Winston Salem, NC - Ziggy's
March 4, 1997



Offspring's Punk Fires Up A Packed Ziggy's

The Offspring (bassist Greg K., drummer Ron Welty, lead guitarist Noodles and lead singer Dexter Holland) performed Tuesday night at Ziggy's in support of their latest album, Ixnay on the Hombre. Their hour-long show was largely devoted to songs from the new release.

In the transition from their multi-platinum hit record Smash to their latest release Ixnay on the Hombre, California's Offspring shed a lot: the band left their independent record label for a major company, the band probably lost much of their punk following and singer Dexter Holland chopped off his famed locks.

However, one thing they did not leave behind is their powerful and highly intense passion for music, as Tuesday night, Offspring fired up a tightly-packed Ziggy's.

After hearing certain Offspring songs played multiple times a day on the radio a few years back, I put my copy of Smash in the back of a drawer, too tired of the music to listen to it. With the new record and the other night's performance at Ziggy's, I found a revitalized interest in this quality punk rock band.

Offspring, the band who inadvertently commercialized punk rock, played a loud, energetic, hour-long show in support of their new album. While they left out all songs from the first release, the set included a good mix of their last three records, with heavy numbers such as "Nitro," slower tunes and even a ska song from Smash, "What Happened to You," which sent the crowd into a pogo frenzy.

"Self Esteem," one of the songs the band is best known for, immediately got the crowd pumped. Its catchy riffs, however, were secondary to Holland's crowd surfing and vocal documentation of being on the low end of a relationship: "Well I guess I should stick up for myself, but I really think it's better this way, / The more you suffer the more it shows you really care ... right?"

The highlight of the night was clearly the band's breakthrough single, the song that put Offspring and punk rock into the national popular music spotlight, "Come Out and Play." The song featured the roadie who utters the famous catch phrase "you gotta keep `em separated." Holland was at one time laughing so hard at the roadie's playful stage antics that he was unable to finish a verse.

"Come Out and Play" discussed the chaotic state of our civilization, and the people who get sucked into the turmoil: "One goes to the morgue, the other to jail / One got wasted and the other's a waste."

The band's latest single, "All I Want," was another of the many great moments. For this song about living life to its fullest, Holland again crowd surfed and proclaimed, "So back off your rules, back off your jive, / 'Cause I'm sick of not living, to stay alive." This song proved that Offspring has not lost any of the determination or emotion which fueled the start of their career.

Offspring closed the set with a story of a psychotic driver with a gun in hand and a lead foot, "Bad Habit," before returning for their encore in which they rewarded the chanting crowd that was pleading for more.

The encore consisted of a couple brief Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar covers by lead axeman Noodles, as well as the band's next single to be released, "Gone Away," a song about love and loss: "And it feels like heaven's so far away, now that you've gone away."

The show ended with the classic Offspring song "Session," which sent not only the floor, but Ziggy's upper level, into a swirling mosh pit. In my experience, Ziggy's has not been that wild in years, which explains why Holland told the crowd, "This was the best time I have ever had in North Carolina."

Offspring's power hour was an extremely fun experience, which proved that the band is more than just a one-hit wonder. Guess I'll go wipe the dust off my copy of Smash and relive the experience.

By Chris Grezlak, from OG&B Electronic Edition