Live Show Review: The Offspring, 7/16, St. Augustine Amphitheatre

When I was watching The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” on TRL, sandwiched in between Nsync and Eminem, I had no idea I would someday see them in real life (I also was unaware there would come a time when I no longer craved Mountain Dew on a daily basis). Sometimes opportunities present themselves, and you find yourself singing “He asked for a 13 but they drew a 31” at the top of your lungs. And hey, The Offspring taught me how to count to six in Spanish (damn that extra “cinco” though). I figure I owed them. The crowd was prime material for people-watching: mohawks, a lot of black, a peppering of shirtless tools (but we were in Florida, so you can’t blame that on the band), a few silver not-so foxy foxes, and several women who should have re-thought the back-less tank top. But really, I probably looked like I belonged at a Regina Spektor concert, so I’m not here to judge. Sum-41 opened the show, and they had a surprisingly hard-core fan base. And, for what it was, it didn’t suck. They played “that song” (It’s called “Fat Lip”) and “that other song” (it’s called "In Too Deep"). Then The Offspring took the stage, and it was a blast. They are a little past their prime, but they sounded solid. You know those bands that have a catalog of hits but insist on playing just their new stuff? The Offspring isn’t one of those. They blew through “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” “I Can’t Get My Head (Around You),” etc. They did play some new songs that, to be honest, I was completely unfamiliar with, but because they’ve been around long enough to know everyone’s favorite, they closed with “Self Esteem.” There’s something really satisfying about singing “I’m just a sucker with no self-esteem” in unison with thousands of people. You have to experience it to really understand. I’m not saying your life isn’t complete until you see The Offspring, but for a Friday night in Florida in July, it hit the spot.

-Julie McCollum

Listening to: “Use Me” by Pepper

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