Press Release: December tour canceled; Jan & Feb dates postponed

[tdlyon]

I think it was a great idea to release Tre early. Of course I'm bummed about the postponement (was gonna see them 1/21), but this has actually made me feel a lot better about it, which is what they were intending I guess. All this means is that we get an amazing album a full month early, and Billie will be perfectly healthy and ready to rock our fucking faces off whenever he's ready.

This is good, and I'm happy.

[Bastard of 1967]

Why do you guys think they decided to cancel all of the club shows, but only postponed the Jan./Feb. shows?

Billie in an intimate club atmosphere where alcohol is flowing freely at stage left is not a good thing. For sure those were going to be scrubbed even if the arena shows in December/January were still "go".

[Clockwise]

Because Billie's treatment will not allow him to play Nov and Dec. They postponed Jan/Feb because they're not sure if his doctors will allow him to play those shows or not.

The rest of 2012 is for sure no, Early 2013 is still up in the air. Either they will cancel them completely or un-postpone them. It's a waiting game.

Oh, I know that. But I'm just wondering why they didn't postpone them to play on a later date as well, I guess that seemed to be a bit too much with a European tour coming up later this year as well. They said they'll announce the new dates soon, so they aren't really up in the air. When is the question. I was just wondering why they didn't just postpone the November and December dates as well, probably because they'll just have too much on their plates when they get back.

Billie in an intimate club atmosphere where alcohol is flowing freely at stage left is not a good thing. For sure those were going to be scrubbed even if the arena shows in December/January were still "go".

That's what I was thinking, as well.

[spark in the night]

oh I see what you're saying. Yeah I'm not sure either. As long as they make up for it, I'm good

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

This is obviously very sad for those who were going to go to those shows, but it makes me ... well, not happy, but it's good to see that they (or mostly Billie) is/are not going to overwork themselves and choose for Billie's health instead of to play as many shows and suffer the consequences. And it's heartwarming to see that they'll instead move the release date of Tre up for the fans (Although I do wonder how they pulled that one on Warner's marketing department, or whether it was a possibility all along to release it early)

[XxKLMxX]

I don't want Billie to be sober. I hope he comes back to the stage making fun of the whole thing. I was already missing the Geek Stink Breath-style that they had back in the day. I don't want him to come back like some weird sober responsible has-been. Have we ever really known a sober Billie? Say all you want about how he could have died but let's get real. The kid took drugs for most of his life and never had a meltdown. So he got drunk in Vegas, big fucking deal. Since he seemed totally fine before, I still get the impression that Warner or ClearChannel or whoever are behind this whole thing. He was an alcoholic back in the Insomniac days and he didn't seem like the type to volunteer for rehab. I don't know. From what we were seeing, he seemed like he was happier than ever. His family and everything seem almost too good to be true. There's such a stark difference between what his problems were back in the day to recently, so I have a hard time believing that he's having a crisis now.

Tre coming out early makes me sad because it WILL be a flop. That means there will be virtually ZERO promo for any of the albums. And think of how long it'll be until they make a new album, for real. At least we'll get it before the apocalypse XD but I may just wait until January to listen to it. I'm not sad about my concert being moved, I just hope I don't have to wait a whole year. I wish we could get a statement from Billie because right now, watching this whole trilogy thing fall apart piece-by-piece is just tragic. They were off to such a good start.

[Cori]

Billie's health is the most important thing. I've dealt with having a tour date I was going to postponed before, and that one was for an entire year. These things happen. But to those people speculating on why he'd still be out in January and February, the average rehab can take up to six months. That would be around March, I think. It makes sense for them to postpone these dates, for they have to make sure that Billie will be ready to be sent out into the environment of touring again. That's not something you can rush. I wouldn't want them to, anyways.

Is it rude that I hope by the time they're ready to tour the US again that they'll pick a different opener? I was not feeling Best Coast at all.

Best Coast is still doing the dates. They confirmed it on their Facebook page.

[farley drexel hatcher]

I don't want Billie to be sober. I hope he comes back to the stage making fun of the whole thing. I was already missing the Geek Stink Breath-style that they had back in the day. I don't want him to come back like some weird sober responsible has-been. Have we ever really known a sober Billie? Say all you want about how he could have died but let's get real. The kid took drugs for most of his life and never had a meltdown. So he got drunk in Vegas, big fucking deal. Since he seemed totally fine before, I still get the impression that Warner or ClearChannel or whoever are behind this whole thing. He was an alcoholic back in the Insomniac days and he didn't seem like the type to volunteer for rehab. I don't know. From what we were seeing, he seemed like he was happier than ever. His family and everything seem almost too good to be true. There's such a stark difference between what his problems were back in the day to recently, so I have a hard time believing that he's having a crisis now.

... Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know billie personally then? No? Then do everyone a favour and leave your ignorance out of this.

[Guest]

It is rather ironic how this music is characterized as "the most fun they've had in a while," but in retrospect, knowing what we do now (and even that is minimal information), a lot of really bad things were happening.

I guess they just wanted to have a good time while they can, but I guess all the problems just over warped everything.

[Mar]

well fucky do-da

seriously the first statement that came to mind.

at least I'll get all 3 albums before new year

I love this post.

It is rather ironic how this music is characterized as "the most fun they've had in a while," but in retrospect, knowing what we do now (and even that is minimal information), a lot of really bad things were happening.

This is why you and I couldn't do PR

I'm really sorry people are inconvenienced about the concert delays, but it's starting to sound a little bit selfish. Saying things like "I'm bummed because the concerts are now going to be when I"m at school" or "that's when exams are so now I can't listen to Tre" and "now I have to wait even longer" kind of sounds like you're missing the big picture here.

Rock God Billie Joe (and I'm not saying that to be sarcastic--I do think he's a rock god) is also a husband...a father of two boys...a real person. Anyone who has any clue about substance abuse of any kind knows that personal issues such as family and own personal health is THE #1 priority. Billie is a real person and we have to forget about our "disappointment" that the concerts are going to be some kind of 'inconvenience" to US. WE'RE worried about how it affects US????

No matter what, Green Day fans will buy the CD's, will go to the concerts, and support the band no matter what. The absence of promo for the band 2nd and 3rd albums in a trilogy is not going to make a difference. Any "new" Green Day fan that might be just hearing of Green Day is NOT going to miss out on them being on Ellen or Letterman or Conan because any "new" Green Day fan doesn't use that sort of media outlet anymore. It's all social media and iTunes.

Let's not dwell too much on the fact that the promos aren't out there because the only people it really affects is US because we just want to see them on TV and perform live and be interviewed. Let's not be selfish, people. Let's just be happy that we have not one, not two, but THREE albums by our favorite band! Yeah it'll be delayed that we see them live again, but BIllie's LIFE is more important than ANY THING! Not "life" as in "life or death" but "life" as in maintaining the IMPORTANT things to HIM--Adrienne, Joey, Jakob, and of course, Billie Joe himself.

Think twice please before posting how you're disappointed that you made plans and now you have to change them. It'll be okay. Trust me.

I kind of resent the implication that just because I'm upset doesn't mean that I don't care about Billie or his family. On the contrary, as a couple people have said here, I hope this means he won't be touring prematurely. But it doesn't mean I'm jumping for joy that I may not be able to go to a new date. It's a lose-lose situation and that's the way it is. Being "selfish" about my sadness over the postponement doesn't mean I lack sadness for Billie Joe and the band's situation. For some people, planning for these concerts is a big deal. No, the band does not force us to travel X miles and spend X dollars, but people do. And I don't think the people bummed about having their travel plans potentially negatively affected are saying the band put a gun to their head and forced them to go to these events, they're just sad. As other have said before, we don't know what the band and Billie are feeling. But we know what we're feeling and how this all affects us. I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing those feelings. You think I'm selfish? OK, fine, I can't control what you think about me. But that doesn't mean I want the band to place my convenience and over their own and their well-being.

Why do you guys think they decided to cancel all of the club shows, but only postponed the Jan./Feb. shows?

Maybe the size of the venues and the amount of revenue? It's probably easier to cut losses on small club shows than bigger arenas like the 2013 ones. My concern is whether they'll actually be able to reschedule every show.

Best Coast is still doing the dates. They confirmed it on their Facebook page.

Now that I find interesting. That either means Best Coast has nothing else planned (I find it hard to believe they weren't at least in discussion about doing a tour for themselves) or maybe they've gotten an idea about when the new dates would be.

[Guest]

I don't want Billie to be sober. I hope he comes back to the stage making fun of the whole thing. I was already missing the Geek Stink Breath-style that they had back in the day. I don't want him to come back like some weird sober responsible has-been. Have we ever really known a sober Billie? Say all you want about how he could have died but let's get real. The kid took drugs for most of his life and never had a meltdown. So he got drunk in Vegas, big fucking deal. Since he seemed totally fine before, I still get the impression that Warner or ClearChannel or whoever are behind this whole thing. He was an alcoholic back in the Insomniac days and he didn't seem like the type to volunteer for rehab. I don't know. From what we were seeing, he seemed like he was happier than ever. His family and everything seem almost too good to be true. There's such a stark difference between what his problems were back in the day to recently, so I have a hard time believing that he's having a crisis now.

