Leeds, England - Reading Festival
August 30, 1999



Live Review! - The Offspring

Just in case you had forgotten what a proper rock show was all about, Dexter Holland and his millionaire punk chums were here to remind you. It's not just about rattling through your hits, you know!

As the ex-marine biology students burst out with latest single 'The Kids Aren't Alright', a sea of teenage girls began to flood up and over the crowd towards the stage - Leeds '99 soon began to resemble something more like a St. Trinians outing than England's rockiest festival.

"I don't know about you guys but I feel like playing some old stuff", announced Holland as Noodles hammered the intro to 'Session'. This unexpected delight from the 1992 album 'Ignition' turned the mosh-pit into a spraying geyser of sweat and beer.

Then came the evening's first surprise. The band suddenly abandoned their instruments and made their way to the side of the stage as five manikins dressed in tracksuits were brought forth to the announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen - the Backstreet Boys!!!". This was accompanied by the shocking sound of 'Backstreet Boys are Back'. Holland then proceeded to win his way into our hearts forever, as he pummeled them mercilessly into the stage floor with a baseball bat! Certainly something to tell the mates about!

Next up were 'Gotta Get Away', followed by 'Bad Habit'. Like all their other thrashers, these have the rockers slamming each other around like there's no tomorrow. It's at this point that you realise The Offspring have got themselves into a bizarre position. The saying 'You can please some of people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time' sums it up pretty well. The moshers now politely step aside, making way for the new breed of Offspring 'pop' fans, climbing on shoulders with swaying arms and digging into pockets for zippos. They bop around, slick, to the funkier grooves of uber-single 'Pretty Fly'.

The phenomenon continues through 'Get a job' in which thousands of bubbles take to the greasy air (hardly very punk!). The moshers tapped their feet as if to acknowledge sadly that it has to be this way, shedding a nostalgic tear for 1992!

"It's time for an intermission!", informs Holland, as a fat man donning an elephant-sock and a cloak rolls out. The strange ritual continues with drinks being luzzed into the front rows.

Back to the show, as Noodles leads the band into another old number, 'Genocide' followed by a raucous 'Come Out and Play' - it seemed there was no end to the big tunes under their belts.

"You guys look really hot... would you like some water?", queried the frontman as he kindly passed a litre bottle of water into the crowd, "make sure you share it!''.

"That doesn't look enough to go round, I've got some more water back here", announced Noodles as he emptied a fire extinguisher over the ecstatic steam-boiled bodies before him!

"Nah - you've missed quite a few of them!", scorned Holland, running off towards the back of the stage. He swiftly returned, accompanied by firemen with a full-on high-pressure fire engine hose! If you're gonna do a job, do it properly!

Musically, they had saved the best 'till last and the anthemic 'Self Esteem', from their hit album 'Smash', blasted over the Yorkshire hills, uniting the moshing rockers and arm-swaying pop fans in harmony. The theatrics were first rate, but the show would have been nothing without the powerhouse of material in the band's armoury.

From Virtual Festivals