Billie Joe Armstrong thanks alcohol for Green Day success

[BadgerLALA]

They don't seem to be drunk on stage. At least not when I saw them.

[Guest]

theyve been drinking for quite awhile, a six pack of beer and a couple shots probably doesn't make them near as drunk as it would me or a lot of other people on here.

i'm not really surprised that they drink a bit before going out on stage, but i think it's kind of weird that he's talking about it in an interview like this.

[Eighty.]

They didn't really look drunk but if they need to drink to make that great shows it disappoints me.

[MCC]

I think they are grown men that are allowed to drink when they want to drink. I have followed numerous tour threads and they just don't seem smashed to me, nor have I seen anyone come back from a show saying "OMG! I got onstage with GD but they reeked of alcohol." No worries guys, I highly doubt they are drinking as much as this article makes it appear.

[Ellenkc]

Out of context much? When I read the Q article I thought it was pretty obvious they were talking about Insomniac/Nimrod because Billie was talking about earlier tours. I wouldn't really care if this was recent anyway, they are obviously not smashed every night and even the quote says a six-pack and shots weren't an everyday kind of thing.

It's not as if I didn't know they drank a good bit, that's not really a shocking amount of drink anyway! Or maybe I'm just used to seeing that kind of thing

I wouldn't even care if it was true, none of the band are alcoholic messes and who cares if they need something to loosen them up before playing in front of 20,000+ people? The concerts are brilliant, if they need a few drinks to make that happen so be it.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

I think they are grown men that are allowed to drink when they want to drink.

*gasp* omg no! If they don't go straight edge right the fuck now I'm never going to listen to them again!

[Armageddon Flame.]

It's not as if I didn't know they drank a good bit, that's not really a shocking amount of drink anyway! Or maybe I'm just used to seeing that kind of thing

Reading through the responses to this thread, I've come to the conclusion that us Irish have a deluded vision when it comes to what is a large consumption of alcohol

I know I've stated this in this thread before, but I can't believe how shocked some people are, these are the guys that contributed to creating a religion(albeit a mock one, for most anyway ) that glorifies drinking! It's no big deal that they have a few beers before the show

[Holly Ann]

I'm not sure if I was expecting that or not. Meh, I'm not sure what to think. Fair enough, to help them onstage. I know I would. But not a freakin' six pack and shots! Yeah, I suppose it portrays a bad image, but really, how many people would it actually affect? I suppose it's informed me that they're not as thoughtful about their shows as I though.

[ParadoxAndPlaid]

What source is this coming from? It sounds awfully exaggerative. I know they drink during shows, We've all seen them with beers and all, but I doubt they are drunk. Maybe at Foxboro Gigs they get drunk. But I don't think they're really drunk during concerts. I mean, they certainly don't act it.

[DecanoLP]

By the way: Does anyone have a scan or a link to the full article? It sounds kinda interesting since he talked about old tours

[Little Girl Little One]

I'm pretty sure "a six-pack and a couple of shots" is just a bit of an exaggeration. Like people before me said, maybe they used to, but there's no way they do that now unless they have some sort of huge tolerance. I was right up against the barrier at the concert I went to and yeah, they might have been buzzed, but not DRUNK.

[stuart_and_the_ave]

By the way: Does anyone have a scan or a link to the full article? It sounds kinda interesting since he talked about old tours

It's from the latest Q magazine. Links are in this thread

[Smoothed Out]

They never seemed like completely steaming to me, when they were onstage. But I can understand why they do it, and it's not like they're the first or the last to drink before performing

[euphoric-pareidolias]

isnt like, a tradition for them to have a shot of vodka before each show.. or was that just made up?

[Rosie May]

They never seem drunk to me, just a little loosened up. Maybe he's talking about Foxy's shows a little bit as well

[allieebarbour]

I hope this is exaggerated, otherwise, I kinda feel, let down-ish(?)

[Rosie May]

I hope this is exaggerated, otherwise, I kinda feel, let down-ish(?)

It's from the Q article but kind of taken a little out of context, well not out of context but they only focus on a tiny part of the article and made there own article about it.

[Tubbie Head]

I don't think he is that drunk at GD shows... He could have drunk some beers and such, but he seems pretty sober...

But y'know, I don't like to think that he or any of the band members need to be drunk to put on a great show...

[MCC]

*gasp* omg no! If they don't go straight edge right the fuck now I'm never going to listen to them again!

Sarcasm noted Sanne!

Just saying people are making such a big deal out of this for nothing. No one sees anything wrong with them drinking during FBHT shows but are let down by GD drinking before a show? I just don't see what what big deal is.

[colour_me_stupid_]

I agree with Hermione, but even if they were drinking 6 packs of beer and a couple of shots before each show, I wouldn't give a shit.

[GDM]

I'm actually really surprised that anyone is surprised that the guys used to get hammered before their shows. It's pretty obvious that there was a time were they drank... a lot, as well as were probably quite high. I'm sure that they still get a bit knackered before shows now, but probably not as much as they used to.

[Peace and Rainbows]

I'm surprised that they aren't on the waiting list to get a liver transplant

[Katarina.]

If they think that works, then that's great. Here's what I know:

Green Day is an amazing band. They put on great live shows, they give you the time of your life. There's no alcohol needed for that.

[Guest Mia Joe]

I can see why they need some drinks to get really pumped, but I don't think they drink 'til they're stupid drunk, just tipsy. At Foxboro Hot Tubs shows however, it's mandatory! If I ever see a FBHT show, I hope they're totally wasted!

[Karen.]

Sarcasm noted Sanne!

Just saying people are making such a big deal out of this for nothing. No one sees anything wrong with them drinking during FBHT shows but are let down by GD drinking before a show? I just don't see what what big deal is.

Maybe it has something to do with the ratio of FBHT shows to GD shows. Over the last 2 years, it's something like 3:130 right?!