The Offspring delivered an electrifying performance at Rockhal on Monday night, with a sold-out crowd roaring long before the band even took the stage.
On Monday, 19 August, The Offspring performed their third sold-out show at Rockhal. As we parked at the Gare in Belval and approached the venue, the sound of the crowd in Esch/Alzette was already audible, even though the scene wasn’t yet visible. It was loud!
Owing to some planning issues on our part and a last-minute change to my plus one, we arrived quite late at 8.30pm, an hour and a half after the doors had opened. The queues were still extensive, with four immensely long lines. Unfortunately, this meant we missed the support band, Destroy Boys.
Once inside, we noticed that The Offspring were now scheduled to start at 9.30pm, rather than the planned 9pm. We grabbed a drink, headed to the back of the hall, and sat down. A little fun fact: this was my first show in Rockhal’s main hall.
Around 9pm, to our surprise, the room went dark, and there they were, ready to give us a fantastic show. I'd seen The Offspring live once before – at Rock am Ring 2022 – which was a decent show. My teenage self was delighted, even though they didn't play many of my favourite songs back then.
Before the show began, my boyfriend checked out the previous setlists The Offspring had played, so I knew what to expect, while he, as a metalhead, went in completely blind. I never even tried to google a setlist before, but I suppose you can find anything these days.
I was quite pleased to see that many older songs were on the list, songs that thrilled my 15-year-old self to hear live once again.
I had heard that The Offspring can be hit or miss, but I can confidently say this show was definitely a hit. Comparing it to my festival experience, I think they simply perform better in smaller venues, with fans who have all been eagerly awaiting them.
Starting with their breakthrough song Come Out and Play, my first favourite of the night was the third song, Want You Bad – a track even my boyfriend immediately recognised. More songs, drum solos, and some covers followed – including one by the Ramones – until we arrived at the best part of the show: the older songs, one banger after another.
Balls appeared out of nowhere, and everyone started singing along to Why Don’t You Get a Job? – what a classic!
The other classics didn’t take long to follow, as (Can’t Get My) Head Around You, Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), and The Kids Aren’t Alright soon came next.
The whole show was accompanied by banter between singer Dexter Holland – who, by the way, has a PhD in Molecular Biology – and lead guitarist Noodles. The latter joked that his friend had counted 969,000 people at the door, and while this is highly unlikely in a country like Luxembourg, it certainly felt like it. The atmosphere was amazing, people were singing and moving around, and it was LOUD.
To top the show off, they returned to play two of their most successful songs: You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid and Self Esteem, with me screaming my lungs out during the latter. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, the fun was over.
All in all, it was a fantastic show and definitely an improvement on what I experienced two years ago. My inner teenager was thrilled, my boyfriend enjoyed himself, and I was happy we could still make it work – even if it was quite last minute.
