Green Day wasted no time making an impression at Super Bowl LX, kicking off the pregame show with a punchy medley from their 2005 album American Idiot – and leaving some viewers stunned in the process.
The Bay Area trio opened with their anti-war track 'Holiday', launching straight into the high-octane anthem without altering the original lyrics. From there, they transitioned seamlessly into 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong prowling the stage as the crowd roared along.
© Getty ImagesBut it was when the band launched into their signature hit 'American Idiot' that the performance truly raised eyebrows.
As the song built toward one of its most infamous lines, Billie appeared to sing the lyric “the subliminal mind-f--- America” as originally written. While broadcast censors seemingly attempted to muffle the expletive, many viewers at home claimed the F-bomb was still audible – and social media lit up almost instantly.
© AFP via Getty ImagesGiven the NFL's notoriously tight broadcast standards, the moment came as a surprise to fans who weren’t expecting such an unfiltered rendition during one of the most heavily watched television events of the year.
There had been speculation in the lead-up to the game about whether the band might tweak certain lyrics for the occasion, as they have done in past performances. Instead, the group largely stuck to the original version – and the result was a blink-and-you-miss-it controversy that divided viewers.
© Getty Images"Been looking forward to this for weeks and yall let us down. Really disappointed," wrote one fan on social media. "Not appropriate for a family show, what were they thinking?!" wrote another.
Others acknowledged the band for staying true to their punk roots, with another fan writing: "We are with you. We know you wanted to go further." A fourth said: Come on Pats, come on Green Day, make America punk again.”
Either way, it ensured the pregame show became one of the most talked-about moments of the night – even before kickoff.
© Getty ImagesSuper Bowl LX, held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, sees the New England Patriots facing off against the Seattle Seahawks. Green Day were among several artists performing during the pregame entertainment lineup, which also featured Coco Jones singing 'Lift Every Voice and Sing', Brandi Carlile performing 'America the Beautiful', and Charlie Puth delivering the national anthem.
But while the game itself promises plenty of drama, it was Green Day's explosive – and slightly uncensored – throwback set that had viewers doing a double take before the first whistle had even blown.
