Armstrong opened up about the horrific accident that took place at the Mad Cool festival in Spain. It resulted in the loss of an acrobat, Pedro, who was killed during his routine before Green Day took the stage.
In a press statement, Armstrong noted that he is sad for Pedro and his family, and sends his prayers in their time of grief. “I can’t imagine how much suffering the friends and family are going through,” he said.
The Green Day front-man clarified as to why the rock group continued playing after the accident. He shared that they did not know about the accident until after their concert was over. Due to the large size of the festival, they had no idea that there was an acrobatic performance at all. Green Day was in a backstage compound half a mile away from the festival’s main stage, and they were warming up ready to take the stage at 11:25 p.m. 15 minutes prior to showtime they were informed by their tour management by the local authorities that they needed to wait to perform live due to a security issue. They waited as instructed, and once they were given the green light to perform, they went in the vans and drove up to the main stage. It was their last show of their European tour, so it was extra special for them.
Green Day played at midnight and they sang for 2.5 hours, where everything seemed normal, with the fans cheering them on. After they left the stage, they went back to the artist compound, which is where they learned about the news of Pedro’s death. They were in disbelief, and confused as to why the local authorities did not tell them about the tragic incident prior to the show. This marked the first time anything of this nature ever happened to the band, in their 30 years of live performance.
Armstrong revealed that if they had known about this before their performance, they would have not played at all. “We are not heartless people. The safety and well being at any of our concerts absolutely comes first,” he expressed. “What happened to Pedro is unthinkable.” He reiterated the fact that the band is heartbroken for his friends and family members, and they are saddened for anybody that had to witness this tragedy.
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