Green Day stage surprise Comic-Con appearance for ‘Nimrods’ film
The band promoted their upcoming movie with an ice cream truck performance at Petco Park
Fans who ventured to San Diego's Comic-Con this weekend to catch The Coverups set were in for a nice surprise the following day when the band made a surprise appearance. Rumours started flying around 3:30 PM that something was going down at 7th Avenue and K Street. Fans sprinted over to find a custom-branded Nimrods ice cream truck parked near Gallagher Square.
Ice cream wouldn't be the only thing the truck served, as Billie Joe took his place on the roof and performed a two song medley of 'Basket Case' and 'One Of My Lies' along with tossing out ice cream, t-shirts and cassette tapes to the crowd.
The band would also join IGN for an interview along with Nimrods star Mason Thames and director Lee Kirk to discuss the upcoming film.
As for The Coverups show the night prior, Billie Joe's side project cover band was joined by Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson for a performance of 'All The Young Dudes'. You can check out that performance and the setlist below.
JULY 23, 2026
The Coverups
HARD ROCK HOTEL · SAN DIEGO, CA, USA
- 01 Hello There (Cheap Trick)
- 02 A Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls)
- 03 I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones)
- 04 I Think We're Alone Now (Tommy James & the Shondells)
- 05 All The Young Dudes (David Bowie) with Bruce Dickinson
- 06 Sometime To Return (Soul Asylum)
- 07 Message Of Love (Pretenders)
- 08 Summer Of '69 (Bryan Adams)
- 09 American Girl (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers)
- 10 I Fought The Law (The Crickets)
- 11 Do You Wanna Dance? (Bobby Freeman)
- 12 Do You Wanna Dance? (Bobby Freeman)
- 13 Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) (Buzzcocks)
- 14 I Melt With You (Modern English)
- 15 Rockaway Beach (Ramones)
- 16 Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
- 17 Last Nite (The Strokes)
- 18 Drain You (Nirvana)
- 19 Fox On The Run (Sweet)
- 20 Should I Stay Or Should I Go (The Clash)
- 21 We Got The Beat (The Go-Go's)
- 22 Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne)
- 23 Live Wire (Mötley Crüe)
- 24 Talk Dirty To Me (Poison)
- 25 Surrender (Cheap Trick)
Articles Overview
- Billie Joe Armstrong played a surprise two song set at Petco Park's Gallagher Square during San Diego Comic-Con, performing from a converted ice cream truck.
- The appearance promoted 'Nimrods,' the band's first feature film, described as a comedy tied to their music and punk roots.
- The previous night, Billie Joe Armstrong's covers band The Coverups performed at the annual Fandom + Z2 Comic-Con party.
- Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson joined The Coverups on stage for a rendition of Mott the Hoople's David Bowie-penned 'All the Young Dudes.'
- Discussion at Comic-Con also touched on the possibility of an 'American Idiot' film adaptation following 'Nimrods.'
Articles 34
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Green Day in Gallagher Square, Guillermo del Toro, Dumbledore: The best things we saw Friday at Comic-Con - San Diego Union-Tribune
NBC 7 SAN DIEGO
Green Day makes surprise appearance at Petco Park during San Diego Comic-Con - NBC 7 San Diego
YAHOO
Iron Maiden, Green Day Members Rock Fandom/Z2 Comic-Con Bash - Yahoo
METAL INJECTION
BRUCE DICKINSON Joined BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG\'s Cover Band At San Diego Comic-Con - Metal Injection
LOUDWIRE
Green Day Frontman’s Cover Band Joined by Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson at San Diego Comic-Con - Loudwire
BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Watch: IRON MAIDEN\'s BRUCE DICKINSON Joins BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG And THE COVERUPS On Stage At San Diego Comic-Con Party - BLABBERMOUTH.NET
NBC 7 SAN DIEGO
Green Day makes surprise appearance at Petco Park during San Diego Comic-Con - NBC 7 San Diego
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Green Day turns ice cream truck into stage at surprise Comic-Con show - San Francisco Chronicle
AGE OF THE NERD
