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One of the most influential pop-punk bands of all time has made its rounds across North America once again this summer, hitting amphitheaters and arenas across the U.S. and Canada. Starting in early July, The Offspring embarked on their “Supercharged Worldwide” tour, following the release of their October 2024 album Supercharged. On July 29, The Offspring stopped at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ, performing a massive 23-song set full of fan-favorites. At the nearly sold-out show, the band proved that they still have just as much energy as they had 30 years ago, delivering a monumental show that provided tons of lighthearted fun and excitement.
At 7pm, the first band of the night, pop-punk pioneers New Found Glory, hit the stage. Formed in 1997, the band is still going strong to this day, proven by the loud cheers from the crowd as they walked on stage. Starting with the track “Understatement” from their breakthrough 2002 album Sticks and Stones, it did not take long for the crowd to start jumping and moshing. The band also made sure to make a connection with the audience; during the third track of the set, the 2000 fan-favorite “Hit or Miss”, vocalist Jordan Pundik went directly into the pit and performed right there with the fans for nearly the entire song. Among many older hits, the band also performed their newest single “100%”, which carries the same unrelenting energy and classic pop-punk sound as their older songs. In the middle of the set, the band asked “Who likes free shit?”, to which the audience shot their hands up in the air. The band brought out a giant rubber band and a t-shirt, then shot the shirt into the crowd where one lucky fan could catch it. Towards the end of the set, the band thanked Philly for supporting them for nearly 30 years, citing them as one of the first cities to welcome them. To end their set, they performed their biggest hit “My Friends Over You”, as the audience jumped along and moshed until the last note.
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The next and final opener was alternative-rock icons Jimmy Eat World. Having been active since the mid-90s, Jimmy Eat World’s emo-pop style redefined the genres of emo and alternative-rock. With a unique musical style combining catchy hooks and dynamic riffs, they made a name for themselves as one of the most influential rock bands of the 90s. To kick off their 12-song set, the band performed their 2004 hit “Pain”, which quickly ramped the energy back up within the crowd. The band played many tracks across their early discography, including their 1999 breakthrough album Clarity, much to the excitement of the fans. Before the end of their set, vocalist Jim Adkins pointed out the nearly sold-out crowd and thanked Philly for showing up, mentioning that they have been coming to Philly for years and the city has always been supportive. The band closed out their set with a bang, playing two of their biggest hits: “Sweetness” and “The Middle” from their 2001 album Bleed American. During “Sweetness”, the voices of the crowd boomed throughout the venue as they sang along to the signature “Whoa-oh-oh-oh”’s. The audience kept that energy up as the band performed their iconic track “The Middle”, jumping and singing along to every word.
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During the intermission between sets, the screen played a countdown from 5 minutes, hyping the crowd up before The Offspring walks onstage. To get the crowd even more excited before the headlining set starts, a person in a gorilla mask walked onto the stage and shot t-shirts from t-shirt cannon into the crowd. A voiceover then said “Who’s gonna start the wave?”, prompting the audience to do the wave as there were only about 2 minutes left of the countdown. As the countdown was nearing its last 10 seconds, the audience began counting along until the clock hit zero and the lights dimmed. As cheers filled the venue, The Offspring walked onstage, opening with their 1994 track “Come Out and Play”. Right away, the enthusiasm within the crowd skyrocketed, with a mosh pit already starting to form. By the fourth song, crowdsurfers started to make their way across the pit.
Throughout the set, The Offspring easily kept the crowd engaged, delivering true punk-rock energy. Frontman Dexter Holland’s dynamic vocals complimented the catchy riffs and vibrant solos from lead guitarist Noodles, with drummer Brandon Pertzborn, bassist Todd Morse, and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy tying the performance together with lively rhythms. The band’s stage production was also a standout, such as the giant inflatable skeletons emerging from the back of the stage and spitting out fog once the band played “Looking Out For #1”, the first track from the album Supercharged. There were also several bursts of fireworks and confetti, which fans who were close enough to the stage ran to catch and keep as a memento of the show. During a break between songs, Dexter pointed out the persistent enthusiasm amongst the crowd, taking notice of how the crowd continued to cheer even when no song was being played. Noodles added, “Camden is crazy, and I love crazy people.”
At this point in the show, the band did a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who tragically passed away a week prior. Noodles started off solo by playing the main riff of “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath, then was joined by the rest of the band to play the first verse of the legendary “Paranoid”. They then went into a brief cover of Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” up until the solo, and the fans sang along to every word. After a great moment of honoring Ozzy’s legacy, the band put the spotlight on Noodles again as he performed a solo of the classical “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg. For their final cover of the night, they performed The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated”, as the person in the gorilla mask from the beginning of the set returned and ran around the stage with a sign saying “I Wanna Be…”. The band went back to playing their original songs, starting with 1997’s “Gotta Get Away”, and giant beach balls were dropped into the crowd. Throughout the song, fans were throwing the beach balls around, and when the song ended, some fans deflated a few of the balls to take home as a unique souvenir from the show.
Right after, drummer Brandon Pertzborn performed a masterful drum solo that captivated the crowd. Then, the band decided to slow things down a bit and brought a piano onto the stage, where Dexter would perform a piano cover of “Gone Away”. Before he started playing, he mentioned that this song is about loss, and that if anyone had lost someone close to them before, they should light their phone flashlights. As Dexter performed solo on the piano, the crowd waved their phone lights in the air. Towards the end of the song, the rest of the band joined in as fireworks popped, creating a powerful end to a meaningful song. For the final few songs of their set, they performed some of their most popular tracks, such as “Why Don’t You Get a Job” and “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)”, both from their career-defining 1998 album Americana. The crowd was singing along so loudly during “Pretty Fly”, Dexter even pointed it out, mentioning once again that Camden had crazy energy.
They closed with one of their biggest hits, “The Kids Aren’t Alright”, and the crowd was moshing and singing along the entire song. The band then left the stage briefly, prompting the fans to chant for an encore. Soon enough, The Offspring came back and played another famous hit "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid”, as a blimp-shaped balloon with the band’s logo and labeled with “Camden, NJ” was carried through the venue. The crowd was singing the lyrics so perfectly, the band let the crowd sing themselves for one of the final choruses, and Dexter commented that Camden has great voices. To close out the set, they played their 1994 hit “Self Esteem”, and the crowd’s energy remained strong as they continued jumping and moshing until the final note. Once the song ended, the band gathered together and took a bow as the crowd continued cheering. Full of pure punk-rock fun, The Offspring delivered a night that Camden and Philly fans would always remember.
