| Unity Tour All That And More |
| Written by Melissa Garcia |
| Monday, 26 July 2010 19:00 |
As Bret Bollinger (bass) and Kaleo Wassman (guitar) took turns on the mic, the day continued with their hands moving up and down their forearms in quite suggestive ways, and of course, the occasional nut grab. They looked like they were having the time of their lives on stage the way they jumped around, and how they introduced Yesod Williams on drums while he sipped on a Coors Light. But my favorite was how they added their own commentary in the middle of songs like: "drip, drip, drip" and "you girls have to learn how to juggle that shit," and Bret didn't mean the kind of juggling you see at the circus. They continued with "Point and Shoot," a blunt and lewd song about going down on a girl, and no, the nymphomania didn't end there. As they began "Give It Up," (and what erogenous set would be complete without this song?) they introduced Noodles, the lead guitarist of The Offspring, to tear it up on stage with them. They ended their set with their new single "Wake Up" off their self-titled album which has yet to be announced a release date. While they nailed the instrumental side of things, they often abruptly stopped singing in order to strum harder and faster on the guitar or bass, leaving the songs sung half assed. Nonetheless, they put on an amusing and boisterous show that left the crowd hot and bothered. After getting a second to cool down, my favorite performance of the night entered the stage, The Offspring. They've been around since 84' and I saw a wide range of fans, from the 12 year kids with new T-shirts from this years Unity Tour, to older cats wearing ratted T's from The Offsprings 1998 album, Americana. They opened with "Your Gonna Go Far Kid" and within the first five seconds of the song, a mosh pit was created right behind me in the lawn area. I don't know what it is about this venue that turns the lawn crowd into little arsonists but a fire was started again! This time with people swinging around their inflamed T-shirts. Im surprised no one caught on fire with all the embers getting flung on the crowd, and it got worse throughout the night. Especially when "Come Out and Play" was blaring through the speakers, it had me singing at the top of my lungs with the rest of the crowd, and had me itching for a fight. The members of The Offspring may look a little aged but it definitely didn't matter how old they are getting because they rocked out harder and got the crowd moving more than 311 or Pepper. In my opinion, they should have been the headliners. They had a good mix of new and old songs and calmed it down towards the middle of their set with a piano rendition of "Gone Away," which they dedicated to anyone who has ever lost someone close to them. They kept the tempo slow for one more acoustic song, "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" then brought the fierce energy back with "New Song." Even though I don't listen to too much Offspring, I still recognized almost all of their songs. It amazed me how many songs that they had out there that were oddly familiar. Their next song went out to all those freeloading significant others, "Why Don't You Get a Job." It was then that I noticed the people around me cheering louder than normal and looking to the left. Well, what do you know? It was a topless girl on the shoulders of some dude (I hope it wasn't her boyfriend, or that would have been a shame). All the men hooted and hollered while the usual haters yelled "get a boob job!" This went on for about two songs until she got down off her bare chested pedestal of fame. But wait! No, she wasn't gone for good, in fact she brought a friend with her to join in, who in fact, wasn't topless (CHEAP!) By the end of the third song I began to get bored of the boobs and focused my attention back to the stage. They played all my favorites: "The Kids Aren't Alright," "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," and closed with "Self Esteem." I really wasn't expecting The Offspring to put on such an awesome show, but their songs made me feel a little nostalgic of my childhood, and as we cheered for one more song the roadies crept on the stage and started setting up for 311. It began with a brief light show while the band filtered on the stage. Then an eruption of sound came out the speakers, as they started "India Ink." I loved their activity on stage, Nick Hexum (vocals/rhythm guitar) and Doug "SA" Martinez (vocals/turntables) never stopped moving, kicking, dancing and head banging is their style, and I loved it. By the fourth song Doug Martinez's shirt was 3 shades darker from his sweat. Even the bassist, Aaron "P-Nut" Willis showed his inner karate kid with the round-house kicks he was doing on stage. This band is very prolific with their performances, from P-Nut's fret board that lit up, to Doug Martinez scratching on the turntables, to the lighting. The lighting throughout their show was ideal for every song and set the mood perfectly. What I enjoyed most about the show was the five minute solos that were performed by the drummer and bassist during intermissions. Chad Sexton's reign of terror on the drums, (and I don't mean a dinky 5-piece drum set, I'm talking about a drum set worthy of Neil Pert!) had my eyes and mouth open wide. Even Doug Martinez, Nick Hexum and two other dudes brought out their own floor toms and crash cymbals and joined in. It was like a Venice Beach drum circle on the stage, and I wanted to join in ! They played "All Mixed Up" and "Come Original," and It dazzled me to see both Martinez, and Hexum rap, sing, drum, strum and take stabs at the turntables. This band is full of multi-talented guys who really know how to put on a show. Although, I did say that I thought The Offspring should have been headliners, I really did get a kick out of 311. While "Beyond A Gray Sky" was playing Hexum requested that everyone put a lighter in the air. My surroundings had a great ambience to it then. When I looked down at the whole crowd, it was like the audience was blanketed with butane stars.
Of course "Amber" and "Beautiful Disaster" were played and soon their set ended... but not for long. As I was exiting the venue the crowd was still cheering, which ended up becoming and encore as 311 returned on stage. Even while getting into my car I heard them still playing. Lucky for me, their was no traffic exiting the parking lot, yay! Photo Credits: Erik Jordan
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Shirtless and sexy is how Pepper likes to put on a show, and let me tell you, it was a great way to kick of this years Unity Tour. Each member entered the stage dressed in red shorts, a big farmers hat, and had sunscreen painted on their faces. With a huge surfboard lying front and center on the stage, and a portable lifeguard chair, it was clear to see what their theme was. But just incase you doubted their fantasies of being lifeguards, they had life preservers placed on the stage as well. After playing "Stone Love" they announced that their roots grew from Hawaii, but to not compare them to Jack Johnson because "their coconuts swing the other way." These guys know how to have fun, and crack a few jokes throughout their set. With obscene gestures and filthy lyrics, it made me feel pretty embarrassed for those kids I saw that attended the show with their middle aged parents. Although the crowd was pitifully small by the time they played, they made their best efforts to get the audience up and loud.
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