Bay Area pop-punk band Green Day returned to their roots on April 2 for a high-energy sold-out show at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. The two-hour set rocked through their latest album,  2024's Saviors, and 2004's American Idiot in full — but the four-time GRAMMY winners were performing for more than just a homecoming. 

The band (which is known for performing "secret" shows outside of their typical stadium-sized environs) performed as part of the "Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert," an event co-hosted by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Recording Academy. Now in its second iteration, the concert aims to raise awareness of the human rights crisis resulting from climate change. Green Day were selected as an international honoree for their commitment to social and environmental justice. 

"As world renowned artists and activists, Green Day continues to leverage its major influence and platform to bring awareness to the impact of climate change on the people and the environment," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights  Volker Türk said in a release. "The United Nations was founded in San Francisco almost 80 years ago….It is only fitting that we are back in San Francisco promoting human rights-based approaches and solutions to the climate crisis as co-hosts along with the Recording Academy."

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Proceeds from the concert will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice initiatives and a dedicated Right Here, Right Now climate fund at MusiCares to help musicians affected by climate change.

The slogan "Right Here, Right Now" was projected onto the stage before each set. Following openers Ultra Q (fronted by Jakob Armstrong, Billie Joe’s son), the now five-piece Green Day powered through through song after song at breakneck speed, with zero small-talk between songs — except just once.

"This one goes out to all you weird motherf—ing QAnon motherf—ers out there," Billie Joe Armstrong said to the crowd. Then Green Day then launched into "Living in the '20s," the twelfth track on Saviors, a song that calls out shootings, robots, the media and more.

It’s doubtful there were too many right-wing-leaning, QAnon-supporting people in the audience: the Fillmore show felt more like a gathering of super fans who have probably followed Green Day for the majority of their decades-long career. In total, Green Day has been nominated for 17 GRAMMYs and won four times. 

The biggest hit of the night was arguably "American Idiot," the title track of the album that won Best Rock Album at the 2005 GRAMMYs. As the band performed "American Idiot," dozens of people in the crowd held their phones up to record video of the performance, and many people could be seen singing along with Armstrong. Fans waved their arms and cheered during the song "Jesus of Suburbia."

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Green Day got their start in the late '80s/early '90s Bay Area punk scene and helped spearhead that era’s punk surge into the mainstream. But the band’s early days were spent playing garages and tiny shows far outside San Francisco, in small Bay Area towns like Pinole and Rodeo. The name "Green Day" is essentially a cannabis reference: "It was absolutely about pot," Armstrong told Bill Maher. "We were trying to be the Cheech and Chong of punk rock."

To say they’ve transcended that simple goal is an understatement. The band has sold tens of millions of records and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2010, a stage adaptation of "American Idiot" debuted on Broadway, and the musical was later nominated for three Tony Awards. 

The April 2 show was evidence that the band didn’t achieve success by accident: they are precise, tight, and as energetic now as they’ve always been. No frills, no filler. Just straight-up Green Day. 

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As four-time GRAMMY winners and 17-time GRAMMY nominees, Green Day have an uncommonly visible platform in the music industry. And we're seeing them use it for critical, world-repairing ends.

Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (Right Here, Right Now) is proud to announce Green Day as the headliners and international honorees of the United Nations Human Rights-supported Mini Global Climate Concert. Taking place Tuesday, April 2, at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California, the event aims to combat the human rights crisis resulting from climate change. Co-hosted by United Nations Human Rights and the Recording Academy, the event will also recognize Green Day for their longstanding commitment to social justice and environmental causes.

Tickets for the intimate benefit concert will go on sale Friday, March 29, at noon PT/3 p.m. ET through Ticketmaster. Proceeds from Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concerts will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice initiatives and a dedicated Right Here, Right Now climate fund at MusiCares to help musicians affected by climate change. MusiCares is the leading music charity providing music professionals health and human services across a spectrum of needs.

The Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series is bringing together some of the most popular stadium acts to perform at intimate concert venues around the globe, while shining a light on the human rights-based approaches and solutions to climate change and the suffering it causes. The Green Day concert is the second installment of the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series, which kicked off last April with an intimate concert headlined by Wesley Schultz, lead singer and co-founder of the two-time GRAMMY-nominated band the Lumineers, and six-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Yola as a special guest. The Mini Global Climate Concert Series is part of the Right Here, Right Now Music initiative, a collaboration between the Recording Academy and the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (Right Here, Right Now), which launched last April and aims to combat the human rights crisis resulting from climate change.

Read More: How The Recording Academy And United Nations Human Rights Are Tackling Climate Change: 5 Takeaways From The Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series

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"We are pleased to recognize Green Day and excited for the incredible band to help us launch the international Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series," states Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. "As world-renowned artists and activists, Green Day continues to leverage its major influence and platform to bring awareness to the impact of climate change on the people and the environment. The United Nations was founded in San Francisco almost 80 years ago to safeguard human rights and dignity from crisis and tragedy. It is only fitting that we are back in San Francisco promoting human rights-based approaches and solutions to the climate crisis as co-hosts along with the Recording Academy."

David Clark, founder and CEO of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, said, "It's a privilege and honor to have Green Day headline the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert in San Francisco. We selected the band, as Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool have been at the forefront promoting social justice initiatives for decades. When iconic artists like Green Day leverage their global platform to promote climate justice, the world takes notice. In their new song ‘Saviors,’ they mention they're 'the last of the rockers making a commotion,' which we're all grateful for. I believe when you stand for something – you stand out, and they certainly do!"

"Music is one of humanity's greatest resources. It moves the world," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said. "Our organization exists to harness music's power to make a better world. We are proud to be co-hosting the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert with the United Nations Human Rights team and we are grateful for Green Day's longstanding dedication to promoting social justice."

Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, California, Green Day is one of the most popular and best-selling bands of all time with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and 10 billion cumulative audio/visual streams.

On January 19, 2024, Green Day released their highly anticipated 14th studio album, Saviors, which debuted at No.1 on seven different Billboard charts and marked their fifth No.1 in the UK. On May 30, Green Day will kick off their massive global stadium tour – The Saviors Tour — where they'll play Dookie and American Idiot in their entirety, along with other Saviors cuts and fan favorites. The tour will conclude on September 28 at Petco Park in San Diego. 

Read More: Green Day's Saviors: How Their New Album Links Dookie & American Idiot Decades Later

Since launching in 2021 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance has emerged as a leading multi-stakeholder partnership for climate justice, bringing together human rights experts, scientists, corporate leaders, NGOs, academics, advocates, and people around the globe in the fight for rights-based climate action.

The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance driven by universities and youth has also garnered support from celebrities that include Leonardo DiCaprio, Quincy Jones, Celine Dion, Cher, Jeff Bridges, Camila Cabello, Ellen DeGeneres, Edward Norton, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Pitbull, LL Cool J, Joss Stone, Kesha, and Jack Black, to name just a few. In 2025, Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit will be hosted by the University of Oxford, the Global Academic Partner of Right Here, Right Now.

Learn more about Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance.

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