He's not a teenager anymore, he has a family to care about, he has kids. If you see him in interviews and videos about him and his family, he wants to be a good model for Joey and Jakob. Even though he still acts a bit crazy on stage, in an event like this. He knows it's the right and MATURE way to go. We don't know what's actually going on personally, but all we know is that he seems to want to improve himself and become better than before. The way you see things just screams ignorance (as what 'achin' to be' just told you) and idiotic-nesss. Maybe that's what you think he is, but people grow up and change. And Billie wants to change his life for the better after this event.

[Bastard of 1967]

I don't want Billie to be sober. I hope he comes back to the stage making fun of the whole thing. I was already missing the Geek Stink Breath-style that they had back in the day. I don't want him to come back like some weird sober responsible has-been. Have we ever really known a sober Billie? Say all you want about how he could have died but let's get real. The kid took drugs for most of his life and never had a meltdown. So he got drunk in Vegas, big fucking deal. Since he seemed totally fine before, I still get the impression that Warner or ClearChannel or whoever are behind this whole thing. He was an alcoholic back in the Insomniac days and he didn't seem like the type to volunteer for rehab. I don't know. From what we were seeing, he seemed like he was happier than ever. His family and everything seem almost too good to be true. There's such a stark difference between what his problems were back in the day to recently, so I have a hard time believing that he's having a crisis now.

I don't even know where the fuck to begin with you.

Billie is 40. He's not 18, 19, 20. TRUST ME when you get old, your body can't handle the shit it used to be able to 20 years ago, especially not if it's substances that are raising hell with you. "Back in the day" he was on speed, his body could handle it, and everybody got a good laugh out of that wired jackass making a fool of himself on stage. "He seemed like he was happier than ever?" Look into his fucking eyes toward the end of the recent Irving Plaza show, man. Those ain't happy eyes, that's Sid Vicious wasted on at least alcohol and God knows what else -- maybe even cocaine or heroin. Whatever he was juiced on when the show started (notice how everyone else in the band was looking like "whew, looks like Billie is OK tonight"?) began to wear off maybe around midway through the show -- and you see him then going sidestage, chugging beer after beer trying to get himself buzzed again. By the end, you've got a half-crazed, half-drunk, half-stoned looking man staggering around on stage, forgetting his lyrics, stumbling through his guitar riffs, climbing speakers and falling into the crowd, doing whirling dervishes and silly dances on stage (what an early childhood development professional would call "sensory-seeking behavior") just doing whatever he could to grind himself through the rest of the set. That is not the Billie Joe Armstrong I came to know and respect during the last two tour cycles. That's not the "controlled explosion" that's made Green Day one of the best live acts around. That's going off the fucking rails, right in front of your eyes, letting your bandmates down in the process, and it's sad. Really, really sad. And just a week later he went ape-shit at iHeart. You could see it coming if you were looking closely. For about the last year and a half Billie's falling off the wagon again has been covered up and excused by everyone around him, and finally it hit the point where nobody could cover for him anymore. "Seeming totally fine before" doesn't mean anything when it was all a facade to begin with, and you know the old saying -- when things seem too good to be true, they probably aren't.

Have we ever known a sober Billie? Yes, between 2003 and 2009 (between after his DUI citation and before AIOB wrapped up in New York). I like him and respect him a lot more that way, and he needs to be sober in order to keep giving his kids something he didn't have for himself growing up: a stable life with an involved father present in it. Your post makes it sound like he instead somehow owes you something, like he's here only for your amusement. "Entertain me, motherfucker, and I don't care what it costs you, even if it costs you your goddamn life." -- is that what you're saying?? Let me be perfectly clear: All that he owes, he owes to himself, his family, his bandmates and business partners, and maybe a few of his closest friends outside that circle. He doesn't owe you -- or me -- jack shit.

[kate_ochoxx]

that was mine

[farley drexel hatcher]

There was also the way he broke down during WMUWSE. I wasn't at the show obviously, but it shook me up to hear that after all this time he actually broke down during that song.

I also feel like the Foxboro Hot Tubs - starting out as a fun way to burn off energy and blow of steam - turned into this darker being toward the end, specially the last handful of shows they did. And it seemed with more and more shows they did over the last year he was bringing that persona into Green Day shows as well, getting drunk on stage, wasted even. I wouldn't say he's been sober since 2003, but he knew how to handle himself and wasn't getting drunk on stage. He simply lost that recently.

I will say though that the silly dancing started off at Shepherds Bush, and it actually just started off with him doing this funny little jig no one really noticed during Hitchin A Ride; then when people started to laugh he went to town with it XD But that was spontaneous, while at every other show since its been planned, which as you say is kind of odd at best. Almost like, 'I got a rise out of this before let's try it again'.

[Bastard of 1967]

There was also the way he broke down during WMUWSE. I wasn't at the show obviously, but it shook me up to hear that after all this time he actually broke down during that song.

