Green Day Insults Elon Musk by Changing Lyrics During Their First Ever Concert in Johannesburg South Africa

American rock band Green Day made a bold statement during their first-ever concert in South Africa, taking a jab at Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Performing their hit song American Idiot on January 19th, 2025, at the Calabash in Johannesburg, the band’s lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong altered a key lyric to take a shot at Musk, replacing “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” with “I’m not a part of the Elon agenda.”

Elon Musk’s Reaction to the Insult Remains Unclear

As of the latest updates, Musk, who was born in Pretoria, has not publicly responded to Green Day’s snarky lyric change.

While Musk has been a prominent figure in the tech and political scenes, his reaction to the band’s antics remains silent.

It’s worth noting that Musk, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, was recently tapped to lead a government project called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

However, a surprising turn of events this week saw his partner in the venture, Vivek Ramaswamy, removed from the project.

Green Day’s Long-Standing Critique of Musk

This wasn’t the first time Green Day has called out Musk.

During their 2023 New Year’s Rockin’ Eve performance, Armstrong swapped the same American Idiot lyric, changing it to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda,” which was a clear jab at Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Musk took to Twitter to criticize the band, accusing them of selling out by shifting from being anti-establishment to becoming part of the very system they once criticized.

However, the band’s bassist, Mike Dirnt, wasn’t having it.

In a January 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, Dirnt responded to Musk’s tweet, saying, “Elon Musk actually is the machine.

I can’t take anything else from that.

He’s not shy about saying stupid shit on the internet.”

Dirnt went on to remind everyone that the song is 20 years old, and it’s Green Day’s job to push boundaries, which they’ve been doing for decades.

Green Day Continues to Challenge Musk in South Africa

At their second concert in South Africa, which took place at the Cape Town Stadium on January 21, Armstrong repeated the same lyrical swap, further cementing the band’s stance.

Green Day’s boldness continues to draw attention, especially as Musk himself has made headlines for his controversial actions, such as a hand gesture during Trump’s Inauguration Day that some critics likened to a Nazi salute.

Who Are Green Day?

Formed in 1987, Green Day has been a staple in the rock scene for decades.

The band, consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, rose to fame in the 90s with their album Dookie, which sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Along with other influential punk bands, they helped bring punk rock back into the mainstream in the United States.