The Offspring, Bodyjar,Something Corporate @ JubileePavilion, WayvilleShowgrounds, 26/06/04

Sun 27th Jun, 2004 in Gig Reviews

If anyone said you couldn’t ‘rock out’ behind a piano, then Something Corporate were out to quash that. Sounding much like Blink 182’s newest release, these guys played a solid, tight and energetic performance to a reasonably receptive Adelaide crowd.

Bodyjar’s last public performance in Adelaide was in November of last year. Surprisingly (or not) they played a very similar set. With their latest release being a ‘best of’, their set reflected it. I was keen for a new song to see some sort of direction of the future of Bodyjar, but it never came. With Gordy from Frenzal Rhomb filling in for their recently retired drummer, Bodyjar seemed rather loose at points. Maybe this was due to the fact it was the last night for this Australian tour.  After hits like Too Drunk To Drive, Hazy Shade Of Winter, Is It A Lie, and One In A Million, it’s hard not to have a good sing-a-long to them all. As Bodyjar left the stage, it seemed as though the crowd did the same. They all left only to be replaced moments later by a crowd that were to be far more appreciative of The Offspring.

The lights dimmed as a constant beat pumped over the PA. Sure enough, Atom Willard continued that same beat on the drums. Enter bass and then guitars. Next for vocals and you had their opening song Neocon. The Offspring played a varied set of songs spanning their five albums and, as Bodyjar did, played a solid best of set list. Songs such as Come Out And Play, Staring At The Sun, Hit That, Get A Job and The Kid’s Aren’t Allright kept the crowd singing and moshing the night away. For their encore, The Offspring decided on their new single Can’t Get My Head Around You, Pretty Fly For A White Guy and closed with Self Esteem.

Not many people left disappointed, and those who did couldn’t argue that for a band, who have been together for over 20 years didn’t try hard. They were well rehearsed and extremely tight. It’s good to see a crowd of a decent size support a band that actually decided to come to Adelaide, unlike many others.