In their song “Jesus of Suburbia,” Green Day describes the parking lot of a 7-Eleven as “the center of the Earth.” Now the band has received an official plaque in their honor on a wall outside a 7-Eleven in Pinole, California, where Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt attended high school.
The Mercury News reports that on Sept. 22, Armstrong, Dirnt and Tré Cool spray-painted that each of them “was here” on said wall. It was part of a ceremony in which Pinole Mayor Maureen Toms presented the band with an honorary key to the city, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of their album American Idiot.
As for the location of the ceremony, 7-Eleven has been selling an exclusive Anniversary Blend of Green Day’s Punk Bunny Coffee brand.
Hundreds of fans gathered to watch Green Day being honored, and afterward the band signed autographs for fans, many of whom had attended the band’s nearby concert in San Francisco on Sept. 20. Armstrong told the crowd that despite attending high school nearby, he cut class all the time and never graduated. However, he acknowledged the role that Pinole played in the band’s history.
“There were a lot of great bands … just a lot of music,” said Armstrong. “We felt like we had a home there.”
Dirnt added, “Great things can come from anywhere, can come from your mind, from your bedroom, from your friend’s house. Just believe in yourself.”
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