Kuala Lampur, Feb. 20 -- Billy Joe Armstrong stood steady on stage and was in two minds. Rain, wind and fire from props behind him, it stayed fluttering between his fingers.

Not that Green Day's lead vocalist rejected the Malaysian flag handed over to him by a fan but that he was unsure what would be acceptable or not, a cultural faux pas he intended to avoid.

He draped it on himself, sang the song to its end and politely handed it over to the side-stage crew.

Being eager is not an excuse when international stars inadvertently insult nationals or nations. Symbols matter, more so how we treat them. They knew.

It was not the lads from Rodeo, California's first, well, rodeo.

But that was the only indecision in the two hours of honesty p...