Review: The Offspring @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre 04/05/25
Touring in support of their 2024 album, SUPERCHARGED, Cali punk rockers the Offspring delivered a greatest hits set for the ages that left everyone wanting more after the house lights came on.
Words Tobias Handke // Images Justin White
The Offspring w/Simple Plan @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre 04/05/2025
It’s hard to believe the Offspring have been whipping crowds into a frenzy for over 40 years. Formed in 1984 and originally going by Manic Subsidal, the band helped revive the American punk scene during the ‘90s before transitioning into arena rock icons in the early ‘00s, with their catchy, humorous, guitar pop rock helping the band sell more than 40 million records worldwide.
After a one-off visit to Melbourne last year as part of ALWAYS LIVE, the five-piece (comprising sole original member Dexter Holland alongside longtime lead guitarist Noodles, bassist Todd Morse, guitarist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn) are back in the country touring their latest album, SUPERCHARGED, a somewhat return to form for the Cali punk veterans. But before the Offspring unleashed their energetic stage show upon the nearly sold-out Adelaide crowd, punters were treated to a nostalgic set from Canadian power pop stars Simple Plan.
Arriving on stage to the Star Wars theme, Simple Plan put in a workman-like performance that reminded everyone why they dominated the charts in the mid-‘00s. The quartet’s greatest hits set included all the fan favourites, with the likes of ‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘Jet Lag’, ‘Addicted’ and ‘You Suck At Love’ getting punters waving their arms and clapping along.
Streamers rained down from the ceiling during ‘Shut Up!’, beach balls were launched into the crowd when ‘Summer Paradise’ kicked off and several people wearing Scooby Doo costumes invaded the stage when Simple Plan performed ‘What’s New Scooby Doo’, the catchy theme tune to the animated show of the same name.
Resembling comedian Ed Helms with tattoos, Simple Plan frontman Pierre Bouvier put on a bad Aussie accent and referred to the band as ‘elder emos’, getting behind the drums for ‘I’m Just a Kid’ as percussionist Chuck Comeau went for a crowd surf, thankfully making it back safely without being dropped.
Simple Plan ended their tight set with the ARIA Chart top ten single ‘Perfect’. Bouvier performed the song acoustically as the crowd held up their phones, lighting up the AEC Arena as confetti rained down during the song’s final stanza.
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The intermission featured Offspring trivia on the big screen, video game visuals and a blimp that floated above the crowd. After 30 minutes of anticipation, AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ roared from the venue’s speakers as a countdown clock reached zero and the Offspring triumphantly arrived to defeating screams from a pumped-up audience.
Making sure to leave their mark from the get-go, the Offspring threw a hefty right hook with 1997 classic ‘All I Want’, sending those at the front of the stage into a frenzy - limbs going everywhere as people sang along loudly. Keeping things old school, ‘Come Out and Play’ sparked another mass sing-along before the Offspring moved into the ‘00s with the playful ‘Want You Bad’, complete with a mini-fireworks display, and ‘Spare Me the Details’, which saw the first crowd surfer of the night.
“It’s good to be back,” Holland proclaimed as Noodles expressed his admiration for the crowd by shouting, “Australia is the best!” These short but authentic exchanges cropped up throughout the gig, with the chemistry between Holland and Noodles clearly evident. Noodles even led the crowd in a mass ‘Fuck yeah’ call and response during ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job?’ that everyone seemed to relish.
‘Staring At the Sun’ was a frenetic explosion of punk noise. Two inflatable skeleton torsos with evil-looking heads appeared on both sides of the stage during ‘Hammerhead’. Phones lit up the arena during ‘Original Prankster’. The highlights were endless.
The Adelaide crowd was in good form too, with people dancing, singing and cutting interesting shapes, but they went into overdrive during ‘Bad Habit’. The road rage anthem had people headbanging along and beer spilling everywhere. Mid-song, Holland and Noodles took the time to acknowledge the crowd once again, with Holland praising everyone for sounding like a “choir of angels.” Noodles took a different approach, geeing the crowd up to sing the expletive-laden bridge before the song ended in a torrent of crunching guitars and head-piercing percussion.
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Holland left the stage for a brief interlude as Noodles performed snippets from famous songs, including the intro to Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water’, part of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ and a lengthy rendition of Edvard Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. Many used this time to grab a beer or head to the toilet, but for those who remained, it served as a fantastic reminder of how talented each member of the band is, with Noodles, Morse, Nimoy and Pertzborn getting a chance to show off their musical chops.
There was a cover of the Ramones ‘Blitzkrieg Pop’ that went down well, as well as the pulsating ‘Looking Out for #1’, just one of two tracks performed from SUPERCHARGED. The slower-tempo ‘Gotta Get Away’, complete with epic drum solo from Pertzborn, brought the energy down a notch as the arena went dark and a white piano was brought to the stage.
Holland appeared behind the keys with the spotlight on him and performed ‘Gone Away’, a poignant song he explained was about loss and grief. The track was a great demonstration of Holland’s voice, which seems to have only gotten better over the years. As ‘Gone Away’ reached its crescendo, the rest of the band rejoined Holland for the final chorus, transforming the haunting piano ballad into a thunderous blast of punk rock energy that nearly blew the roof of the arena.
The Offspring finished their main set with two of the biggest songs from Americana – ‘Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)’ and ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’. Both songs show different sides to the band, from the humorous commercial appeal of ‘Pretty Fly’ to the straightforward balls-to-the-wall punk rock of ‘The Kids’.
The encore was short and sweet – a boisterous rendition of ‘You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid’ was followed by arguably the Offspring’s most famous song (at least amongst ‘90s fans), ‘Self Esteem’.
It was a fitting end to a celebration of the Offspring’s incredible career. If anyone who attended the gig was surprised by how a band who made it big in the ‘90s can continue to sell out multiple shows some 30-odd years later, the question was answered by a thrilling 80 minutes of good old-fashioned punk riffs, catchy choruses and delightful banter.
The Offspring not only delivered on their status as one of the world’s best live acts but exceeded it with a near-perfect performance that will be hard to top in 2025.
