The Offspring | Rod Laver Arena
On Wednesday night (May 8th), the classic Californian post-punk band ‘The Offspring’ returned to the stage in Melbourne a year after their sell-out one-night-only show at The Forum.
The Offspring first graced Australian shores in ’95, and, falling in love, they’ve made sure to regularly stop by and wow audiences across the country. They’ve stopped past Melbourne so many times that they can correctly pronounce the city’s name!
Supporting The Offspring for this tour were pop-punk legends Simple Plan. They were introduced to the stage with the ‘Star Wars’ main theme blasting from the speakers as they walked onto the stage with roars from the audience, jumping straight into ‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘Shut up!’, and ‘Jump’.
Lead singer Pierre Bouvier brought headliner oomph to every moment of the set; not once did the audience stop seething and jumping around, to either punch one of the many oversized beach balls, climb on top of other audience shoulders, or help crowd surf Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau.
Photo Credit: @andybromm
Outside, the weather was drizzling and cold, but inside, the ambience was unmatched. Fans eagerly waited for The Offspring to hit the stage while sharing previous memorable gig highlights from The Offspring and Simple Plan. During the band changeover break, The Offspring made sure the crowd wouldn’t lose the collective energy built up in Simple Plan’s set, offering fan interaction-based games, including a Kiss cam, Booty-shaking-cam, and a headbang cam, all of this while a large Offspring emblazoned blimp flew over the pit. Once the intermission fun wrapped up, a countdown began on the screens alongside AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’.
Walking onto the stage, The Offspring jumped straight into their classic track ‘Come Out and Play’ from their hit 1994 album ‘Smash’, they then played through ‘All I Want’ and ‘Want You Bad’. The setlist for their show was hugely varied, with heaps of old classics, to tracks from their 2024 album ‘SUPERCHARGED’.
The Offspring’s set was a visual spectacle through every moment of their set, from the incredible pyrotechnics, confetti and streamer cannons, and giant inflatable skeletons that rose on both sides of the stage. Each song was accompanied by surprisingly high-quality videos and animations that perfectly paired with each overarching era of the band.
After the track ‘Make It Alright’, Lead singer Dexter Holland joked about guitarist Noodles “Only knowing sections of songs”, which led to a section of the set that featured Noodles effortlessly leading the band through moments of classic tracks like Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’, The Ramones ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’, and Deep Purples ‘Smoke on The Water’. It was wonderful to see band and audience share in this wry humour.
The Offspring delivered a high-energy performance packed with nostalgia, reminding everyone why they’ve had such a lasting impact on punk music. The show had a few relaxed, off-the-cuff moments—pauses to interact with the crowd or tweak something on stage—that added a casual, human touch to the night. While there were some slight slips in timing or pitch, they felt more like part of the band’s laid-back charm than distractions. It all contributed to a fun, unpolished atmosphere that made the performance feel genuine and in the moment.
Overall, The Offspring brought almost the same energy that they’ve been bringing to the country for three decades, which is no mean feat, and with their current trajectory, it seems they’ll continue to sell out bigger and bigger venues each time they return.
Photo Credit: @andybromm