"Billie Joe Armstrong stared down a liquored crowd of industry insiders and demanded an answer as he punctured power chords. "Are you ready to watch the Seahawks kick the Patriots' ass?" the Green Day frontman howled from inside a warehouse on the Embarcadero. The audience response was passive. It didn't matter that the Bay Area band was supporting the San Francisco 49ers NFC West foe, the mood of the evening was big business and little felt like team spirit."
"On the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday, a few hundred people were treated to an invite-only concert featuring two substantial Bay Area bands. Counting Crows opened the night and Green Day slammed it shut with an explosive and undeniably electric set. Even though this was a corporate event - sponsored by FanDuel and Spotify - both bands performed with gusto, as if they were each getting paid about $10,000 a minute for showing up on this stage."
"The event was a real whos-who if you spend a lot of time online consuming sports media. Aside from NFL players like Rob Gronkowski and Tyreek Hill, the VIP section bustled with podcasters and influencers, including Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman and the lads behind a football podcast called Bussin' with the Boys. Perhaps the best celebrity spotted was actor Matthew Lillard, fresh from announcing a vodka brand inspired by his role in the horror classic "Scream," filmed in Marin County."
On the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday, a few hundred people attended an invite-only concert featuring Counting Crows and Green Day at Pier 29 on the Embarcadero. Counting Crows opened and Green Day closed with an explosive, electric set. The event was corporate-sponsored by FanDuel and Spotify, with both bands performing enthusiastically. Billie Joe Armstrong confronted the crowd with a taunt about the Seahawks and criticized ICE, Trump and corporate sponsors from the microphone. VIPs included NFL players, podcasters, influencers and actor Matthew Lillard. Pier 29's cavernous space felt like a high school prom, and the overall vibe was nonchalant rather than jubilant.
Read at SFGATE
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