The Linda Lindas: From Going Viral At The Library To Opening For Green Day & The Rolling Stones

Just two weeks before joining Green Day on “The Saviors” stadium tour, The Linda Lindas were backstage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, preparing to open another stadium gig – this time for The Rolling Stones – when drummer Mila de la Garza spotted Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

“We were just kind of checking things out, and we saw Ronnie Wood,” de la Garza says. “And we weren’t sure if we should say anything! We were about to leave and he goes, ‘Are you The Linda Lindas?’”

You have to know you’ve made it when a Rolling Stone comes looking for you backstage.
“It was like, ‘Oh, yeah, we are!,’” guitarist Eloise Wong chimes in. “And then he was like, ‘Let me introduce you to my girls.’ So we said ‘hi’ to him, and his kids and his manager. And it was wonderful!”

Mila de la Garza, the youngest of The Linda Lindas at 14, adds, “One of the people that he introduced us to was like, ‘What are you guys up to next?’ And we told them we have a tour with Green Day and they’re like, ‘Rolling Stones, Green Day, you’re with all the big boys, aren’t you?’”

The Linda Lindas most certainly are. Pollstar last spoke with the band two years ago for a cover story not long after they’d earned viral immortality with a performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” at a Los Angeles Public Library Branch in the suburb of Cypress Park.
They’ve been on tour much of the summer with Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid. The change in poise and self-assurance in two years’ time is palpable.

With the guidance of tight-knit family and friends, and a top level team including CAA’s Carly James and Marlene Tsuchii and Fly South Music Group managers John Youngman, Mark Mercado and Leah Hodgkiss, The Linda Lindas – composed of Mila de la Garza, her sister Lucia de la Garza (17), cousin Eloise Wong (16), and childhood friend Bela Salazar (19) – are all still in their teens but now seasoned pros. They’re releasing their second album on Epitaph, No Obligation, on Oct. 11 with singles “All In My Head” and “Yo Me Estreso” already out. They’re looking at the next level in 2025 with a full headline tour and expansion of their international footprint with a hoped-for trip to Australia.

“In addition to that, the opportunities aren’t going to stop coming for this band,” Youngman says. “They have a unique, special thing happening and there’s going to be more cool moments. They’re going to be able to walk on stage in a stadium or a small, all-ages punk show. They’re naturals at both of them.”

Some of it is surely familial; Mila and Lucia’s father, Carlos de la Garza, is a producer, engineer and former member of Reel Big Fish and other Southern California ska/punk bands; he and Epitaph owner Brett Gurewitz (also a founding Bad Religion guitarist), have been friends for many years. They’ve shared camping trips, backyard barbecues, and other family get-togethers.

But all of the best genes in the world won’t help an aspiring musician without the work ethic or the natural chops to see it through to becoming a career-level artist.

“We’ve really grown and matured in these past two years, because of all these experiences we’ve had and the opportunities that we’ve taken advantage of and learned from,” Lucia de la Garza says. “We have learned about what our music means to us and how it has kind of taken its place in our lives. We’ve grown with our music and grown in different ways and, in a way, grown out of the old music.”

They all agree they’ve learned what it means to be in a live band and be songwriters and musicians, as well as managing interpersonal relationships, on the road and in the studio.
“I think we were forced to really learn everything about the music industry really quickly,” Lucia de la Garza explains. “We were around people that were doing all these things in the background that we didn’t know happened. And now we know all this and we feel more connected to the industry and more sure of ourselves now that we’ve done all this.”

Their debut album, Growing Up, was released in 2022 and peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart for the year.

On the live side, The Linda Lindas still have to coordinate touring and live calendars in between school schedules, and festivals along with select summer tours have fit the bill quite nicely.

Among the festivals The Linda Lindas have played in the past few years are Coachella, Riot Fest, Corona Capital and Lollapalooza.

They’ve performed on some special one-offs, including “A Night Of Stop Making Sense” with Talking Heads at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, on June 13 (2,956 tickets sold; $225,078 grossed); and support dates with Blondie, The Breeders, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Japanese Breakfast. They played support on select dates on Paramore’s 2023 arena tour (including a stop at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena that sold 14,707 tickets) before moving onto Green Day’s “Saviors” tour this summer – their biggest trek to date.

They’ve already rubbed elbows with rock royalty, but it’s hard to top a show opening for The Rolling Stones. Clearly, the excitement of the day hasn’t worn off.

“We got to meet Mick and Keith too!” Wong exclaims. “We took a picture with them and they were both super nice! But like, you’re still standing next to legends – Oh my God, it’s The Rolling Stones!”