A Surprise Performance
A musician at Liverpool's Cavern Club was taken aback this week when he unexpectedly found himself performing a Green Day song in front of Billie Joe Armstrong.
Callum McMorran was playing a gig at the iconic venue associated with The Beatles on Tuesday night (January 7) when he noticed that his rendition of “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” was being observed by the song’s original creator.
McMorran performed a solo of the 1997 classic on acoustic guitar, with crowd footage displaying Armstrong, who was visiting the Cavern at the time, capturing the performance on his phone.
“Cool moment tonight,” McMorran shared on Instagram after the show. Watch the video below.
About the Song and Venue
“Good Riddance” is featured on Green Day's fifth album, Nimrod, and was penned by Armstrong after reflecting on his past relationship with an ex-girlfriend, Amanda, who moved to Ecuador. The song’s slower tempo and string arrangement made it distinctive in the band’s discography, quickly gaining popularity and peaking at number 11 in the UK charts.
The Cavern Club, situated on Matthew Street in Liverpool, was pivotal in the early development of The Beatles, hosting nearly 300 of their performances between 1961 and 1963, during which they rose to become the country’s leading band. It continues to showcase live music seven nights a week and reopened in 1991.
McMorran regularly performs at the Cavern and was also a participant in Voice of Great Britain in 2015.
Armstrong is familiar with performing covers; recently, his band The Coverups, which includes Green Day’s Mike Dirnt, announced an intimate show set for January 15 at London’s O2 Islington Academy. Find remaining tickets for this show here.
The Coverups performed in London last year and welcomed Courtney Love on stage. In a statement during the 2024 BRIT Awards, Armstrong recalled, “I was texting with (Courtney Love) and said come out and sing a song, and she did. She recorded ‘Suffragette City,’ she recorded ‘Surrender,’ and we got to record ‘Celebrity Skin,’ a Hole song. But she definitely brought rock ’n’ roll back…you’ll probably hear more from her.”
Armstrong’s Love for Football
In another Armstrong update, he was recently seen at a Wrexham FC match alongside actor Channing Tatum. The singer has expressed his passion for lower-league football and has developed a routine of watching games whenever Green Day tours the UK.
“I attended many football matches: Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Fulham. I even went to The Den to see Millwall. It was phenomenal. Dude, if you want to truly experience British culture, this is the way to go,” he remarked in 2023.
“Football is a fucking religion. It’s akin to being at a massive rock concert. You almost need earplugs! I’ve always been eager to explore all divisions, not merely the world-class teams like Arsenal and Manchester City.
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