Punk rock vets The Offspring celebrate ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ tour at Asbury Park’s The Stone Pony

photo credit: Liv Foltiny

Written by Sophia Varoumas

The punk rock veterans, the Offspring, popped into Asbury Park’s, The Stone Pony, on May 12th to celebrate the band’s ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ tour.

The ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ tour and their latest studio album, Let the Bad Times Roll, were included in the festivities, celebrating some of their biggest tracks.

They played a solid 75-minute set, opening with, “Want You Bad,” a fast-paced power ballad to get the crowd excited. They included all the songs you expect to hear from their catalog like, “Gotta Get Away,” “Pretty Fly,” “Self Esteem,” and “Bad Habit.”

They played three-quarters of “Bad Habit,” and just stopped. It was definitely the concert’s cliffhanger moment. Will they finish the song? Being the avid, concertgoer that I am, I demanded they finish the song, just like the rest of the crowd. They did. Of course, they did. It ruled, and the mosh pits and crowd surfers sang along with their “timbering voices” that Kevin John “Noodles” Wasserman pointed out and enjoyed.

Halfway through the set, Bryan “Dexter” Holland switched over to the piano to sing the track, “Gone Away,” paying homage to all the people we have lost since the pandemic. He spoke about the grieving process, how we each grieve differently but most importantly, “remember you are not alone.” Holland promised. They closed the night with, “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid,” from their 8th studio album, Rise and Fall.

It’s always great to see a band charge a reasonable price. Especially, in the 90s, when the band debuted, “selling out” and being a “poser” was a big deal. You did not want to do that if you were in a band. Fans were pleased that the tickets are about $50 with merch ranging from $10-$75. “That’s super reasonable for shows today, and it says a lot,” says William M. from Cherry Hill, NJ.

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