If there was anything Victoria’s giant three-week contemporary musical celebration Always Live was missing last year, it was some big name rock acts doing some gritty, sweaty (and exclusive) shows. Thankfully, program organisers noted this void and filled it by bringing out veteran US punks The Offspring as one of their headline events this year, for a one-night-only show at Melbourne’s Forum on Sunday night (November 24th).
They sold out arenas on a co-headlining tour with Sum 41 less than 18 months ago, so it was no surprise tickets to this show at a 2000-capacity venue sold out in 30 seconds.
An apt choice for a Victoria-exclusive show after being discovered online by The Offspring’s guitarist Noodles, Melbourne band of brothers Mixed Up Everything got the call to come home from playing shows around Europe to open up for their idols.
They pleasantly impressed with their originals including “Normality” and “Soak My Brain”, a nod to Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf in “Just a Loser”, and a cover of Tool’s “Forty Six and 2”. Given they fly back this week for a show in Poland, let’s hope another Melbourne hard rock band isn’t lost to overseas (hello Airbourne) and Mixed Up Everything get more chances to show their stuff locally.
Oasis‘ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” pumped out over the speakers before The Offspring hit the stage, and frontman Dexter Holland and the band meant business from the get-go. It was all killer no filler as they piled out an opening quartet of “Come Out And Play”, “All I Want”, “Want You Bad”, and “Staring at the Sun”.
A trio of new songs followed, including “Make It All Right”, played live for the first time, and Noodles declared at the end that he was still learning how to play it. If there was any room to squeeze through and get there, it was probably the only apt time for a bar break all night.
While very much a punk band, what separates The Offspring from poppier acts in their genre is their crossover appeal to old-school classic rock fans as well. Guitarist Noodles added to that with a medley of riffs paying homage to Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses, before Holland rejoined them for a cover of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”.
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The band also know how to give punters more than just furious punk tunes to mosh to, and even in the confines of a theatre, we got beach balls flying during “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” and giant Mr. Blowy-like inflatables of the Pretty Fly guy erected during “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”.
Their crowd interactions and banter was also on point: Holland retold the graphic story of how “Spare Me the Details” came about, while Noodles channelled his inner Freddie Mercury by engaging us in a ‘”FUUUUUUCCCCK YEAH”-themed “Ay-oh” chant.
The set barely scraped past the 75-minute mark and felt a little more like a festival headlining slot. But with plenty of greatest hits included, and closing with all their ‘Kid’ songs (“The Kids Aren’t Alright” and “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”) and “Self Esteem”, The Offspring delivered an experience many hardcore fans of the band would have cherished in such an intimate setting.
For those of you who missed out, don’t despair, as The Offspring have promptly announced a return in May next year, this time playing arenas in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with Simple Plan along as support. Pre-sale tickets arrive this Thursday, November 28th, with general public tickets on sale Tuesday, December 3rd.