Good point. 40, 30 years nearly to the day after his dad passed, one kid growing up well and his oldest about to leave the nest, that is more than enough to shake up any one of us. Then add the rock star bubble and expectations, plus the largest and most risky project you've ever attempted in your life, to that. You need to be grounded in something other than booze and pills or even the seemingly strongest of us are gonna crumble under that. Calling a halt to, well, basically, everything and finally getting around to healing some old wounds that desperately needed it is probably the best thing he could have done for himself (and the best that his friends/family could convince him to do). It sucks for all of us as fans, but as I've said already and will say again as often as necessary: this ain't about us.

[Gregorovich]

Good point. 40, 30 years nearly to the day after his dad passed, one kid growing up well and his oldest about to leave the nest, that is more than enough to shake up any one of us. Then add the rock star bubble and expectations, plus the largest and most risky project you've ever attempted in your life, to that. You need to be grounded in something other than booze and pills or even the seemingly strongest of us are gonna crumble under that. Calling a halt to, well, basically, everything and finally getting around to healing some old wounds that desperately needed it is probably the best thing he could have done for himself (and the best that his friends/family could convince him to do). It sucks for all of us as fans, but as I've said already and will say again as often as necessary: this ain't about us.

When did Billie break down during WMUWSE? I don't believe I heard about this.

[WestboundSign!]

I somehow saw this coming.. Seemes like this announcement was just a matter of time. I know it sucks for all the US fans and it might end up delaying other tours like the australian or europe one as well.. but what's important is the band's health, in this case especially Billie's. I'm glad the boys take the time they need and it's also super kind to let the fans at least listen to iTré! in advance then.

[Schlappy]

I think the only response to this is you have no idea whats going on right now, none of us do. how can you say "oh he looked fine to me". you dont have a clue and none of us do. thats basically it

[whitechristmas]

Wow, unlike everyone else, this took me by surprise. Although most of us going to the US shows are kinda bummed, I took this as a blessing in disguise. My show's going to be in January, and I run the risk of trying to get there in a blizzard or having roads getting closed. I'd much rather have the show later on in the year. I guess we just gotta let Billie Joe take his time to get better.

[jacknovella]

When did Billie break down during WMUWSE? I don't believe I heard about this.

It's towards the end of the song after the solo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjUr04h_gf4

[ChelseaDagger]

The extreme overwhelming excited high I felt when I got tickets to the small venue shows in California has an equally matching all time low that I am feeling right now.

of course I am concerned for Billie's health, but that doesn't erase the disappointment on losing out on an experience of a lifetime (in my case travelling to California to see GD in a venue other than a giant arena). Yes I'm upset that it's all out cancelled, and not just postponed. That doesn't mean I don't care about Billie, and Green Day as a whole. It means I'm dissapointed and sad. That's all.

[basketcase85]

I don't want Billie to be sober. I hope he comes back to the stage making fun of the whole thing. I was already missing the Geek Stink Breath-style that they had back in the day. I don't want him to come back like some weird sober responsible has-been. Have we ever really known a sober Billie? Say all you want about how he could have died but let's get real. The kid took drugs for most of his life and never had a meltdown. So he got drunk in Vegas, big fucking deal. Since he seemed totally fine before, I still get the impression that Warner or ClearChannel or whoever are behind this whole thing. He was an alcoholic back in the Insomniac days and he didn't seem like the type to volunteer for rehab. I don't know. From what we were seeing, he seemed like he was happier than ever. His family and everything seem almost too good to be true. There's such a stark difference between what his problems were back in the day to recently, so I have a hard time believing that he's having a crisis now.

Just because a person seems fine on the outside does not mean they actually are. We have no idea what was going on in his personal life, what struggles he was going through.

He may have been able to handle drugs and drink in the past, but now something has gotten out of control, and he's seeking help. To say you don't want him to be sober is a very selfish response, he is not here to just entertain you.

Also to still think this is some cover-up for the iheartradio incident is ridiculous.

[fatherotti]

The extreme overwhelming excited high I felt when I got tickets to the small venue shows in California has an equally matching all time low that I am feeling right now.

of course I am concerned for Billie's health, but that doesn't erase the disappointment on losing out on an experience of a lifetime (in my case travelling to California to see GD in a venue other than a giant arena). Yes I'm upset that it's all out cancelled, and not just postponed. That doesn't mean I don't care about Billie, and Green Day as a whole. It means I'm dissapointed and sad. That's all.

Beating out thousands of others for a chance at tix...to a theater show...in California. That's the part that hurts the most. This chance may never come again.

[Gregorovich]

It's towards the end of the song after the solo.

Wow, that is quite something. Must have been one of the most emotional stage moments of his life.

[The Grohl]

Best Coast is still doing the dates. They confirmed it on their Facebook page.

Ugh...yay

I honestly though GD would get someone more...energetic than this band.