In Western-themed Pioneertown, past the eclectic thrift shops in Joshua Tree desert with very little cell reception, Billie Joe Armstrong’s cover band project, The Coverups, played a show at the rustic restaurant and outdoor venue Pappy and Harriet’s. This bonus show was on the Thursday in between Green Day headlining both Saturdays of Coachella nearby in Indio, California.
The Coverups are a fun side project that has let the bandmates play some of their own favorite songs by other artists while being able to play for a much smaller crowd than they are used to. Pappy and Harriet’s has a capacity of 1000 guests, and tickets sold out quickly. Going to The Coverups shows is a chaotic adventure that feels like a personalized gift, especially if you are a Green Day fan. It’s like a secret that everyone wants in on.
Green Day’s touring guitarist, Kevin Preston, opened with a DJ set, spinning old classic rock songs. Kevin was singing and dancing along with the incoming crowd, warming them up to keep safe from the cold breeze rushing through the desert that evening.
Right at sunset, The Coverups came in with a rockin’ rendition of “A Million Miles Away” by The Plimsouls. Billie Joe and Jason White (Green Day’s touring lead guitarist) alternated singing covers back and forth. Bill Schneider (bass) and Chris Dugan (drums) also accompanied the band, however Mike Dirnt (Green Day’s lead bassist and The Coverups co-founder) did not join the show.
The show was a lot of fun, and the reason I love The Coverups shows so much is getting to watch the band have fun themselves — playing some favorite tunes in a very intimate setting.
“Is anybody going to Coachella?” Billie Joe asked, the crowd cheering in response. “Is anybody not going to Coachella?” The crowd cheered louder. The singer laughed, “This is CoverUpChella”.
The Coverups’ setlist was a range of rock, punk, and power pop songs from Generation X to The Ramones. They attempted “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin three times throughout the set, and joked, “By the end of the set, we’re gonna know how to play that song… And you will too!”
As a surprise to any Billie Joe Armstrong fan, they did a cover of “Love is for Losers” by The Longshot, another one of Billie Joe’s side projects. I considered it to be the deepest cut of the show, where Billie Joe did a cover of himself.
The outdoor venue at Pappy and Harriet’s is built with a very short fence as a barrier between the parking lot behind the stage. Billie Joe turned around at one point and saw a handful of fans watching from the parking lot on the other side of the 4-foot tall fence, and joked about how they’re watching for free, and then encouraged them to just jump over the fence and join the crowd.
In true Billie Joe fashion, he brought up a fan during the set to help with a song, this time for “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash. The fan, who introduced herself as Smelly Vagina before skipping off stage, absolutely killed it.
Unprompted, Billie Joe started to tell a wild story. “My mom’s from Oklahoma, so we took a trip- she’s like born on a farm, but you know she had a homestead… you go out there, it’s like there’s burial graves and stuff like that out there, it’s crazy.” He began to explain how he was on a trip with his mom, sister and aunt Joanna but they couldn’t find the homestead, and stopped at a nearby high school to ask for directions. He continued, “And at this point my hair is black… so I go in, I walk in, and they look at me like this,” and he made a stunned face while he retold this tale, “So I go ‘so, we’re looking for this house’ …all we have is this little map my aunt Joanna drew, and literally it’s a piece of paper that went tch tch,” and he drew two lines in the air mimicking a very simple map. “Like that, and so, they just kept on looking at me”. Billie Joe explained they gave quick directions and he was on his way back out to his family, but a lady ran outside after him and shouted, “Hey, hey! HEY! HEY! HEY! I figured it out! …are you Bruno Mars?” to which Billie Joe replied, “Yes, I am”. The audience laughed, and The Coverups dove into another guitar shredding cover.
There were mosh pits breaking out during “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, and the whole crowd shifted in this small outdoor venue under the desert night sky. The crowd had fun, the band joked around, everyone screamed and enjoyed this desert side quest.
The Coverups ended the night with a cover of “All the Young Dudes” by David Bowie. The crowd eagerly cheered for one more song, but alas, the lights turned on, stage setlists were passed out, and people shuffled back to the merch table as it neared 11PM.
Sometimes you just can’t take shows too seriously, you just have to enjoy the mirage of listening to favorite classics with your buddy Billie Joe Armstrong.
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