THE OFFSPRING & SUM 41 @ HBF Stadium
The Offspring & Sum 41 @ HBF Stadium
Saturday, December 3, 2022
After almost 10 years The Offspring have finally made a long-awaited return Australia, kicking off a national tour along with Sum 41 at HBF stadium. Not only did The Offspring blast hits from their newest album Let the Bad Times Roll, they also once again stole the hearts of their old school fans with plenty of throwbacks.
Sum 41 entered the stage seeming to have lost none of the angst or irreverence of their youth. Starting off sharp at 7pm as promised, Sum 41 started off the show with their 13 year-old banger Motivation. With piercing beaming lights, fire, and giant black balloons (that would sometimes pop), there was more than just the band to get the audience involved.
Lead singer Deryck Whibley’s direct words were “let’s go fucking crazy” and the crowd did not disappoint. Throughout Sum 41’s performance General Admission went beyond wild with crowd surfing, moshing and a circle pit in the middle earning a response from the frontman: “You guys ARE fucking crazy!’’
Before concluding their performance, the members of Sum 41 poured out their hearts letting the crowd know how appreciative they were for everyone there, adding how special it felt to still be performing songs they wrote when they were just starting out. They let off their last hurrah by rocking out to Still Waiting before departing with a simple “bye.”
After we said goodbye to Sum 41 and got ready to say hello to The Offspring, we were greeted by The Offspring’s blimp/ drone which took some sneaky footage of both the crowd and backstage behind the scenes of the band in their dressing room. The crowd was also caught jamming out to other glorious hits such as Take On Me and Baby Got Back which saw some lucky fans get the big screen feature.
As The Offspring hit stage and started playing one of their best hits Come Out and Play, the crowd went ballistic, giving the band the warmest Aussie welcome they possibly could ask for. Like during Sum 41 before them, the crowd had a blast with some of the props with everyone throwing beach balls up into the air whilst belting out the lyrics to the notorious hit Why Don’t You Get A Job.
Throughout the performance the band showed a personal side to them as well, opening up in conversation between songs. They noted how it had been almost 10 years since they last toured and came to Australia. Lead singer Dexter and the rest of the band also made a mention of their surfing trip to Margret River, describing the waves as “wild’’ and “too big.’’ The Offspring also went on to rave about how much they enjoy coming to Australia and particularly Western Australia. They also said they are under new management now which will thankfully allow them to come back sooner.
Throughout the years The Offspring might have had a few tweaks and changes, including the sound of their music and a change of drummer, but they went above and beyond to please the crowd and was still give us a much needed nostalgia hit.
The show wrapped up with the rocking closer Self Esteem as rains upon rains of confetti came down, mesmerising not only the fans but the band as well, who noted it had been their first time having confetti at a show.
Overall, both Sum 41 and The Offspring were phenomenal. From the sound production, band members’ engagement, special effects, vocal performances and more, it was indulgent experience for the fans. Both the volume and the energy were turned up to the max, and those who appreciate some good 90s and early 2000s rock and angst had an absolute blast!
SAMANTHA BRADBURY
