foxboro hot tubs at emo's

"Secret" Green Day Show Stuns Austin
By Alexandra Richmond

On Wednesday night, the news leaked via the web and the radio: Green Day, under the alias Foxboro Hot Tubs, were to play the inside stage at Emo's, with a capacity of only 320 people.

People started lining up for tickets ($20, available only at the door) at 4am, waited all day in a dumpster-studded alley in almost 100 degree heat. Tickets sold out almost instantly. The sound check was zealously guarded. There was no guest list. Even an 8-year-old fan was turned away. The show was early (started at 8pm, over well before midnight), but sadly to some, not all ages. Austinites said they had never seen Emo's on such lockdown since Johnny Cash played there during SXSW in 1994 (to, we hear, just 200 people).


Okay, so the true identity of Foxboro Hot Tubs wasn't a much of a mystery - it's out there on their Wikipedia entry. They launched in 2007. Band members include Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool, Jason White, Jason Freese and Kevin Preston. Though their album, Stop Drop and Roll, is available now, a more casual listener may have thought they were not listening to Green Day. FHT have a 1960s garage rock and roll aesthetic; the album has no biographical information nor pics of the musicians. Their Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/foxborohottubs) page already has over 22 thousand friends. Green Day fans paying attention knew.

Foxboro fan Josh Massie, 20, hung around Emo's after the show to try and get his poster, made by Austin screenprinter Billy Bishop, signed by the band. He drove about 5 hours to see the show and waited for 20 hours for his ticket. Massie works for FYE and got the album when it came out on May 20th.

Massie said, "I was aware Foxboro Hot Tubs were Green Day. They have the same energy, just under a different guise. They always bring it."

The band played the album in its entirety, then did a set of 60' garage covers, according to Massie. "The place went crazy when they played 'Blood, Sex and Booze'."

Foxboro Hot Tubs remaining tour dates:
May 25 2008 8:00P The Brick House Pheonix
May 26 2008 8:00P Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, California
May 27 2008 8:00P The Roxy West Hollywood
May 28 2008 8:00P Alex’s Bar Long Beach