Southern California punk band The Offspring played an hour-long set at Jones Beach Friday night, delighting fans with a hit-packed setlist and a high energy performance.
The Offspring are guests on 311's Unity Tour 2010 (click here to read Long Island photographer Angela Datre's review and see high quality photos of 311's performance) and therefore ended up with the opening slot Friday night, hitting the stage at 7:50 sharp.
The outdoor beachfront amphitheater was well-packed in the perfect 75 degree weather, and fans jumped to their feet as the band opened the show with You're Gonna Go Far Kid, a particularly catchy track off Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, The Offspring's last released record. It was immediately followed by Bad Habit, the fan-favorite road rage song, and frontman Dexter Holland stopped the song right before the famous breakdown to encourage everyone to scream out the string of profanities along with the band.
The band then debuted brand new track You Will Find a Way, before delving into an extensive catalog of hits from their 25 year career, the majority of which were from best-selling albums Smash and Americana. Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Seperated) got a huge response from the enthusiastic crowd, as did Why Don't You Get a Job and Gotta Get Away.
Just like last year's show at Roseland Ballroom, a piano was brought out for Dexter to play solo on Gone Away, generating mild boos from the revved up crowd during the softer fare. Due to the seating-only arrangement at Jones Beach amphitheater, moshing, crowd surfing, and anything other than jumping around within the confines of the seats was impossible, putting a general damper on the crowd energy compared to general admission shows such as Roseland, but nonetheless the Offspring did an admirable job as they crunched through their setlist, guitarist Noodles hopping on top of monitors as he ripped through riffs and fans singing along to virtually every word.
The group wrapped up with some of their best known songs, generating a massive response from the cheering crowd on Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), The Kids Aren't Alright, and the self-deprecating, much loved Self Esteem. Watch fan video of Pretty Fly below:
Due to the nature of the opening slot, the band was on stage for exactly their allotted 60 minutes. The time restriction prevented a longer setlist, but the group made the most of it by cutting out virtually all stage banter, and just pounding out as many songs as possible. While it was difficult as a fan to accept such a popular band as a restricted, opening act, the quality of the music, the energy of the band, and the wild enthusiasm in the crowd still made The Offspring's performance a spectacular one, and a perfect start to the summer weekend.
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