Still Pretty Fly: The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, and New Found Glory Supercharge the Kia Forum
SoCal punk legends The Offspring brought their Supercharged Worldwide Tour to the Kia Forum on August 29, packing the night with nostalgia, energy, and plenty of surprises. Alongside them were Jimmy Eat World, bringing that emo-alt rock fire, and pop punk mainstays New Found Glory, opening the show with a wave of early 2000s memories.
The night kicked off with New Found Glory, one of the biggest names from the early 2000s pop punk wave. They wasted no time and jumped straight into “Understatement,” and instantly, the room was buzzing. Jordan Pundik’s vocals carry that unmistakable tone, the kind you recognize from a mile away, and hearing it live again hit hard. Their set was short but stacked with crowd favorites like “All Downhill From Here,” “Hit or Miss,” “Dressed to Kill,” and of course, “My Friends Over You.” Fans sang along to every word, making the band’s set feel like a reunion with old friends.
Next up was Jimmy Eat World, and the second they hit the stage with “Pain” the crowd erupted into a full-on sing-along. The Arizona quartet has been together since high school, and you can feel that chemistry between Jim Adkins, Tom Linton, Rick Burch, and Zach Lind. Adkins’ voice was on point all night, cutting through with clarity and emotion. Their setlist pulled from different eras, mixing the raw urgency of “Bleed American” with the soaring “A Praise Chorus.” “Sweetness” had the floor bouncing, but it was “The Middle” that tied it all together, with the entire arena singing louder than the band itself. That song remains a generational anthem, and hearing it live still hits like the first time.
While the crew set the stage for the headliners, The Offspring made sure nobody lost momentum. A blimp floated around the crowd, their hype gorilla mascot tossed merch like footballs, and even pulled fans from the nosebleeds to watch from the side stage. It was a fun, chaotic pre-show warm-up that showed just how much The Offspring care about giving their fans a night to remember.
Then the lights cut out. AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blasted through the speakers as lightning animations surged across the screen like a power meter climbing higher and higher. When it peaked, the curtain dropped and the band ripped into “Come Out and Play.” That unmistakable percussive intro had the entire arena screaming the words back.
Garden Grove’s finest—Dexter Holland, Noodles, Todd Morse, Jonah Nimoy, and Brandon Pertzborn—came out swinging. Touring behind their 11th studio album Supercharged, the set was all about energy and power, living up to the name of the tour. They balanced new material like “Make It All Right” with classics fans came to scream along to, from “All I Want” and “Gotta Get Away” to “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” and “Gone Away.”
One of the wildest surprises of the night came when the original “Pretty Fly Guy,” Guy Cohen, stepped on stage to join the band for “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).” The crowd went absolutely insane watching him relive the moment with the band decades later.
The night closed with heavy hitters “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid,” and of course “Self Esteem,” reminding everyone why The Offspring remain a cornerstone of SoCal punk. It was a celebration of punk, emo, and pop punk across generations, supercharged for 2025 and beyond.
The Offspring
Jimmy Eat World
New Found Glory
