Watch Green Day Help Panicked Mom by Bringing Her Kid Onstage at Riot Fest
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A Birthday Trip Turns Stressful
Bobbi Cantrell drove from Indiana to Chicago’s Douglass Park on September 21 so her son, Argyle, could celebrate his 16th birthday watching Green Day headline the final night of Riot Fest. Determined to get a prime view for the 8:15 p.m. set, they arrived around noon and secured a spot near the front.
Argyle, who is autistic, carried a handwritten sign that read: “Hi! It’s my 16th birthday! I’m autistic and Green Day is my special interest. Can I come onstage and sing ‘Know Your Enemy?’” He stayed at the barricade for hours, eager for the show to start. Eventually Bobbi stepped away to find a restroom, expecting to return quickly.
Separated in the Crowd
By late afternoon the festival grounds had filled, and Bobbi couldn’t make it back through the dense crowd to her son. “I was in panic mode all day because we got separated when I went to the bathroom and couldn’t get back to him,” she later wrote on Green Day’s Instagram page. Despite repeated efforts, she remained stuck farther back as the band took the stage.
When Green Day began their set, Bobbi still had not reunited with Argyle. Her anxiety only grew as the lights dimmed and the music roared.
Green Day’s Surprise
Three songs into the performance, the band launched into “Know Your Enemy.” Midway through, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong paused and addressed the crowd: “I have a really bad chest cold right now. I do. I’m a little bit sick right in here,” he said, tapping his chest. “So I need a volunteer. Who knows the lyrics to this song? Who knows it?”
Spotting Argyle and his sign, Armstrong invited him onstage. He gave the teenager a big hug and handed him the microphone. Argyle delivered the entire song flawlessly while thousands of fans cheered.
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A Mother’s Relief
From her distant spot, Bobbi finally saw her son again—this time under the stage lights. “THANK YOU for making my amazing kid’s dream come true and easing my anxiety,” she wrote later. “As soon as I saw him onstage, I screamed, ‘OMG THAT’S MY KID!!!!!’ What an amazing night! I am a new fan forever.”
Armstrong shared her message and photos of Argyle’s performance on his own Instagram account. Green Day’s next stop is the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, on September 26.
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