Is music universal to all times and places or does it represent a certain period in history? Will rebellious punk music always appeal to the young?
Yes, and yes.
The three headline bands that played DC101’s Kerfuffle concert at Jiffy Lube Live on Sat- The Offspring, Sublime with Rome and Garbage- all earned their first big hits in the mid 90s. However, while they have been around for at least 16 years, their rebellious mix of punk angst, Long Beach chill and girl power, still resonate with young people in the audience.
While people of all ages attended the concert festival, twenty-some things made up the target audience just as they did back in the 1990s.
“I’m here for Sublime,” said 21 year-old Bristow resident Luke Olson, who said, “Rome does Bradley good. Offspring is always the same. (I am a) Big fan of Offspring too.”
The Offspring was the headline band, going on at 10 p.m. This was not surprising, since The Offspring is one of those rare breeds that can keep producing year after year, decade after decade.
The most surprising thing about The Offspring is that they were able to play an hour and a half of solid hit songs. The Offspring revealed the depth of their playlist, with “Days Gone By,” “You're Gonna Go Far Kid,” “The Kids Aren't Alright,” “Why Don't You Get a Job,” “Pretty Fly for a White Guy,” “Keep Them Separated” and “No Self Esteem.”
Throughout the set, the band was solid, producing studio quality music and moving its audience to dance, head bang, stand up and cheer. Visiting their repertoire was a walk down memory lane, and built a new appreciation for the band that has managed to keep a hard-rock punk sound and still produce pop hits, drawing new fans in each time to each new album release.
Towards the end of the set, the band members expressed how excited they were to be playing again with Sublime after 16 years.
“Who would have known that D.C would know how to party so hard? We’ve been traveling around North America, and who knew the winners would be right here,” said lead singer Dexter Holland.
Yet even though The Offspring was the DC101’s biggest name band, many of the concertgoers said they were most interested in seeing Sublime with Rome.
Known for such radio hits such as “What I Got,” “Santeria,” and “Wrong Way,” Sublime gained national notoriety around the same time their lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, Bradley Nowell, passed away in 1996.
Sublime soon found a cult following as young people responded to their signature “stylee,” a unique mix of genres rooted in punk rock, rap and reggae.
One group of avid fans included a group of college kids from Loudoun County, who came to Kerfuffle primarily to see Sublime with Rome.
Jacob McCaughey, who attends school in Blacksburg, said he has been listening to Sublime since he was a freshman in high school.
“(They) give off good vibes.”
He also explains that their music is a nice reprieve from the materialistic messages he receives from other artists and his own community, according to McCaughey.
“It feels like it brings us together,” added Megan King, of Ashburn.
“It’s chill, it’s fun to listen to,” said Mallory El-Khatib. “It’s not like listening to Britney Spears or Kayne West. It’s not overplayed.”
“It’s like art,” said McCaughey. “It’s like our kind of art.”
And although Rome Ramirez would be replacing the singer most Sublime fans find irreplaceable, McCaughey and his friends were willing to give him a chance, saying they had heard good things about him.
Ramirez, tattooed and t-shirted seems to fit well with the original band members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh. Ramirez did not disappoint crowds with his singing, even if he lacked some of Nowell’s legendary charisma.
Sublime with Rome displayed their eclectic range in their choice of songs, which included ballads like “Badfish,” hippie odes like “Scarlett Begonia” first written and performed by the Grateful Dead, and venturing into punk thrash with “Under My Voo-Doo.”
They also played two of their songs that helped to create social awareness among many of their young white upper middle class fans. “April 29,1992” about the Rodney King riots, emphasized that the struggle was not about black versus white, but the haves and the have nots, and “Date Rape,” a rhapsody about what rapists deserve, easily fit in with the political discussions of the day.
Sublime ended their set with their fan favorite, romantic ballad “Santeria.”
Earlier in the afternoon, Garbage, the post-grunge alternative band with a pop-industrial sound, offered some message music reissued for a new generation.
Female lead singer Shirley Manson helped participate in a new feminist movement in the 90s alongside the softer Lilith Fair divas of her day, and other hard rock chicks, like Courtney Love.
Although Garbage had stepped out of the music game for seven years, they came back swinging. Wearing a red ponytail and short yellow shorted skirt, Manson commanded the stage with a no-nonsense strut.
She warmed up the audience with fan favorites as “Stupid Girl” , “I Would Lie to You”, and “Push It” before launching into her newest album “Not Your Kind of People” with the song “Control.”
Despite their extended hiatus, there was seamless continuity between their old and new music that their fans should appreciate.
Manson also used the concert as an opportunity to thank her fans.
“For all your love and support over the past seven years. Thanks. It’s such a rare thing these days,” Manson told the Bristow crowd.
On stage Garbage displayed its sure-fire formula. Solid rock-alt-metal with strong guitars and a steady drum beat along with a sultry yet powerful alto voice and an image that exudes both feminine power and sexuality.
Ending with “Only Happy When It Rains,” Garbage reminded the audience how what passed for pop in the 1990s was still far gutsier than many of today’s pop-hits.
“I liked her last song. I’ve never heard them,” said 21 year-old Juliette Hernandez from Manassas, who was attending her first rock concert with other friends from Prince William County.
Walking away from Jiffy Lube Live, those who did grow up with these bands may have felt some pang of nostalgia.
Luckily, they can look forward to a 90s revival of sorts with bands like Dave Matthews, Green Day, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, even Ben Folds Five releasing new albums. So maybe rock-grunge, punk, ska and grrl power will be making a comeback yet.
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