Billy Joe Armstrong's Time in Rehab Undetermined, GREEN DAY May Cancel More Shows

By: Oct. 12, 2012
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As Rolling Stone recently reported, Green Day's frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, may be extending his stint in rehab for longer than previously expected. Following his outburst at the iHeartRadio music festival in Vegas last month, Armstrong was admitted into rehab for substance abuse.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Green Day has canceled their upcoming show at the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans. With a tour scheduled to kick on in late November and run through February, it's unclear at this time if Armstrong's situation will force the band to cancel or reschedule any of those shows.

"His rehab is no joke," said Warner Bros. Records Chairman Rob Cavallo to Rolling Stone, who produced 2004's AMERICAN IDIOT, which sparked Green Day's Broadway show. "He's under medical supervision for a while to get him clean."

In a recent interview with BBC Radio, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt commented on the pressure to promote their upcoming albums, and Armstrong's outburst in Las Vegas. "There were signs of things hitting the fan," he said. "We hadn't slept in forever and Billie had definitely had the worst of it. He'd been going through his own struggles . . . We were there with him, but you can only handle things on your own . . . At the end of the day, when we got off the road, the most important thing was my friend's life."

The dedication to their friend and bandmate's health and well-being is the key reason Green Day is keeping an open mind with the potential cancellations of their upcoming concerts, both Dirnt and Cavallo hinted at in their interviews.

"His doctors are still evaluating," said. Cavallo, "All I can say is I don't know if we'll see him before or after Christmas. It's basically undetermined when he'll be back."



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