Green Day invite 11-year-old fan onstage for cover of Operation Ivy's Knowledge during Hella Mega Tour
By Matt Owen published 17 August 21
Meyer took to the stage with an effortless rock-star-in-the-making attitude and donned an Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker for the high-octane appearance
(Image credit: Jim Powers/YouTube)
With the return of live music comes the return of everyone's favorite gig stories: heartwarming tales of talented youngsters taking the stage alongside their electric guitar heroes in front of packed venues to wow attendees with their effortless chops and rock-star-in-the-making stage presence.
After seeing Lauren join Foo Fighters for a rendition of Monkey Wrench, Green Day have now got in on the action, inviting young guitar prodigy Meyer – who, according to a Reddit post, is only 11 years old – onstage during a recent Hella Mega Tour concert .
Commenting on the YouTube video, a Mike Gordon wrote, "That's my boy, Meyer!!! He's been practicing and jamming Green Day throughout the pandemic. Hours each day."
Taking place at the Hersheypark Stadium last Friday (August 13), Green Day were halfway through their rendition of Operation Ivy's Knowledge, before they invited young Meyer up to join them.
Emerging with an American Idiot album t-shirt and a naturally cool rock star attitude – see him egging on the crowd the minute he stepped foot on stage – Meyer was then given a Pacific Blue Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1 to wield.
One quick-fire impromptu guitar lesson from Billie Joe Armstrong later, the 11-year-old was up and running, immediately blasting his way through the track's customary D, C and G powerchords.
The track came to a frenetic end, with Green Day bass guitar player Mike Dirnt joining Meyer for a back-to-back photo finish, while Armstrong – who had his Hamer double-cutaway axe nonchalantly slung over his shoulder – brought proceedings to a close.
"Hey, kid, come here!" he instructed, before giving the plucky young player choreographed instructions for an Armstrong special – a flying jump off the drum platform. And as an added bonus, he even got to keep the guitar.
"They (Green Day) are his favorite," Gordon's comment added, "but he also loves to play Nirvana, [Smashing] Pumpkins, Foo [Fighters], Blink [182] and Rage Against The Machine. Proof positive that hard work and dedication to your passion, with a little luck sprinkled in, can make dreams come true.
"So fucking proud. Much gratitude to Billie Joe, Mike and Tré for being such gracious rock stars. Best show ever!"
On Gordon's YouTube channel, you can find videos of young Meyer playing pop punk classics, including Green Day's Basket Case and Blink-182's All The Small Things.
Green Day's much-delayed Hella Mega Tour, a joint venture with fellow rockers Weezer and Fall Out Boy, resumed earlier this year after being put on hold by the pandemic.
Recently, Rivers Cuomo took to the stage on his own for a stripped-back cover of Fall Out Boy's Sugar, We're Goin Down after a band member tested positive for Covid, forcing the group to pull out of two dates.
Matt Owen
Matt is a News Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he's not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
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