Green Day is at its best when a widely divisive president ascends to power.
That was true in 2004 for “American Idiot,” and it’s maybe even more true in 2016 for “Revolution Radio.” At Sunday’s American Music Awards, where Green Day played the double-time barnstormer “Bang Bang,” the band had the one truly political moment of the night when its members led a chant of “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist U.S.A.”
It wasn’t quite a real risk for the band, which enjoyed a mid-career renaissance for saying similar things about George W. Bush. Nor were too many in the audience inclined to disagree with the group.
But at a show where most acts had to figure out whether or not to acknowledge the election and the cultural storm around it, Green Day proved that being outspoken could also make the best theater.
Whatever role there still is for a trio of old-guy punks in the confusion of culture today, Green Day looks ready to fill it.
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Singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5, left, and rapper Kendrick Lamar perform onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.
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Jenny McCarthy, left, and Donnie Wahlberg introduce a performance.
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Ariana Grande accepts the award for artist of the year at the American Music Awards.
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Brian Kelley, left, and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line accept the award for favorite country duo/group at the American Music Awards.
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Tyka Nelson accepts the award for top soundtrack for “Purple Rain” on behalf of her brother Prince at the American Music Awards.
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Hailee Steinfeld, left, and Blake Jenner present the award for Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock.
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Selena Gomez accepts the award for Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock at the American Music Awards.
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Co-host Gigi Hadid passes by singer Rachel Platten and actress Bella Thorne who are walking onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Ariana Grande, second from left, and Nicki Minaj, third from right, perform “Side to Side” at the American Music Awards.
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Nicki Minaj performs during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Rapper August Alsina.
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DJ Khaled.
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Heidi Klum, left, and Rebecca Romijn present the award for top soundtrack at the American Music Awards.
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Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Sting accepts the Award of Merit.
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Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun present the award for favorite artist - rap/hip-hop.
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Lauren Jauregui, from left, Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane, Normani Kordei, of Fifth Harmony, and Ty Dolla Sign accept the award for collaboration of the year for “Work From Home.”
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Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs during Sunday’s American Music Awards. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Singer John Legend performs during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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The Weeknd performs at the AMAs on Sunday in Los Angeles.
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Tyka Nelson accepts the award for top soundtrack for “Purple Rain” on behalf of her brother Prince at the American Music Awards.
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Alex Pall, left, and Drew Taggart of the Chainsmokers accept award for favorite EDM artist.
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Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields is flanked by Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, left, and Brian Kelley.
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Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots.
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Josh Dun, left, and Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots.
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Fifth Harmon’s Lauren Jauregui, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane Hansen, Normani Kordei and Ally Brooke.
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James Bay accompanies himself during a performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday.
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Internet personality Gigi Gorgeous, left, and singer Bebe Rexha prepare to present an award.
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Actress Teyana Taylor and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals hit a home run with their stage antics at the 2016 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater.
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Travis Barker.
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Drew Taggart of the Chainsmokers, left, and Halsey perform during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Halsey performs at the AMAs.
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Actresses Octavia Spencer, left, and Taraji P. Henson and singer Janelle Monáe announce an award onstage.
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Josh Dun, left, and Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots accept the award for favorite pop/rock band/duo/group.
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Bruno Mars, center, performs during the 2016 American Music Awards.
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Drake accepts the award for favorite rap/hip-hop album for “Views.”
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Co-hosts Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah get the show started.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Twenty One Pilots, the night’s other big rock band with at least a nominal interest in punk, used the look of a basement show — ski masks, instrument tossing, huge jumps off the furniture — for its mashup of hits “Heathens” and “Stressed Out.”
Those are two of the most uncategorizable chart smashes on the radio. Other AMA performers like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber tried to use their newfound sincerity (and Gaga did sound great on “Million Reasons”) to kick-start their place in the pop firmament.
But Twenty One Pilots’ set, for all their confounding genre moves, felt like something new was afoot.
The band is kind of a millennial angst machine that makes new use of uncool genres (white guy reggae, mainstream EDM, rap-rock); right now, Twenty One Pilots is a defining pop act for a young crowd where genre means nothing but anxiety is everything.
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Lady Gaga arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.
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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.
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Julianne Hough, Rebecca Romijn and Cam.
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Sting.
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Model-actress and host Gigi Hadid.
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Janelle Monae, Teyana Taylor, Hannah Davis
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Actress Kat Graham arrives for the 2016 American Music Awards on Nov. 20 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
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Model Bella Harris and recording artist Jimmy Jam
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Idina Menzel, left, Ciara, Keke Palmer.
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Lady Gaga arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.
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DJ Khaled
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Hailee Steinfeld, left, Z LaLa, Garcelle Beauvais.
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Actress Milla Jovovich.
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Ariana Grande.
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Green Day: Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tré Cool.
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Bella Thorne, left, Selena Gomez, Halsey.
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Heidi Klum
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Fifth Harmony: Dinah Jane Hansen, left, Lauren Jauregui, Normani Hamilton, Ally Brooke and Camila Cabello.
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Travis Barker.
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Shawn Mendes.
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Jillionaire, left, Walshy Fire and Diplo of Major Lazer.
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Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg.
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Travis Barker arrives with his family.
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Alex Pall, left, and Andrew Taggart of the Chainsmokers.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press) Speaking of anxiety, Selena Gomez had the night’s one moment of actual earnestness with her acceptance speech for favorite female artist. Visibly on the edge of tears, she said her last year of suffering vicious depression had taught her that no one, not even celebrities, is immune to its pull.
“If you’re broken, you don’t have to stay broken,” she said, punctuating the generally fizzy show with real emotion.
But maybe it was Chrissy Teigen who actually had the night’s most trenchant commentary. In introducing her husband, John Legend, she extolled their relationship before uncorking a profane-bleep-parade howl against the fallout of President-elect Donald Trump’s election.
It was funny, spontaneous and about all there was to do at a show like this, in a time like the present.
For breaking music news, follow @augustbrown on Twitter.
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