Pay for a Broadway show and get a Green Day set as an added bonus. That is, at least, what the capacity crowd at the April 22 performance of American Idiot got.
Following the full guitar-equipped cast's bow and encore, the curtain rose once more, and a "roadie" (on Broadway: union stagehand) brought out two microphone stands. The decibel level rose even higher as Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool — aka Green Day — took to the stage. (Their presence in the house was no secret as those seated in the orchestra section of the St. James Theatre gave them entrance applause — a tradition that theatregoers usually reserve for the onstage talent.)
Armstrong — who provides the musical with its lyrics and co-penned the book with director Michael Mayer — greeted the screaming fans: "This is my first night on Broadway!" The band then treated both young and old to their version of the show's title song — the cast and audience sang along. Ensemble member (Hair vet) Theo Stockman even attempted crowd-surfing (though only got to about row D. Sorry rockers, theatregoers are a bit unaccustomed to that). Green Day closed out the evening with a special bonus – performing "Basket Case," their 1994 hit from the album "Dookie."
American Idiot opened on Broadway April 20