Green Day Surprise Event Today at San Diego Comic-Con for New Comedy Film “Nimrods” - Age of The Nerd
THE MUSIC UNIVERSE
Green Day rocks San Diego Comic-Con with surprise performance for ‘Nimrods’ - The Music Universe
DEADLINE
Comic-Con 2026 Photos: Best Of Panels, Activations, Cosplay & Convention Floor - Deadline
IGN PAKISTAN
Nimrods Is Green Day’s First Movie… Will American Idiot Be Their Next? | Comic Con 2026 - IGN Pakistan
LOUDER
Watch Iron Maiden\'s Bruce Dickinson make a surprise appearance with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong\'s covers band to sing a David Bowie-penned classic rock anthem - Louder
PAGE SIX
All the celebrities at San Diego Comic-Con 2026: Johnny Depp, Keke Palmer, Adria Arjona and more - Page Six
NBC 7 SAN DIEGO
Green Day makes surprise appearance at Petco Park during San Diego Comic-Con - NBC 7 San Diego
STEREOGUM
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Joins Billie Joe Armstrong’s Covers Band At Comic-Con - Stereogum
THE MUSIC UNIVERSE
Green Day to take the San Diego Comic-Con stage for ‘Nimrods’ - The Music Universe
IGN
San Diego Comic-Con 2026: Everything Announced So Far - IGN
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Comic-Con 2026: Here are the biggest celebrities spotted Friday in San Diego - San Diego Union-Tribune
IGN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Nimrods - IGN Southeast Asia
MXDWN MUSIC
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Joins Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong For Cover Of “All The Young Dude... - mxdwn Music
YAHOO
\'Nimrods\' brings Green Day\'s music and punk spirit to Comic-Con - Yahoo
IGN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Stars Confirm The Gaang\'s Relationship Statuses | Comic Con 2026 - IGN Southeast Asia
IMDB
Green Day Surprise Event Today at San Diego Comic-Con for New Comedy Film “Nimrods” - IMDb
BLEEDING COOL NEWS
Iron Maiden\'s Bruce Dickinson at San Diego Comic-Con Fandom Party - Bleeding Cool News
BRAVEWORDS
IRON MAIDEN’s BRUCE DICKINSON Surprises Fans As He Joins BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG & THE COVERUPS On Stage At Fandom + Z2’s Annual San Diego Comic-Con Party; Video - BraveWords
IGN
Seth Green’s Star Wars: Detours Will Finally See the Light of Day, Confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con - IGN
IGN INDIA
The Future\'s Bright in Blade Runner 2099\'s Debut Trailer | Comic Con 2026 - IGN India
INKL
Watch Iron Maiden\'s Bruce Dickinson make a surprise… - inkl
REVOLVER MAGAZINE
See BRUCE DICKINSON cover MOTT THE HOOPLE with BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG - Revolver Magazine
ROLLING STONE
Billie Joe Armstrong Enlists Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson for Surprise Cover - Rolling Stone
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Comic-Con 2026: Here are the biggest celebrities spotted Thursday in San Diego - San Diego Union-Tribune
IGN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Eli Roth Picks the Creepiest Horror Movie Kids of All Time | Comic Con 2026 - IGN Southeast Asia
ROCK CELEBRITIES
Bruce Dickinson Joins Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong on Stage for a Surprise Cover - Rock Celebrities
From the r/GreenDay community
u/dizzyboi04
▲ 41
UPDATE: Billie did a very small acoustic set, playing Basket Case w/ One of My Lies during the 2nd verse. I have video of this, but Reddit apparently won’t let me upload a video bigger than a gigabyte :(, but it was a neat time!
u/PunkRockKing
▲ 27
Last scoop on earth haha
u/disastrousanddull
▲ 6
so… was the icecream good?
u/Speed1013
▲ 4
Billie played a Basket Case and One of My Lies Medley acoustic!
Equipment
Billie Joe demonstrates his new signature amp
Plus The Coverups @ The Roxy & our new live section opens
Equipment
Marshall Unveils the Billie Joe Armstrong 1959BJA Signature Amp
Their first artist signature amp in 14 years recreates Billie's classic Green Day sound.
Live
The Coverups play Notes & Words after-party
The cover band played a 21 song set for guests at the charity event.
Live
The Coverups play surprise Berkeley show
The band ripped through 30 songs at The Cornerstone