Rock legends The Offspring are all set to tour the UK in style. Firstly, they’re dedicating a show to NHS and other frontline workers. Secondly, there will be tattoo pop-up events before the arena shows. Finally, they’re partnering with selected Hard Rock Cafe venues to give you the chance to try frontman Dexter Holland’s hot sauce. Pretty fly, right?
Tattoos and merch
The tattoo and merch events will have exclusive merchandise. There will also be a limited number of stickers given away to lucky fans. If you’re hoping to get a tattoo, it’s first come first serve so make sure you get there early – all of the venues open at 12 pm. You can sign up to the Old Sarum Tattoo newsletter to see the artwork in advance. Click here for more information about the tattoos and merch. Also, select Hard Rock Cafes will have special menu items made with Holland’s Gringo Bandito hot sauce.
The Offspring Tattoo and Merch Event dates are:
Sunday, 21st November, 2021: Hard Rock Cafe – Dublin
Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021: Fuel Rock Club – Cardiff
Wednesday, 24th November, 2021: The Victoria – Birmingham
Friday, 26th November, 2021: Hard Rock Cafe Mayfair – London
Saturday, 27th November, 2021: Merch store – Hard Rock Cafe – Glasgow
Saturday, 27th November, 2021: Tattoo booth – Believer Tattoo – Glasgow
Monday, 29th November, 2021: Hard Rock Cafe – Manchester
Tuesday, 30th November, 2021: Revolution Electric Press – Leeds
UK arena tour
These events correspond with The Offspring’s November arena tour. Support on these dates is from The Hives and Bob Vylan.
Sunday, 21st November, 2021: 3 Arena, Dublin
Tuesday, 23rd November, 2021: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Wednesday, 24th November, 2021: Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
Friday, 26th November, 2021: The SSE Wembley Arena, London
Saturday, 27th November, 2021: The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Monday, 29th November, 2021: AO Arena, Manchester
Tuesday, 30th November, 2021: First Direct Arena, Leeds
Support for frontline workers and the NHS
The Offspring recently announced an extra UK headline arena show on Friday, November 19th at Bonus Arena, Hull. This concert is in support of frontline workers and the NHS. A number of free tickets available for local frontline workers AND proceeds from the sales of the show will go to the registered NHS charity.
Holland (who has a PhD in molecular biology) explained: “If not for the hard work and successful rollout of the vaccine programs by the NHS there wouldn’t even be any live concerts to play! We’re so thrilled to be coming back, finally, to the UK and we’re looking forward to giving something back to those who have stepped up and given so much. Rock on!!!”
Click here to buy The Offpring concert tickets.
Gone Away reimagined
To mark the times we’re living in, The Offspring re-recorded Gone Away, which originally featured on their 1997 album Ixnay On The Hombre. The reimagined version for their new Let The Good Times Roll album transforms the song into a piano ballad.
Guitarist Noodles explained: “Gone Away may not be the biggest song we’ve ever done, but it’s probably touched people more profoundly than any song we’ve ever done. It’s a heavy song about losing someone in your life, and that happens to everybody. Unfortunately, it’s part of the human experience and people can relate. To all the fans that love that song and have experienced that loss, our heart goes out to you. We’ve been there, and we share your grief.”
This live performance video was recorded in September in Nashville and Atlanta.
Here’s the original version for comparison.
The Opioid Diaries
The Offspring’s recent single, The Opioid Diaries, is particularly meaningful for Holland: “While drug addiction is certainly not a new issue, the opioid epidemic in America is different. It’s different because it was created by, and driven by, Big Pharma…
…people who might not normally have been looking for drugs were unwittingly prescribed these opiates for pain, not knowing how addictive they were…When the prescription ran out, they had no choice but to start taking illegal street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. And the results, of course, have been deadly…
…until we stop treating drug addiction as a criminal issue, and start treating it as a medical issue, we’ll stay stuck in this vicious cycle of pain and suffering. I’ve never seen a social ill assuaged by punishment, but always and only by compassion…
…We wouldn’t put our kids in a jail cell if they had cancer…and we shouldn’t put them there for addiction.”
The band’s tenth studio album. Let The Good Times Roll, is out now on Concord Records. It reached number 3 on the UK album charts, the highest UK album chart position in the band’s career!
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