Lisbon, Portugal - Coliseu Dos Recreios
April 30, 1998



Punk's really not dead

For the first time in Portugal in two concerts isolated of any digression, the Offspring filled up completely the Coliseu Dos Recreios, in Lisbon. In time, an impatient crowd filled out the entrance, part of them, with hours of expectation. The voices of the mob were beeing mixed in an echo of insurrection, done-sentences and whistles. With a four-hours late, the securities shunted the separation gates and the huge crowd started to enter in pushes and tramplings. This euphory kept going on inside the venue, with a public always very excited. It wasn't necessary efforts from the Portuguese band Tara Perdida to take hundreds of youthfuls to jump and answer energetically to their set that lasted half an hour. The group, that is ready to release this month their second album - "Só não vê quem não quer" - played some songs from their debut album "Tara Perdida," and could test two songs live from their new release. Almost in the end of their set, what really interested was the noise (not considerable to weak ears!), and Tara Perdida counted also with Ze Pedro, from Xutos E Pontapes in their set. Even if the sound quality wasn't very good, the Tara Perdida could smash the place.

But the good part, as foressen, was the Offspring's entrance on stage, who were clearly with the intention of shake the crowd, that was already very excited, starting the concert with an appeal to the irreverence. By the way, during all their set, the band leaded by the espectacular voice od Dexter Holland, disquiet the public that stayed only on the expectations when the band played the first accords of "When I Come Around" from Green Day, another band that gave a new place to the punk music in the 90s.

Proving that punk is still alive, the Offspring played songs from their last two albuns - "Smash" and "Ixnay On The Hombre" - from the four albuns they have already edited (the first "The Offspring" and the second "Ignition"). "Come Out And Play," "All I Want," "Gotta Get Away" and "Self Esteem" were some high moments from this North-American band that were accompanied in choir by a coliseum crowd. By the way, in some point of the concert, someone decided to "render pleasant" the place throwing some smoke in the middle of the crowd, provocating some disorder thta could have had bad results. But it was just a fright that the presents quickly forgot. During more than an hour of concert, the band and the crowd surrender theirselves completely into the songs, and the Offspring kept for the encore the title from their last album "Gone Away" and surprised the public with a cover from Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings."

It was, no doubt, a concert with a contagious energy.

By Ana Apolinario, from Musicnet