The Offspring

Performing as a five-piece, The Offspring began with “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” from the band’s latest album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. Without hesitation, though, the group kicked back into 1994 with “Bad Habit” and the crowd sang along to the song’s signature climax: “You stupid, dumb shit, god damned motherfucker!” “You Will Find a Way”, a mid-tempo, fairly bland cut from the band’s next album was uninteresting, but the crowd certainly enjoyed the one-two punch of radio hits “Come Out and Play” and “All I Want”.

The Offspring

Dexter Holland performed “Gone Away” alone on a piano, and, coupled with the acoustic “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?”, slowed The Offspring’s set down to a crawl. The band clearly stutters when they slow down; The Offspring excel when they are fast, witty, and overly sarcastic. A questionable cover of “The Guns of Brixton” and an absolutely unnecessary performance of “Pretty Fly” contributed to the general blandness of the middle of The Offspring’s set, but the finale of “The Kids Aren’t Alright” into “Self-Esteem” reminded the crowd that The Offspring were once a potent rock act.

The Offspring

Playing for just under an hour, The Offspring were somewhat disappointing — Holland seemed to be going through the motions, and even the normally exciting Noodles was barely noticeable on stage.  The band had been playing seventeen songs through most of the tour, but performed just sixteen in Philadelphia, dropping the one “rare” cut that normally fell early in the set (Ignition‘s “Kick Him When He’s Down” was on much of the tour). Still, the band shined when they tore through favorites like “Staring at the Sun” or “Gotta Get Away”, and it’s hard to dismiss a band with so many quality songs.

You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
Bad Habit
You Will Find A Way
Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)
All I Want
Hammerhead
Gone Away
Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?
Gotta Get Away
The Guns of Brixton (The Clash cover)
Why Don’t You Get a Job?
Staring at the Sun
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
(Can’t Get My) Head Around You
The Kids Aren’t Alright
Self-Esteem

311

311 clearly drew most of the crowd, and the entire pier erupted when the band opened with their breakout single “Down”, the song that launched the band into mainstream recognition in 1996. Nick Hexum and SA Martinez traded vocals through most of the twenty-four song setlist, moving from heavy offerings like “Jackpot” or “Sick Tight” to mellow, more melodic cuts like the reggae-driven “Amber”. The band seemed to genuinely enjoy every moment of the performance; thanking the fans who have supported the band for a long time, “India Ink” was dedicated to those who saw the band perform with The Roots in Philadelphia more than five years ago.

311

The Nebraska-born quintet sounded great all evening, but one of the night’s highlights came in “I’ll Be Here a While”. Last performed in 2007, the song was dedicated to Pepper’s Bret Bollinger who convinced the band to perform it this evening. Older Singles “Beautiful Disaster” and “Feels So Good” wrapped up 311′s main performance with a mid-1990s vibe; “Who’s Got Herb?” brought the band back on stage for a chance to close out the evening with a giant performance of Evolver‘s “Creatures”.

Down
Offbeat Bare Ass
Jackpot
All Mixed Up
Wake Your Mind Up
Taiyed
You Wouldn’t Believe
India Ink
Eons
Applied Science
I Like the Way
Full Ride
Come Original
Beyond the Gray Sky
Sick Tight
I’ll Be Here a While
Hydroponic
Livin’ n Rockin’
Amber
Beautiful Disaster
Feels So Good
Who’s Got Herb
Creatures (For a While)

311

In addition to the band’s lengthy setlist that touched base on a large part of 311′s multi-decade career, the band also tossed in some surprises like P-Nut Willis’s lengthy bass solo and Chad Sexton’s massive drum solo that transformed into a multi-person percussion jam. It’s hard not to recommend 311′s live show: the band effortlessly flows through a variety of genres across the rock and reggae spectrum, shaking up their setlists on a night-by-night basis.

