Green Day Rock Mini-Set on Broadway at 'American Idiot'

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Two days after the stage production of American Idiot officially opened on Broadway, Green Day turned the volume up even louder with a surprise set after last night's performance. Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool took the stage in New York to perform the show's title track, plus their 1994 hit single "Basket Case," reports the New York Times .

Green Day on American Idiot: read our latest interview.

"This is my first night on Broadway!" Armstrong exclaimed before the band's impromptu concert, which was filmed by MTV. Both the audience and the cast appeared equally amped: the crowd screamed and sang from their seats, while the actors remained onstage, bouncing around and screaming along. One star (unsuccessfully) tried to crowd-surf.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, the theatrical staging of American Idiot has been in the works for several years. The band has been intimately involved along the way, with Armstrong co-writing the show's book with director Michael Mayer, who won a Tony for directing the Duncan Sheik-penned rock musical Spring Awakening in 2006. For a closer look behind the scenes of American Idiot, check out next week's issue of Rolling Stone.

Plus: Enter now to win the ultimate Green Day prize package — a chance to see American Idiot on Broadway, a two-night stay in New York City, a meet-and-greet with the cast and more, and test your knowledge of the band in our ultimate Green Day quiz.

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Song Stories

“Jimbrowski”

Jungle Brothers | 1988

Jungle Brothers sampled, among other things, jazz, James Brown and house music. The New York crew's lyrics were equally diverse but never short on clever wordplay or a playful sense of humor, as exemplified by this song from 1988's Straight Out the Jungle. "The idea for that came at the end of a studio session, with Mike, me, Red Alert and a woman Red was dating at the time," says the group’s Afrika Baby Bam. "Red was flirting with her and kept saying 'Jimbrowski' the whole night. Mike and I wrote the rhymes on the way back from the subway."

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