At the height of my guitar playing teenage youth, there was always one genre of music that I absolutely LOVED to play; the not-too-serious rhythms, fun musical motions, simple chord progressions, and of course, soulful lyrical ballads of reggae all contributed to my eventual love of Sublime. The early 90s reggae/ska 3-piece out of California proved to be a very formidable band. Their success of 40 Oz to Freedom, originally released on their own Skunk Records label, became a smash hit, catching the attention of major label MCA and blasting the then-dubbed "college rock" group right smack dab into the limelight of music goers far and wide.
Bradley Nowell (pictured on the left), the singer/guitarist of Sublime and most creative contributor accomplished many beautiful songs with his intrinsic guitar riffs, deep vocal range, and zany on-stage personality. All these qualities shot him straight into superstar mode, although in hindsight, it happened all too fast. At the age of 28, Nowell died to a heroin overdose before Sublime's major label self-titled album hit the record shops. It went on to go 5x platinum. The life of Sublime, too, died, and remaining members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson pulled the final curtain.
Fast forward to 2010. Bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh collaborate to revive Sublime, and with them, they bring new guitarist and singer Rome Ramirez to the stage, and go on tour under the group name Sublime with Rome. Being a long time fan of the band, it was truly great to see what I absolutely never thought would; live, authentic Sublime right before my eyes. I understand the passing of Nowell meant for some the end of the band, and to prove to their legions of fans they could bring back the magic that made the music from the LBC so great, Sublime with Rome had to bring their A game. After all, this has been a long time coming for many of the crowd goers. Out of all the people I spoke to at the concert, only three had ever seen Sublime play live! So having Gaugh and Wilson come back only made this night that much more special.I'd like to think Brad is looking down on the band touring, paying respect, and carrying on the legacy of this amazing act with pride.
And yes, they absolutely fucking killed it last Saturday, playing many of the favourites, all classic tracks, with as much heart and energy one would expect. The crowd was literally pulsing with anticipation before the show started, a sold out Kool Haus venue pushing forward on all the cramped, rowdy people (myself included!) at the front. Once they stepped onto the stage, about 4 people began crowd surfing, and momentum only picked up from there. 
They sounded absolutely phenomenal, as most acts at Kool Haus do. Rome was a very capable singer, paying homage to Brad, and giving it his absolute all. He definitely had big shoes to fill, and provided a very positive and formidable rendition of every song Sublime played. Clearly Bud and Eric had faith in him to revive the band and go on tour, and well, they did not disappoint. The hefty ticket price was immediately forgiven after the first song, and every single person (not at the bar) was on their feet, rocking to the dub sound. What a comeback! Here's hoping this isn't just a one-time stint; I would love to see these guys back in Toronto again! Thanks for the incredible night, guys.
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