At Comic-Con, Billie Joe Armstrong and Bruce Dickinson Cover Mott the Hoople

During a kickoff party for San Diego’s Comic-Con on Thursday, Billie Joe Armstrong’s cover-band project the Coverups added an unannounced guest to the stage. Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson appeared midway through the set at Fandom’s event, joining Armstrong for a rendition of Mott the Hoople’s 1972 single “All the Young Dudes.” Backed by the band, the two traded verses and harmonies, with Armstrong playing his usual red Les Paul.

The song sits in both musicians’ histories. Dickinson cut his own version for 1990’s Tattooed Millionaire solo debut, while Armstrong has noted that the David Bowie–penned track shares a melodic shape with Green Day’s “21 Guns.” Earlier in the evening, the Coverups had already run through a handful of rock staples, including Cheap Trick’s “Hello There” and the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

Dickinson’s presence at a comic convention wasn’t purely musical. He marks the release of The Mandrake Project: Year Two, a collection tied to his concurrent solo album and 12-issue comic series, with a signing on Friday. Speaking to a CBS affiliate after the set, he kept the moment casual: “We’ve performed with Green Day quite a lot of times, but we’ve been on separate stages in separate bands. I more or less remember the words. It was good fun.”