Catching Up with The Offspring: New Tour, Setlist Surprises, and a Wast Palm Beach Kickoff

In an era where raunchy pop music, hip-hop-influenced country, and house music have all become the dominant sound, it's quite interesting to see that pop-punk music has had a resurgence in the past few years. Green Day just headlined Coachella, blink-182 have been doing well in their reunion era, and the Warped Tour has returned for festival season.

Enter The Offspring, a defining band of the '90s pop-punk explosion, thanks to their album "Smash," which featured tracks like 'Come Out and Play' and 'Self Esteem,' hitting the mainstream at the same time as 'Dookie' was breaking out on MTV.

"The legacy of that record, Smash, is complicated," says founding guitarist Noodles from his home in California during a Zoom call with New Times. "Depending on how you look at it, it either brought punk-rock into the mainstream or ruined punk-rock forever."

"To me, punk-rock has always been the most honest and passionate music, so valid and raw. I always believed that if people ever gave it a chance, it could be big. I just never thought they actually would." He says in a sour tone, "It's way easier to be dishonest and dispassionate than it is to care deeply and be genuine. That seems to be the way of the world even now. So, I love that there are still young people out there who appreciate good, honest, and fired-up music."

It's this honesty that has led tracks such as 'The Kids Aren't Alright' and 'You're Gonna Go Far Kid' to hit the billion streams mark on Spotify recently. This is quite the accomplishment for songs that are decades old, but it goes to show that honest rock 'n' roll will transcend generations.

At least that’s the way Noodles, who is 62, looks at it.

"Our front rows have always been filled with young people—that age group has never changed. Now, we're seeing more of their parents coming along and hanging out further back." He continues, "I love seeing those young fans — it doesn't surprise me, but, it's kind of amazing that we still draw such a youthful crowd. With events like Warped Tour coming back or the success of When We Were Young Festival, it's clear that all these late '90s and early 2000s bands and their music are still just as relevant today as they were back then."

He notes that there's been a bit of a renaissance and nostalgia for all those bands millennials grew up with.

Speaking of bands from that era, The Offspring is bringing their Supercharged Tour to West Palm Beach, with early 2000s favorites, New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World joining them as openers. The addition of both bands should give you a trip back to the American Pie soundtrack.


"We've been really close with bands like NOFX, Pennywise, and Rancid to a lesser extent — those are real friends of ours," Noodles says. "New Found Glory, we’ve always liked, but we're more casual with them. As for Jimmy Eat World, we'd actually never met them until recently... They've kind of been labeled as emo, though I don't know if that's totally accurate. They're different enough sonically that it'll make for a really interesting night... I know they're going to kill it every night, which, honestly, is going to make our job a little harder," he jokes.

While the addition of legacy acts from the pop-punk and emo branches of the early 2000s makes the tour even more enticing for fans, New Times was curious whether any new-generation alternative or rock acts were considered for the opening slots. Some names like Amyl and the Sniffers, Plague Vendor, and N8NoFace were thrown around, but the band ultimately decided that they’d pursue shows with them at a later point in time.

The Offspring is, of course, headlining in support of Supercharged, released in late 2024 and features "Make It All Right," the single that topped multiple Billboard alt-rock charts, proving that the band still hasn't lost its flair. Produced by Bob Rock — known for Metallica's Black Album, Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood, and The Cult’s Sonic Temple — the record continues a collaboration that began with 2008’s Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.

"Most of the writing happens while Bob is there... A lot of the time, what gets created in the studio ends up being what you hear on the record," Noodles says. "The way Bob works, and the way we've adapted to that, really suits us."

While the setlist will spotlight Supercharged and fan favorites, Noodles says they’re keeping longtime listeners in mind. "We do try to rotate songs in the setlist from night to night. Usually, there's a slot or two for what we call deep cuts," he explains. "Some of our hardcore fans... are always asking for really obscure tracks. Like, there's this one called Mission from God that I don't think has ever been officially released, but now people ask for it all the time."

Ultimately, The Offspring isn't just a band that helped define pop-punk; they're still evolving, creating music that connects across generations. Whether you've been with them since Smash or just discovered them, their energy is still undeniable. The tour kicks off July 11 in West Palm Beach — and it’s bound to be a night that proves their legacy is very much alive.

The Offspring. With Jimmy Eat World, and New Found Glory 7 p.m. Friday, July 11, at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach Florida; (561) 795-8883; livenation.com. Tickets start at $30 via Ticketmaster.