Video shows Green Day pause Detroit concert after unauthorized drone sighting
Green Day members abruptly halted their Detroit show Wednesday night to run off stage after an unauthorized drone appeared.
Officers detained the person suspected of flying a drone over Comerica Park, Detroit Police Department spokesman Cpl. Dan Donakowski told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY network. Donakowski added that "he is being detained pending further investigation."
Video shared online shows lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong end his performance of "Longview" to join fellow members rushing toward the backstage area. Band members raced offstage at about 8:50 p.m. ET, amid signals from crew members who had suddenly emerged from the wings.
The incident stirred confusion onto the crowd as stage video screens soon lit up with a message: "SHOW PAUSE: PLEASE, STANDBY FOR DETAILS."
Watch video of Green Day exiting stage after drone spotting
"Green Day just stopped playing in the middle of 'Longview,'" one concert attendee said in a video shared online. "They ran off the stage like something was horribly wrong. Oh man, something is up."
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The band resumed its performance about 10 minutes later, offering no explanation to the tens of thousands packing the Detroit Tigers' stadium. An official attendance hasn't been announced, but appeared to number more than 30,000, based on past sold-out concerts at the ballpark with similar stage configurations.
"How you guys doing? Everybody OK?" front man Billie Joe Armstrong said upon returning. He asked fans to put their mobile phones away for the time being: "Let's be here, right now."
Green-lit drone spotted flying over Detroit venue
A green-lit drone could be seen flying overhead before the band's abrupt exit — though drones aren't an unusual sight at big concert gatherings, often enlisted by bands and organizers to document the festivities.
Green Day representatives and show officials did not respond to Free Press requests for details, though a post on the band's X account later Wednesday apologized for the delay and added: "Stadium security had us clear the stage while they dealt with a potential safety issue. DPD quickly resolved the situation, and we were able to continue. Thanks for understanding."
The Detroit show was part of the band's long-running Saviors Tour, which finds Green Day performing "Dookie" in its entirety as a 30th anniversary salute, along with the album "American Idiot," which is notching its 20th anniversary. Core members Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool, along with three touring musicians, were all onstage at the time of the Wednesday incident.
Green Day ended the show just after 11 p.m. ET with a performance of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and a sendoff from Armstrong with a seeming reference to the earlier interruption.
"A night we're all going to remember!" he said.
Contributing: Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press