Billie Joe Armstrong has gone to rehab following a foul-mouthed onstage meltdown at the weekend.
He’s seeking help for “substance abuse” issues after telling a Las Vegas crowd Green Day’s set had been cut short, then smashing his guitar and throwing his mic away.
Now the band, who release new album Uno! today, have been forced to admit it wasn’t true.
In a brief statement Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool say: “Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse. We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short and to apologise to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival.
“We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances.”
Armstrong forced the cancellation of a show in Italy earlier this month, with the band saying he was suffering from extreme dehydration. In 2003 he was arrested for drink-driving. He’d admitted using drugs in the past but had said he’d moved on.
Fans were quick to send best wishes to the frontman, with many supporting his onstage statements even though the band distanced themselves from them.
During the rant he said: “Let me fucking tell you something. I’ve been around since fucking nineteen-eighty-fucking-eight. You’re going to give me one fucking minute? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. What the fuck? I’m not fucking Justin Bieber, you motherfuckers.”
Green Day were due to appear in Los Angeles tonight with two TV appearances and three other events booked for later in the week. They’re scheduled to play at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on October 27 with a US tour kicking off on November 26.
Meanwhile, Richie Sambora has reacted to Armstrong’s recent claim that Bon Jovi were the worst band he’d ever played with.
The guitarist tells Rolling Stone: “I have no idea what happened with that – I actually don’t recall them opening for us. Either I was incapacitated at that point, or I just don’t remember it. I’m sorry he had such a bad time.”
source: classicrockmagazine.com
