G reen Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong catches his breathe near the front of the stage, his eyes surveying a surging crowd of more than 32,000 fans in Portland’s 98-year-old soccer stadium, Providence Park. “Who knows the words to this song?” asks Armstrong. Behind him, the thumping backbeat of the band’s 2009 hit, “Know Your Enemy” reverberates over the crowd.
Everybody knows the words to this song. In a swarm of hands, Armstrong’s eyes land on Ema Beckley, a 25-year-old fan clad in plaid shorts and a black tee shirt who arrived at the stadium hours before most of the crowd to grab a spot in the front row. Hours earlier, Beckley battled the rain to save her spot while catching openers The Linda Lindas, Rancid and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Now, the Green Day mega-fan’s perseverance is being rewarded by a stage call from Armstrong. And as she scrambles on stage, face-to-face with the punk rock icon, Beckley reveals a surprise. “This girl’s got a tattoo of me!” exclaims Armstrong, pointing at Beckley’s leg before handing her the microphone.
Almost immediately, Armstrong, drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt relentlessly riff back into the song. Right on cue—and with a startling display of stage presence for an average fan—Beckley nails every line. Working the stage from front to back, left to right, Beckley provokes the crowd to near madness.
By the time the final refrains of “Know Your Enemy” fade into the Oregon night, Beckley is jumping of.
