In its 30th year of celebrating its existence, it was ironic that Honda Center (formerly the Pond of Anaheim) – was hosting one of the best shows of 2024, it was The Offspring celebrating the 30-year anniversary of their ground breaking seminal album, Smash!
The night was cool, but it would soon heat up. The crowd was eclectic and energetic when the doors opened, and it ballooned out by the time the headliner took to the stage.
Concertgoers of all ages and social circles were abound. Fans were lined up to take advantage of the amenities that were dropped just for them.
Honda Center and The Offspring jumped in for the celebration providing fans with great photo spots with giant skeletons and a huge SMASH sign.
Throughout the venue, there were photos of the Honda Center’s legendary shows it has hosted over the last three decades.
It didn’t take long for the venue to get bodies in seats, and by the time the opener, Monique Powell’s Save Ferris took to the stage, everyone was primed and ready for an electrifying night.
Being a seasoned veteran of the music industry, Powell delivered with booming vocals while entertaining the crowd with comedic banter while producing a sharp sound with the songs the band has been known for, “The world is New,” and crowd favorite, Dexys Midnight Runners, “Come On Eileen.”
As Powell exited the stage after a great performance, fans were ready to let “the Bad Times Roll.” Like the blink of an eye, the stage crew did a fantastic job in getting us ready because before you knew it, down came the house lights and out came The Offspring.
With an enormous skeleton as the stage backdrop, the crowd was ready to hear Smash! The crowd went nuts as Dexter, Noodles and Todd stepped out; they looked fantastic and pumped to perform.
The PA started the show with “Time to Relax,” as the guys took their places and launched “Nitro (Youth Energy). They then segued into “Bad Habit,” which caused the first of several seismic roars from the crowd.
Before you knew it, a giant mosh pit emerged, then as they swung into “Gotta Get Away,” another mosh-pit opened up on the floor giving the look and feel a more epic signature. With flying beer bottles and moshing fans, The Offspring knew they were truly back home.
Dexter took a break between songs to said, “Thank you for coming out tonight, this is really special for us celebrating 30 years of “Smash” with you!”
Given we were there to celebrate “Smash,” we all knew what we were going to hear, but inasmuch as we all knew the music, it just sounded livelier and more electric than we could remember. Maybe it was just the fact we all got caught in the moment, just like the band did.
Then as Dexter settled in, the hit parade began, “Genocide,” “Something to Believe In,” and then seismic event # two to “Come Out and Play.”
Noodles and Jonah Nimoy were impressively shredding, Todd Morse was slappin’ the bass to a wicked pace set by Brandon Petzbom.
With a mischievous look and smile, Dexter asked the crowd if they were having a great time, and as they responded he said… “Well, let’s keep it going,” and led us into another set of fan favorites, “It’ll be a Long Time,” “Killboy Powerhead,” followed by “What Happened to You,” “Not the One,” then album namesake, “Smash.”
Then, as if to give everyone a moment to breathe and collect themselves, Dexter asked, “Are you ready? As the crowd screamed back, the distinctive drum beat to “Self Esteem,” engulfed Honda Center. It was as surreal as it gets, as everyone sang along to every single word without missing a beat!
Then it really got nuts; with mosh pits galore throughout the floor, and “All I Want,” then “Want You Bad,” were the reason why.
The rest was a blur, but we all got to look at each other as Dexter led Honda Center into “Blitzkrieg Bop,” followed by “Original Prankster.”
Then seismic event number three came to be by way of “Gone Away.” Although this one started off a little slower with Dexter behind the keys, then the band jumped in.
As the song ended, Dexter stood at the front of the stage and said, “You may know this one,” and led us into another epic set with, “Why Don’t You Get a Job,” and it was another blur of mosh pit debauchery leading to “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy).”
And just like that, The Offspring was done. But we all knew they weren’t.
After a short break and the deafening sound of the applause, The Offspring returned for one more round of larger-than-life songs, “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid,” “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” before finally calling it a night to the Louis Armstrong classic, Offspring style … “What a Wonderful World.”
With an outpouring of love from their hometown fans, it truly was a wonderful night of music at Honda Center.
