit to support,” she wrote.

Beyoncé has donated $2.5million to the wildfire relief fund in LA, after her mother Tina Knowles revealed that her Malibu bungalow had been destroyed in the fires. Elsewhere, Metallica donated $500,000 to support the efforts.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 people in the music community in Los Angeles are being supported by a charity following the fatal blazes. Read NME‘s full report here.

The Coverups played 26 songs at their show in London yesterday, per Setlist.FM. Armstrong and co. took on classics by the likes of David Bowie, The Strokes, Nirvana, The Clash and The Undertones.

Last year, The Coverups were joined onstage by Courtney Love at another small gig in the capital.

The group also features Green Day’s Mike Dirnt along with the trio’s touring member Jason White, their audio engineer Chris Dugan, tour manager Bill Schneider (also of Pinhead Gunpowder), and musician Greg Schneider.

In other news, Billie Joe Armstrong recently watched a singer cover Green Day at the historic Cavern Club in Liverpool.

Green Day’s latest album ‘Saviors’ is nominated for the Best Rock Album award at the Grammys 2025 next month. Additionally, they are in the running for Best Rock Performance (‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’) and Best Rock Song (‘Dilemma’).

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