Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Bemoans Phone Usage at Shows, Talks Trump Election Aftermath

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong recently took part in a Q&A session in London, speaking on a number of topics. During the discussion, Armstrong spoke about the live concert experience and bemoaned seeing so many cell phones in the audience. Meanwhile, in a separate chat with NME, he also shared his thoughts in the aftermath of Donald Trump's recent victory in the presidential election.

While at the Q&A event, Armstrong spoke about his desire to have a "human experience" at shows. "Social media can be a very miserable place to be," explained the singer. "At our shows I see a lot of people holding up cell phones. You can look at a screen at home; you can look at your computer or your phone anywhere." According to the Daily Star, he added, “You can take your picture but let’s have eye contact, let’s have a human experience right now you can’t capture on a cell phone. Why would you want to listen to your favorite song going like this [holds arm in air] when you can just hear it right in front of you? I feel like a little more human contact is good."

As for his thoughts on the aftermath of the Trump election, Armstrong told NME, "Well everything feels brand new right now, and pretty raw – but I don’t think anybody was prepared and that’s why you see so much shock and outrage right now. Nobody thought Trump would win and that’s why everybody is scared out of their minds, but I think that when you get desperate and feel that you’re not heard. Already, you are starting to see demonstrations. for example there were 100,000 people in New York and there’s a lot more to come. I hope that continues."

He went on to add, "I think a lot of people are grieving, it’s like there has been a death in the family. That’s what’s going on. So I know it’s really hard to laugh while you’re scared -- that’s what comedians say, so most people are scared. When the smoke begins to clear, you’ll see creative people speaking out."

Armstrong has been on record that despite some of the racist tones that have been brought back to the forefront over the course of the election cycle, fans of all kinds will be welcome at Green Day shows. During a recent web chat with The Guardian, Armstrong stated, "We accept anyone who feels marginalized at any Green Day event. Period. Especially if you're gay or trans, black, white, brown or of any nationality. Period. Green Day is a safe place for you to be. I think it's a problem that we have to face every day, and we have to do whatever we can to fix it."

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