On This Day in 1994: Green Day Played an Unforgettable Mud-Spattered Set at the Woodstock ’94 Festival

Today (August 14) marks the 30th anniversary of Green Day’s famed mud-spattered, career-defining performance at the Woodstock ’94 festival.

On the weekend of August 12-14, 1994, fans gathered in Saugerties, New York, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock festival. The star-packed Woodstock ’94 event was originally billed as “2 More Days of Peace & Music,” although a third day (Friday, August 12) was added later.

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The festival featured an impressive mix of contemporary and veteran music artists from various genres, and included performances by quite of few musicians who’d appeared at the 1969 event.

Among the newer acts at the fest was Green Day, who was just beginning to enjoy some widespread popularity at the time following the release of its third studio album, Dookie. The Bay Area punk trio of singer/guitarist Bille Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool hit the fest’s “South Stage” on the afternoon of August 14, after a “WOMAD” set featuring several World Music performers. The festival had been deluged with rain during the weekend, so the ground was a muddy mess. This set the scene for a very memorable incident during Green Day’s performance.

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Green Day’s Woodstock Performance

Green Day played a nine song-set that was made up mostly of songs from Dookie, which had been released the previous February. Before kicking off the show, Armstrong snarkily commented, “What is this free hippie love s—?!” Dirnt then yelled, “How are you doing, all you rich motherf—ers?!”

The band then launched into “Welcome to Paradise,” which originally had appeared on the group’s second album, Kerplunk, and that they re-recorded for Dookie.

Before kicking into their second song, “One of My Lies” from Kerplunk, Armstrong ribbed the crowd, “Look at you dirty motherf—ers.” After that tune, Armstrong and Dirnt noticed that people in the crowd had started throwing mud, and they mockingly encouraged them to keep doing so. Soon, clumps of mud also were being launched at the band.

Green Day next played the Dookie single “Longview,” which had recently topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. As the band played the song, the crowd starting moshing and slam dancing. The band proceeded to rock the crowd with its then-latest single, “Basket Case,” as more mud was flung at the stage. That was followed by the group’s future hit “When I Come Around.”

As Green Day neared the end of their set, the band played “F.O.D.,” a hidden track from Dookie, and the mud shower from the crowd really kicked into high gear.

The Mud Fight

Green Day played their final song, the non-album track “Patterns,” amid a shower of mud pies. Eventually, Armstrong stopped playing and began flinging clumps of slop back at the crowd, starting a full-on mud fight. At one point, he yelled into the mic, “This isn’t love and peace, it’s f—ing anarchy!”

Dirnt continued to play bass, as he lied down on his back and wallowed in the muck. Armstrong smashed a microphone into the stage mud in time with the beat. He then led the crowd in a brief sing-along of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

With Dirnt and Cool continuing to jam, Armstrong taunted the crowd a bit more. He finally said, “Hey, everybody just say, ‘Shut the f— up,’ and we’ll stop playing.” With that, Green Day’s unforgettable performance came to an end.

Before everything was said and done, though, a bunch of audience members started climbing onto the stage and tussling with the security guards. In the midst of the ruckus, Dirnt was mistaken for an audience member and tackled by a security guard. In the process, his front teeth were knocked out, and he needed to take an emergency trip to an orthodontist.

The Aftermath of Woodstock ’94

Green Day’s chaotic Woodstock ’94 performance led to a ton of media attention, and helped propel the band to stardom. Dookie ascended to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and four tracks from the album became hits on the rock charts.

Green Day Set List, Woodstock ’94, Saugerties, NY, 8/14/1994:

1. “Welcome to Paradise”
2. “One of My Lies”
3. “Chump”
4. “Longview”
5. “Basket Case”
6. “When I Come Around”
7. “Burnout”
8. “F.O.D.”
9. “Paper Lanterns”

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