Offspring's gig at Bricks turns into a chaotic party

Somewhere between a great party and chaos was the Offspring concert at Bricks Wednesday night. An hour of fast-paced punk-pop tunes mixed in with eight-foot stage dives, water falling from the ceiling, and a temporary loss of power, set the stage for the evening.

Moshing and cramped quarters are expected at such club shows, but there was almost a sense of relief at the end that no one was seriously injured.

The Offspring opened, ironically, with "The Kids Aren't Alright." Many concertgoers — mostly juveniles who found themselves unexpectedly in the middle of a mosh pit — started shoving their way to the back of the room to get a little space.

The adrenaline level stayed up for "All I Want," followed by "Long Way Home," which the band was forced to play in the dark after power to the stage lights was lost. (The house lights were smartly turned on in the back of the club and remained on for the rest of the show. The stage lights were restored by the next song.)

The biggest problem for security came when some fans started climbing onto two steel support beams that stick out in the middle of the room, about eight-to-ten feet off the ground. As much as security tried to prevent it, at least a half-dozen fans were able to climb up and take flying leaps into the crowd below. One jumper even knocked over a rain gutter-like tray full of water, leaving about a dozen people drenched (something that was sure to feel good outside after the show).

While all the craziness was happening in the crowd, onstage the Offspring delivered a great performance. Dexter Holland's vocals hit all the notes on such songs as "Come Out and Play," "Gone Away" and "Why Don't You Get a Job?" Greg K was silent and steady, as always, on bass with "Gotta Get Away" and "Bad Habit." Atom Willard, who replaced original drummer Ron Welty earlier this year, fit in perfectly with the band. And the energetic guitar-playing Noodles kept the crowd frenzy up with "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and the catchy new single "Hit That," already in high rotation on alt-rock radio.

For the encore, the Offspring shredded through "I Want You Bad" and "Self Esteem," off their breakthrough album "Smash."

E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com