Friday, 10 October 2025
The Offspring crowd at Unity Arena was a mixture of longtime followers with faded band shirts and younger fans who probably first heard them via streaming. As the clock on the large screen on the stage counted down to the band’s appearance, the excitement audibly grew, and the band were greeted with a rapturous roar. As well as hands being raised across the arena, there were also crutches spotted, swinging around the air.
Throughout the night, Dexter’s signature interaction with the crowd, rallying them during every chorus, was in full force. The crowd belted out lines to the early highlight «Want You Bad» and the high energy atmosphere never really dropped after that. «Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)» prompted the largest singalong of the night. Dexter Holland’s voice was strong, though perhaps not quite as razor‑sharp at the highest notes as in the 90s (which is understandable after decades), but charismatic and full of personality. Visually, as a child from the 80s, it was hard not to think of what Biff Tannen from Back to the Future would look like if he was a rockstar.
The setlist struck a pleasing balance between the band’s early hits and newer material, but there were also several mid-set covers, including Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’, Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’, ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ by The Ramones and even ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ by Edvard Greig. It was a clever way to please the local Norwegians, and it worked. The stage production was effective. A giant colourful screen displaying vintage band footage, and, of course, a few nods to their punk roots. The pacing of the set was good: no long lulls, and transitions felt natural. In some of the side zones, some muddiness crept in: vocals occasionally less distinct, higher register guitars slightly harsh.
After decades of cranking out crowd-pleasers, the band shows no signs of slowing down. While some bands from the ’90s can sound like they’re just going through the motions, The Offspring radiate an energy that’s as infectious as their early albums, and some of their catchy melodies simply do not age. 4.5/6
Text & photography: Anne-Marie Forker
