Remember When Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong was Arrested for Dropping His Pants and Mooning Crowd

Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day are masters of on-stage antics. Whether it be telling crowds to put away their phones or violently smashing a guitar, the band and its frontman know the exact buttons to push to amp up a crowd. Though, every so often the buttons they push seemingly cross a line. Joe has received scrutiny over this before, particularly when he publicly tore into iHeart Radio’s festival planners for cutting his set short to accommodate Usher.

However, the one on-stage antic that reportedly gave Joe the most backlash was when he mooned the crowd. Yes, Billie Joe, pulled down his pants, turned around, and showed his rear end to fans. Obviously, this act was met with mixed emotions. Although, one group that didn’t show any ambivalence was Milwaukee’s local police force. Exposing one’s self in public breaks several different laws of course. But to Joe, it was seemingly a much-needed action to liven up the show.

Billie Joe Armstong’s Reasoning & Arrest

The night when Billie Joe Armstrong’s full moon graced Milwaukee was November 21, 1995, at the MECCA Milwaukee Auditorium. Joe revealed his motivations by simply stating, “I only drop trou at so-so shows.” So, it seems the mundane nature of the show is what motivated Joe to drop his pants in front of 6,000 fans. Some of which were younger than 10-years-old.

Matter of fact, it was the age of some of the fans that motivated the police to apprehend Joe. Following the arrest, Lt. Thomas Christopher of the Milwaukee PD said, “Mr. Armstrong dropped his pants to his knees and exposed his buttocks to the crowd” and “The problem was he exposed himself to a crowd of about 6,000 people…Including people as young as ten. That was our main reason for taking the action,” per Milwaukee Record.

One concertgoer stated, “[Joe] was getting into a car with a whole bunch of people when about seven police officers surrounded the car with lights and prevented him from leaving.” Subsequently, Joe went to Milwaukee police station, was charged with indecent exposure, and paid a $141.85 bail. Not much is known about the legal proceedings following the event. However, to this day it remains one of Green Day’s most prolificly crass and rebellious on-stage episodes. And that’s saying a lot, as the band has started riots, appeared on stage naked, and helped incite a fight at Woodstock ’99.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Sipa/Shutterstock