Devore, CA - Blockbuster Pavillion
August 25, 2001

Inland Invasion
Location: Blockbuster Pavillion - Devore CA

On August 25, 2001, The Los Angeles modern rock station KROQ hosted the first annual Inland Invasion. Held at the Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore CA, the all day event boasted such acts as: Long Beach Dub Allstars, Weezer, Pennywise, Social Distortion, Incubus, and The Offspring. In addition to the main stage, a side stage was set up showcasing several up and coming acts that included Adema, Puddle of Mud, and Cold.

The blistering sun acted as a sedative, creating a laid back and relaxed atmosphere for the beginning of the day, which, needless to say, acted as a disadvantage for the performers. Crowds flooded into the event at 12:00 P.M. to designate themselves a space on the expansive field where they would spend the day baking in the sun and listening to, comparitively, less than "stellar" music.

Performances on the main stage began at 4:00 PM. Already drained for the heat and complete lack of refuge in shade, the audience recieved the first band, Long Beach Dub Allstars with considerably dead enthusiasm. LBDA is made up of the ex-members of the popular Long Beach punk band, Sublime who lost frontman Brad Nowell due to a heroin overdose and consequent death. The Allstars play a very loose mix of rock and reggae music, and most people expected a more lively and energetic set from the boys. The people were hot, sweaty, and most importantly, tired; the last thing they needed was slow music that urged them to either whip out their bong or take a nap.

Next to enter the stage were the boys of Weezer. The band came on the stage minus their long time bassist Mike Welsh, who left temporarily to recover from an undisclosed illness shortly before the event. Playing many of their radio hits and a few hardcore favorites, Weezer picked up the crowd's spirits and set a slightly more energetic mood. They showcased a substantial amount of work from their most recent release, the self titled green album, which includes such radio hits as "Hashpipe" and "Island in the Sun". Not failing to please, Weezer eventually took out their big guns, saving their classics like "Undone", "Buddy Holly", and "Say it Ain't So" until later in their set. The only arguable problems to Weezer's set were the band's coldness and lack of conversation with the crowd, in addition to the horrible sound system and aucoustics of the Blockbuster Pavilion.

Following up Weezer, was the infamously chaotic Pennywise. One of the best comments to be made of their performance was that they sent a definite wave of energy into the crowd. The quality and content of their music wasn't exactly of the highest caliber, but it was absolutely successful at inducing several pits. Catering their latest release to their locale, pennywise even dedicated their inciting hit, "Fuck Authority", to the San Bernadino Police. Pennywise played a majority of older material, much to the pleasure of their more hardcore fans. After pennywise's most pit crazed, veteran Southern California punk rockers Social Distortion stepped up to the stage. Social D offered up an excellent brand of music, with a setlist similar (if not identical) to that of their previous headlining shows within the year (the band played several dates at various locations around Los Angeles). Social Distortion belted out some of their most classic material with a picturesque sunset behind them; of course, "Ball and Chain", "Story of my Life", and "Bad Luck" were played, but Mike Ness surprised the crowd by playing two new, unreleased songs. Perhaps these are part of the upcoming album from the band that has been rumored by Mike Ness himself since late in last year (and was slated for release this year as well).

The next band to take up the stage was Incubus, who gave a passionate and zealous performance. The reason Incubus was such a good addition to the show was because they play a unique style of music that can appeal to many different people. To look out at the crowd, it was amazing to see a diverse group of people with a variety of tastes and preferences, sitting next to each other singing their voices out to "Pardon Me." Sporting a long and curly coif, lead singer, Brandon Boyd, drew in the concert go-ers by performing with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. He was fervent in his bongo playing, and charming in his small talk. The band played a great deal of material from Science and Make Yourself as well as their current single "Wish You Were Here" from their upcoming October 23rd album Morning View. The crowd was truly immersed in the band's act when they played the radio pleasers "Drive" and "Stellar". Incubus played approximately an hour before exiting the stage and leaving it to Mix Master Mike and Mike D (from the Beastie Boys). They played while the stage was being set up for the final band's performance.

Finishing off the evening was last, but not least, The Offspring. Prior to entering the stage, The band played their recent tour's video, entitled "Bad Habit", which featured lead singer, Dexter Holland, in a neon green gremlin, while in a fit of road rage on a California freeway. In traditional Offspring style, the first notes to be heard were that of ones matching the video, the infamous basic bass notes of " Bad Habit". The Inland Invasion was one of The Offspring's last dates supporting their "Conspiracy of One" tour. Offspring, however, was recieved with a poor reaction; even though people did sing along to famous anthems like "Gotta Get Away", "Come out and Play", and "Gone Away". A good amount of people began to leave during Offspring's performance, too tired from the day to stay any longer. The band owned up to their sarcastic and cynical image, playing their more recent brand of hits, "Pretty Fly" and "Original Prankster". Catering to the stifling heat of the day, a giant hose was brought out to cool off and water down the crowd. Offspring finsihed their line-up with "Self Esteem", one of their best songs off of their third album, Smash.

In general, the Inland Invasion was a success because the majority of people did enjoy the artists. The proceeds from the day went to an organization by the name of Do Something. In fact,the [now] yearly concert set up "Do Something Day" booths, which were there to educate and inform people about the organization's causes, which include getting teens involved in repairing their communities. Levi's donated $150,000 to help fund Do Something's cause. The foundation even offers a $500 grant through their website to encourage youth to take part in their communities.

Despite the charity, the Inland Invasion wasn't exactly a marvelous concert experience. True, it was typical of most all day events, but the general accomodations, prices, and poor planning stilted the enjoyment factor of the day. Perhaps, next year, they can work out some the kinks and problems of the event and give a more agreeable concert.

By Brittney Aquino, from Kludge Sound