Singer-songwriter Frank Turner, former vocalist of the now-defunct Million Dead, opened the evening. The British guitarist played a strong set, surprisingly winning over a crowd of radio rock-loving twenty year olds. Drawing primarily from 2008′s Love Ire & Song, Turner’s blend of folk and punk-rock was an enjoyable way to pass the time and enjoy a few beers.

Sum 41 played next as direct support to The Offspring. In a set filled with frontman Deryck Whibley’s unnecessary overuse of “fuck”–even for a tour titled “This Shit is Fucked Up”–the band proved without a doubt that they have shed any of their “punk” roots; they are now a novelty act, spending their late twenties cashing in on former versions of themselves. The entire set reeked of pre-planned stage antics and well rehearsed cues; it felt devoid of soul.

The band has never been about introspective lyrics or technical ability, instead focusing their energy on three minute punk-pop singalongs. Songs like “Fat Lip”, “Still Waiting”, and “In Too Deep” were undeniably enjoyable and engaged the entire crowd, but that’s where the fun ended; lesser-known songs and constant stage banter were quite boring. Sum 41 did their best, but ultimately their set was forgettable.

The Offspring came out blazing with the tour’s namesake, “Stuff is Messed Up”, followed immediately by the road-rage inspired “Bad Habit” from their 1994 breakthrough Smash. The band kept things rocking with “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” and a few other fast-paced cuts. The one-two punch of “Have You Ever” segueing into “Staring at the Sun” was excellent, and then things stopped and the lights went out.

Frontman Dexter Holland came out alone to a piano. In a ridiculously cheesy and rehearsed act, Holland asked the crowd if they wanted to hear a song he had practiced on piano. When the response wasn’t strong enough, he stormed off stage in a fit. It took The Offspring’s lead guitarist, Noodles, to start a “Dexter! Dexter!” chant to bring Holland back.

Holland returned to play “Gone Away”, a song written in 1997 that is rumored to be about the death of his wife in a car crash. The song was emotional but lacked the punch of the original version found on Ixnay on the Hombre. After another slower song (“Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?”), things exploded with “Genocide” making a rare live appearance.

The Offspring

The band took a brief “Intermission” (from Ixnay on the Hombre) before returning with “Americana”, the 1998 title track that had the entire crowd singing its “well, fuck you!” hook. “All I Want” kicked things up a notch, showcasing The Offspring’s penchant for writing arena-rock styled punk rock songs that beg to be played live. The band wrapped up with a few more Americana cuts–bringing the night’s total to seven, the most from any album–before walking off stage.

The encore began with “Hammerhead” and then moved onto the only Conspiracy of One song of the evening, “Want You Bad”. The band closed with “Self-Esteem”, one of the band’s most popular songs that still remains a hit fifteen years since first hitting FM radio (remember when New York City had a rock station?). The full setlist:

Stuff Is Messed Up
Bad Habit
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)
Walla Walla
Have You Ever
Staring at the Sun
Gone Away
Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?
Genocide
Half-Truism
Why Don’t You Get a Job?
Intermission
Americana
All I Want
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
(I Can’t Get My) Head Around You
The Kids Aren’t Alright
Hammerhead
Want You Bad
Self-Esteem

The Offspring’s performance at Roseland was distinctly two things:

First, and foremost, it was an incredible live performance by one of the most important bands in punk rock’s storied history. Even in their forties, it is apparent that The Offspring can write a punchy punk rock romp and pull it off live.

It was also a document of The Offspring’s current status as a band who has spent the last decade touring the world’s biggest arenas, perfecting and rehearsing their live show. It’s somewhat disheartening to see a band rooted in punk rock resort to rehearsed banter (“Gone Away”) and a setlist heavily loaded with singles–the night’s set felt half phoned in, as if the band was going through the motions.

Still, there’s no denying The Offspring’s ability to craft stellar punk songs even in 2009, more than twenty years since the band’s inception. At 43, frontman Dexter Holland is still a force to be reckoned with. And The Offspring are still a must-see band.

Photos by: Ashley Romano