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“I lock eyes with the people in the crowd who are having the best time — then I have the best time,” bassist Todd Morse tells me before the show. Judging by the atmosphere inside the O2, he could’ve locked eyes with anyone. From the moment the lights dropped, the crowd was primed, loud, and fully up for it. And the second the band launched into ‘Come Out and Play,’ the room was prepared to make the most of their Friday night.
The early set of tracks came fast and loud, with hits like ‘All I Want’ and ‘Want You Bad’ sending the floor bouncing. By the time ‘Let the Bad Times Roll’ and ‘Staring at the Sun’ played, it was already obvious we were in for a fun ride. “I’m here for all this energy right here,” Dexter grinned. The Offspring know exactly what they’re there to do and their blend of sharp American showmanship and tongue-in-cheek humour landed exactly as intended.
Between songs, both lead singer Dexter and guitarist Noodles bounced off each other with the kind of chemistry that only four decades on the road can build. Banter like this can easily drift into filler for lesser bands, but their light-hearted dialogues were tight and funny and they knew exactly what people want to hear.
With 40 years under their belt, it would be tempting to write them off as a nostalgia act, but the show was proof they’re anything but. The energy across the entire night was a reminder that punk rock still has a genuine place on big stages. Songs from their supercharged 2024 record slotted seamlessly into the setlist, brought to life by a crowd who responded to them as loudly as to the classics.
With that said, it would be a disservice not to acknowledge how well the classics hit, even now. As ‘Hit That’ bled into ‘Original Prankster,’ the floor was heaving, and early mosh pits began to merge into one across the arena floor as the band moved into ‘Bad Habit’. And a highlight of the night included the addition of some 20-foot inflatable skeletons that rose beside the stage during ‘Make It All Right’ and added a ridiculous, theatrical charm to the set.
Midway through, the band folded into a string of covers, paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, along with Edvard Grieg and the Ramones. It was an informal mash-up that I imagine was meant to offer both them and the crowd a breather, but no one really took it.
Their strong 23-song setlist flew by in the way it only can when it’s been tightly tailored and meticulously worked on, and while this brief cover stint broke the set up it did so without breaking the momentum.
It was only when the piano was brought out for a slower rendition of ‘Gone Away’ that I took the opportunity to sit down. “I believe music has the power to heal,” Dexter said, but that reflective mood didn’t last long.
After making the most of an O2 lit up with a sea of phone lights during a rousing rendition of ‘Hey Jude,’ the entire arena was soon waving along to ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job?’ and losing it for ‘Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)’.
“Time to express my inner exuberance,” Noddles joked, before launching into the track that made them mainstream icons in the early 2000s, as the cameras focused in on audience members dressed as ‘the white guy’ for good measure. “We’ve played a lot of shows on this tour but we’ve not played a show like this, right?” he added. While I’m sure this has been said many times before, their charming delivery certainly made it feel like it.
The final run of songs including ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright,’ ‘You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid’ and ‘Self Esteem,’ brought the night to an unapologetically fun end. With a Viking thunder clap led by a crowd member dressed as Where’s Wally and a green plinth spinning through the air emblazoned with the word “Dance,” the only downfall was that it was ending.
Fittingly, the band have already announced a headline outdoor show at Crystal Palace next summer – and honestly, if you haven’t got tickets yet, now’s the time.
