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Green Day cancels Burbank show it never officially announced

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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has been hyping a free rock ‘n’ roll ‘sex party’ since June 13, but not everyone, apparently, agreed with the singer’s declaration on Twitter that ‘chaos=love.’ And now, the planned, not-so-secret show, one for which the band never revealed a date or location, has been preemptively canceled by the group.

While minimal details were unveiled, the show was, according to a cancellation notice, going to be ‘massive.’ A representative from the city of Burbank tells Pop & Hiss that Green Day was looking to stage a concert on the streets near its record label, Warner Bros. Records.

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‘Initially,’ said Joy Forbes, Burbank’s deputy city manager, ‘they said it was for Warner Bros. employees and some friends and family. The original request was for a private event.’

The band applied for a street use permit, but Armstrong’s very-public tweets raised some eyebrows, as suddenly the concert was looking to be not-so-private. With Warner Bros. Records adjacent to a residential community, the city expressed its concerns.

Forbes said the city was ready to welcome Green Day with open arms, and suggested other locations as a compromise. The outdoor amphitheater the Starlight Bowl was suggested, as was Johnny Carson Park.

Either location would have eased fire and police concerns, and could have each accommodated around 5,000 or so guests. Forbes said the city was told that the more traditional venues were not what the band was looking for.

As late as June 17, Armstrong tweeted, ‘The not so secret show in LA area will be some time this week.’ Earlier, the artist teased the show as one in which fans could bring their own booze, and he joked that clothing was optional.

The band’s official statement read that ‘permits needed for the show were denied by the city due to crowd control issues.The anticipated turnout was well into the thousands, and after monitoring the situation, fears were the number would dramatically swell and pose serious concern for safety of concert-goers once the location was made public.’

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Forbes said the band’s statement was ‘fair,’ and expressed regret that all parties couldn’t agree on an alternate location. The first of Green Day’s three new albums, ¡Uno!,’ is due Sept. 25.

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-- Todd Martens

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