A local Liverpool musician was given a surprise this week while performing, covering a Green Day song in front of Billie Joe Armstrong himself.
Callum McMorran, a resident musician at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, was playing at the iconic venue when he realized he was playing ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ in front of the song’s creator.
Footage posted by Callum shows himself covering the heartfelt ballad with the California punk rocker watching on in the audience. “Cool moment tonight”, he calmly wrote on his Instagram after the show. As well as being a resident musician at the historic music spot, he also appeared on The Voice UK in 2015.
The Cavern Club itself has a rich musical background. Famously known as a centre for rock and roll in the 50’s and 60’s, which regularly played host to The Beatle’s during their early career. The Fab Four performed at the Liverpudlian local almost 300 times between 1961 and 1963, during which they became the most successful band in England.
It’s not the first time Billie Joe has been seen hanging out in the UK recently – while recording the fourteenth Green Day album, ‘Saviors’, at RAK Studios in London, he spent some recreational time in the city, watching football matches from teams like Arsenal, Fulham and Millwall to immerse himself in British culture. He was also spotted recently at a Wrexham FC game with actor Channing Tatum.
Green Day frontman @billiejoe soaking up the #WxmAFC atmosphere at The Turf fanzone pic.twitter.com/slrbLr6CJm — Fearless In Devotion | WREXHAM AFC podcast (@fearlessidzine) December 14, 2024
Interviewed by the Guardian, he said “I went to a lot of football games: Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Fulham. I went to The Den to see Millwall. That was amazing.”
Speaking of the vibrancy of the UK sporting events, he said “Man, if you really want to experience British culture that’s what you should do. Football is like a … religion. It’s like being at a big rock concert. You practically need earplugs! I’ve always wanted to check out all the different divisions, not just the world-class teams like Arsenal and Man City.
After releasing their Grammy-nominated Saviors record in January 2024, Green Day toured the UK, celebrating 30th anniversary of ‘Dookie‘, and the 20th anniversary of ‘American Idiot‘, playing both albums in their entirety. Packed shows at Old Trafford and Wembley were well received.
The punk superstars are set to headline next year’s Download festival, alongside Sleep Token and Korn. Other acts at the festival include The Darkness, Jimmy Eat World, Bullet For My Valentine and surprisingly, pop-rockers McFly. The festival will take place at Donington Park, Leicestershire, between 13 and 15 June. You can find tickets here.
