Green Day super fan Billie Eilish got to live out her childhood dreams singing live with her heroes in the legendary punk trio. The LA pop star couldn’t wipe the cutest smile off her face the whole duet, while she was trying not to fangirl too hard over her duet partner Billie Joe Armstrong. But what song did Green Day choose for the big moment in their FireAid benefit concert set? One of their biggest singles surely? Not quite, they picked a deep cut ballad off 21st Century Breakdown, “Last Night on Earth.”
But this turned out to be the perfect choice, as out of every Green Day song, this was the one that could fit on an Eilish record, given the romantic lyrics with a hint of darkness. Armstrong sang like a bird as always, but he really let Eilish take center stage, and she sang the majority of the lead vocals. The Music Man has to say she absolutely crushed it, delivering a romantic and emotive vocal. The Gen Z icon then closed out the song with a harmony with Armstrong, sharing such a sweet moment with the frontman.
Eilish and Green Day performed the duet on January 30, 2025, at the FireAid concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Viewers loved the vibes and added comments such as “I love the happiness in Eilish’s face. She looks like she always waited for this moment” and “I would’ve loved an official cover of Billie Eilish singing ‘Last Night on Earth.’” Viewers also noted that the choice of a deep cut was somewhat of a surprise, but a welcome one.
Billie Eilish always seems to get the most iconic duets. The now 24-year-old star dropped another generation-spanning duet when she teamed up with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl to sing “My Hero.” This also took place at the Kia Forum, but back in 2022. This was a really special moment as they performed the song in honor of the then-recently passed Foo Fighters drummer and rock legend Taylor Hawkins.
Green Day issued “Last Night On Earth” as the seventh track of their eighth studio album 21st Century Breakdown. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that while the band issued five singles from the album, “Last Night On Earth” did not get a single release.
Despite that, “Last Night On Earth” has a special place in the hearts of Green Day fans. The ballad is currently the band’s 10th most played song on Spotify, with 242 million streams. This is especially curious as the song is not a super common feature in Green Day’s live set, having been played live only 74 times across their career.