Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green
May 17, 1999



Offspring hits perfect chords with punk fans

May 19 - When punk rock first emerged in the late '70s, it was an underground movement, a new wave against not just the establishment but the mainstream music scene, too. Superstardom was reviled by early punk bands, who plied the new music in tiny clubs like New York City's CBGB. Indeed, punk rock was a cult with a limited following in those early days.

It's hard to imagine that anything so minimal in scope could be the ancestor of the Offspring, the hip, happening punk band that performed Monday night at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre.

Despite the mainstream setting - Fiddler's is exactly the type of megavenue punk's pioneers loathed - the Offspring delivered a bona fide punk-rock concert, full of the same raw energy and fury that originally set punk apart from other genres of rock.

The Offspring's show started without an introduction of the band, just the drum beat of "Americana,'' title track from the band's latest platinum CD.

Lead singer Dexter Holland, who sported his trademark blond spiked hair, perfectly delivered the singsong-y lyric of the hit "Why Don't You Get a Job?"

Holland took command of the crowd early and had no trouble getting the young audience to sing along on lewd lyrics that can't be printed here.

Holland's shirt read "Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll'' and depicted the pope playing guitar.

As a band, the Offspring were tight and slamming - drummer Ron Welty was a workhorse. And the popchorus backing vocals of bassist Greg K. and guitarist Noodles were melodic, rich and full. (Noodles wore his nerdy glasses and a shiny, silvery shirt.) Overall, the Offspring had a clean, punky sound.

The hits - "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," "Come Out and Play," "Self Esteem," etc. - went over well with the crowd. But so did album tracks like "Walla Walla."

Opening the show were the snazzily dressed Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Boston-based ska-core outfit that inventively mixes horns with biting guitar. Vocalist Dicky Barrett sang with gritty venom as the 'tones delivered hard-edged, hard-driving songs like "Where'd You Go?"

The Bosstones started their set with "1-2-8" and "Do Somethin' Crazy," the same 1-2 punch that opens their recent "Live From The Middle East" CD. On the huge hit "The Impression That I Get," some in the crowd vehemently spewed the fervent lyrics.

Later, the Offspring threw barbs at mainstream music. They turned the sappy pop ballad "Feelings" on its ear, rendering it as a full-throttle metal-edged number that had fans throwing their hands in the air and heartily shouting "feel-ings!"

"Awesome!" a group of 12-year-olds exclaimed after the Offspring's performance.

Yes, the tight, hard-rockin' band and its catchy-yetedgy songs certainly were that.

But equally awesome was that the Offspring had played punk rock - good punk rock - for a mass audience.

By Eric L. Reiner, from Denver Post - May 19, 1999

Read another review of this concert from News Popular