Punk-rock royalty The Offspring kicked off their Supercharged Australian tour at Adelaide Entertainment Centre last night (4 May).
Despite their frequent visits to Australian shores, the shows are always full and the venues are just getting bigger over the years – Australians can't get enough of The Offspring. They were last here in 2022 – in the same venue – and once again it's sold out.This time they're supported by Montreal's pop-punk staples Simple Plan. Fittingly – on May Fourth – the band walk onstage to the intro music of 'Star Wars' before going straight into 'I'd Do Anything'. Simple Plan quickly gets the audience in the palm of their hands with 'Shut Up!', 'Jump' and 'Jet Lag'.
Simple Plan are pop-punk 101. They're the entry-level, door-opening band that many people first discovered when starting their alternative music journey. This means the room's full for their headline-worthy set, which includes all the bells and whistles. Streamers, beach balls, t-shirt guns and fog cannons engulf the sky.
Iconic songs like 2004's 'Welcome To My Life' are sung back word for word like a religious hymn. 'I'm Just A Kid' is screamed back by the fully adult crowd who can't believe where 23 years – since the song's release – have gone.
The ballad 'Perfect' closes their set, as vocalist Pierre Bouvier performs solo with an acoustic guitar before the rest of the band joins him.
Simple Plan - image © JakeyVass Media
A countdown appears showing how long until The Offspring takes to the stage. During this time an Offspring halftime show takes place. This includes a miniature blimp circling above the crowd, an Offspring quiz and the self-explanatory kiss cam, head-bang cam and booty cam.
It's a silly and entertaining way to pass the inevitable changeover time and it's surprising more bands don't do something similar. Once the countdown reaches zero the band immediately take to the stage and plays fan favourites 'All I Want', 'Come Out And Play', 'Spare Me The Details', 'Want You Bad' and 'Staring At The Sun'.
Golden rain, pyrotechnics and inflatable skeletons surround the stage accompanied by a custom video for each song on the set list. Vocalist Dexter Holland sounds just like he did in the '90s and the rest of the band: Todd Morse on bass, drummer Brandon Pertzborn and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy have combined to create a near-perfect studio sound with a live punk-rock energy.
After powering through 'Original Prankster' and 'Bad Habit', lead guitarist Noodles directs an instrumental medley of metal classics including Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water', Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' and Iron Maiden's' 'The Trooper'. The band then goes into a full-band cover of the Ramones' 'Blitzkrieg Bop'.
The Offspring - image © JakeyVass Media
One of the highlights of the set is the piano solo version of 'Gone Away'. It's a full band song that Dexter has translated to perform solo on piano. It's a haunting rendition of the song about losing loved ones, and it's a rare occurrence that an alternative live take on a song is better than the original. The band combines the best of both worlds and joins Dexter to complete the song fully electric.
After this, the band went into a back-to-back assault with 'Why Don't You Get a Job?', 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)' and 'The Kids Aren't Alright'.
The band walk off stage as a setup for an encore commences that sees many people mistakenly start to walk out once 'The Kids Aren't Alright' finishes, a testament to how much of a classic and massive hit this song is.
They return for a two-song encore of 'You're Gonna Go Far, Kid' and 'Self Esteem'. These receive the biggest reception and loudest sing-alongs of the night.
The Offspring - image © JakeyVass Media
Not much has changed with The Offspring's set during the three years between their last visit. A few newer songs were thrown in that – of course – don't connect the same as songs that have soundtracked a life for the audience in the room.
It's a classic set list that encompasses a soundtrack of a generation. The quality of the performance transports you straight back to childhood with Dexter's vocals defying time itself. Everyone leaves smiling, but there's a shared air of confusion – where did the time go?
More photos from the concert.
