By Josh Bicknell
Long before the night’s openers, Simple Plan, made their way to the stage, the AO Arena was already heaving, swelling steadily as fans streamed in far earlier than usual. Everyone was settling into their seats and revelling in the rare thrill of a venue this full before the main event.
When the house lights finally dropped and the room glowed red, the unmistakable ‘Star Wars’ opening theme of all things fanfared Simple Plan onto the stage. It was a perfectly tongue-in-cheek opener that lifted the atmosphere, and the whoops and cheers of the crowd confirmed that they were primed for their set.
Simple Plan eased into the night with a run of familiar early tracks, each greeted with noticeably growing enthusiasm as the set progressed. The first five songs encouraged pockets of movement across the room rather than a full eruption, with fans gradually warming up as they waved their hands along and joined in the choruses. During ‘Jump,’ the energy finally began to lift, helped along by sharp, crisp drumming that sliced through the mix. Chuck in particular shone during ‘Your Love Is A Lie,’ rallying the crowd without ever detracting from the moment.
A brief pause allowed the band to plug their new Amazon documentary before they moved into ‘Nothing Changes,’ performed beneath moody blue lighting that cast a spotlight on Pierre delivering one of the more atmospheric moments of the set. This calmer section was followed by the playful chaos of ‘Summer Paradise,’ which saw giant inflatable beach balls drifting across the arena. Given the week of heavy rain Manchester had just endured, the sight felt ironically perfect, and the band leaned into the humour. Later, ‘Where I Belong,’ a track made with State Champs, kept the energy high, with fans singing along in full voice.
As the set reached its final stretch, the band kept the surprises coming. ‘I’m Just a Kid’ saw Pierre and Chuck swap places halfway through, with Chuck heading into the crowd and even crowdsurfing at one point. After a brief snippet of ‘Wonderwall,’ which the Manchester audience belted out with predictable pride, Simple Plan closed with an acoustic performance of ‘Perfect.’ With phone lights raised across the room, it brought a nostalgic and heartfelt ending to a set that felt like the ultimate soundtrack to every angsty teenager’s dream.
After a lively intermission filled with neigh-on slapstick crowd interactions, and a camera operator who seemed determined to award style points for every raised middle finger, the atmosphere inside the arena shifted into something far more electric. Just after one lucky fan was upgraded to side stage, a gigantic two-minute countdown appeared on the screens, building a sense of anticipation that felt more like the closing moments of Superbowl 51 than the lead-up to an old-school punk rock set. By the time the clock hit zero, the crowd’s anticipation had reached its boiling point.
The Offspring exploded onto the stage with ‘Come Out And Play,’ and the response was immediate. The entire room surged forward and several mosh pits erupted before the first chorus had even hit. ‘I Want You’ followed with the same relentless pace, leaving barely any time for the crowd to catch their breath. A short acknowledgement that it had been four years since they had last played Manchester only heightened the excitement. By the time they launched into ‘Looking Out for Number One,’ the backdrop had shifted into a chaotic, space-age sequence reminiscent of Rick and Morty, and the number of pits had multiplied across the floor.
‘Staring At The Sun’ kept the momentum high beneath flashes of yellow lighting and psychedelic skulls on the screens. Moments later, the stage was plunged into darkness as thunder rolled through the speakers and two enormous blue skulls inflated behind the band. This dramatic visual heralded the arrival of ‘Hammerhead,’ and with smoke billowing from the skulls and the riffs cutting through the mix, the energy inside the arena became almost overwhelming.
The band briefly eased the pace with ‘Make It All Right,’ which carried a slightly softer tone, although this did little to slow the stream of crowdsurfers flying over the barrier. A burst of blue confetti reignited the room before ‘Bad Habit’ sent everything into motion once again. Midway through, Dexter Holland paused to marvel at the intensity of the Manchester crowd and joked that they were “not even playing,” yet everyone was still screaming, before diving straight back into the final chorus.
‘Gotta Get Away’ arrived next and featured an extended drum solo from Brandon Pertzborn, one of the most impressive I have seen in years. What followed was a tonal shift as the band delivered ‘Gone Away.’ Smoke rolled around Dexter Holland’s feet like clouds, while he spoke about losing a loved one and writing the song, highlighting music’s power to heal. Gentle pyro, like oversized sparklers children had been waving on Bonfire Night not long ago, filled the arena, adding to the dreamlike and reflective atmosphere.
From there, The Offspring moved into a final run of favourites that felt like a condensed greatest hits collection. ‘Why Don’t You Get A Job?’ brought back the giant bouncy balls, ‘Pretty Fly for a White Guy’ filled the room with inflatable versions of their mascot, and ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ closed the main set in a blaze of red lighting and relentless movement. The encore of ‘You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid’ and ‘Self Esteem’ arrived beneath an Offspring blimp circling the room with the words “dance fucker dance” in bright LEDs, while an absurd amount of confetti rained from the ceiling.
It was a chaotic, hilarious, heartfelt finale and easily one of the most entertaining live sets of the year. The entire floor moved as one until the final note, proving that after all these years, The Offspring can still deliver a headline show that feels genuinely alive.
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