After 14 years, Marshall has released a new signature amp, this time in collaboration with Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong. The 1959BJA artist signature amplifier was crafted to replicate Billie Joe’s signature raw, crunchy sound, inspired specifically by Green Day’s Dookie era. On Monday, July 20th, Marshall and Billie Joe Armstrong celebrated the launch by hosting a free promotional show at The Roxy in West Hollywood.
Billie Joe Armstrong formed The Coverups in 2018 with longtime friends Jason White on guitar, Bill Schneider on bass, and Chris Dugan on drums. They tend to play spontaneous shows a couple times a year doing exactly what you’d expect them to, play nothing but covers. There is something uniquely special about watching one of your musical heroes pay tribute to theirs. The fact that they’re usually at small venues is pretty cool too.
The show was announced only a week in advance, and RSVP’s were gone within minutes. With the event being first come first serve and entry not guaranteed, fans were stressing about making it inside. So much so, that they started lining up on Sunset Boulevard at 3 a.m.! By 3 p.m., it was already taking up half the block, which is crazy considering the fact that the doors opened at 8. Fortunately, the Green Day and side project community is one of the best. It doesn’t really feel like you’re waiting around for hours when you’re spending it hanging out and catching up with old and new friends. The sense of community is just as important as the music and the ones that are playing it.
Right before doors opened, fans were handed scratch off tickets that read, “Everyone’s A Winner”.
When walking in, it was apparent that Marshall and The Roxy had gone all out for this event, it absolutely felt like a promotional party! Even the bar had Dookie themed drinks for the occasion. Also, not to mention how many posters there were that everyone was just taking them off the walls. I was lucky enough to bring home two.
When I was going to redeem my scratcher, I was given two numbered guitar picks to enter into a raffle. Later in the night, Billie (with the help of a young fan) picked 3 raffle winners who got to take home a t-shirt, a pair of headphones, and an amp! In addition to the cool new guitar pick, the scratcher redeemed me a lighter, a sticker pack, and 2 buttons. This was a really thoughtful touch that excited the fans.
It was then time to reserve my spot for the opener, The Death Chat. Fronted by Armstrong’s son, Jakob, The Death Chat’s indie power pop punk sound made them a great opener for the night. One significant moment was when they performed “King Of The World”, the first song that Jakob ever wrote. This was definitely exciting to watch, and was especially meaningful knowing that the room was full of fans and people that have watched him grow since then. The Death Chat recently released their self titled album and are currently supporting Bad Nerves on their West Coast tour. I highly recommend you check them out in the future whenever you can.
After a short wait, The Coverups hit the stage. Billie thanked the crowd for coming out to celebrate, and reassured us that we would hear more about the amp throughout the night. It sounded pretty good to me! He even teased us with a snippet of “Brain Stew”, which gave everyone a good laugh. They went on to perform 26 songs, some being Coverups essentials, songs that Green Day has covered in the past, and some live debuts that we’ve never heard before, “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “I Melt With You”. A moment that got me emotional came before Nirvana’s “Drain You”, when Billie Joe dedicated the song to Jennifer Finch. Several exciting guests made special appearances throughout the night. Eden Galindo joined the band for guitar on Mötley Crüe’s “Live Wire”, and legendary producer Rob Cavallo played guitar to end the night on Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”. This was an extremely special moment for me and I know many others.
Here’s the setlist.
1. Hello There (Cheap Trick cover)
2. A Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls cover)
3. I Think We’re Alone Now (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)
4. I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones cover)
5. Sometime To Return (Soul Asylum cover)
6. Message Of Love (Pretenders cover)
7. Summer Of ’69 (Bryan Adams cover)
8. American Girl (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
9. I Fought The Law (The Clash cover)
10. Do You Wanna Dance? (Ramones cover, The Coverups live debut)
11. Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks cover)
12. I Melt With You (Modern English cover, The Coverups live debut)
13. Rockaway Beach (Ramones cover)
14. Bastards of Young (The Replacements cover)
15. Love is for Losers (The Longshot cover)
16. Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover)
17. Last Nite (The Strokes cover)
18. Drain You (Nirvana cover, dedicated to the late Jennifer Finch of L7.)
19. Fox on the Run (Sweet cover)
20. Should I Stay or Should I go (The Clash cover,
fan brought on stage to sing Spanish parts.)
21. We Got the Beat (Go-Go’s cover)
22. Live Wire (Mötley Crüe cover, Eden Galindo joined on guitar)
23. Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
24. Talk Dirty to Me (Poison cover)
25. Dancing With Myself (Generation X cover)
26. Surrender (Cheap Trick cover, Rob Cavallo joined on guitar!)
There aren’t many things better than hearing the person who introduced you to punk and rock sing the soundtrack to your life. You can watch my videos of Billie’s “Crazy Train” solo, “Drain You”, “Ever Fallen In Love”, “Live Wire, “Surrender”, ” and The Death Chat’s “That’s Cool”.
Though of course there’s bound to be those who can be pushy, and demand things like autographs, or to hear Green Day hits, The Coverups shows have never really been about that. They’re simply just a band of friends playing the music they love to people that love it just as much.
Seeing Billie Joe Armstrong’s side projects will always be greatly sentimental to me. There is just something fascinating about looking around at the tiny 500 cap room and realizing one of the most influential musicians of the last 3 decades is standing just a few feet away from you. The man that can sell out stadiums, is selling a Marshall signature amp, is playing a show like this for free. That’s only apart of what makes these shows so special. This one at The Roxy was particularly because we were the first group of people to hear the new Marshall 1959BJA signature, and I think that’s the last time for me. Unless I magically win $4,000 anytime soon.
I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Billie Joe Armstrong’s side projects several times over the years, starting when I was just 14 years old, and every one of them have been exceptional and in the same spirit. A strong sense of community, good causes, a genuine love for music, and a want to have fun. That feeling never changes, whether it’s in a giant stadium or a tiny club.
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