Sublime With Rome Brings The Party To Boston On Their Summer Tour

Sublime with Rome
August 7, 2015
Blue Hills Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA

The band emerged into the Long Beach, CA music scene in 1988 when Eric Wilson, Bud Gaught and Michael Happoldt formed a three-piece punk band called The Juice Bros. These were their high school years; nothing was taken too seriously as they only for the most part experimented with punk rock music. Bradley Nowell joined the band shortly after, changing the band name to Sublime and introducing the rest of the guys to reggae and ska. Nowell who helped shape the feel of their music, unfortunately passed away of a drug overdose two months prior to releasing some of the songs that we all have grown up to love today.

After many battles and lawsuits, the band is back with the original member Wilson on bass, Josh Freese on drums, who replaced Bob Gaugh in 2012 after his departure. Leading the band is young fan and talented singer, Rome Ramirez, whose dream as a kid was to be in a band like Sublime.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect on this Saturday night as their banner came down behind the stage. It got the crowd pumped, as they cheered for the show to start. A few minutes later, the band stepped on stage. The first member to shine under the light was Ramirez, as he stepped to the mic, holding a beer, to greet their Boston fans. Right behind him was Wilson on bass, Freese on drums and DJ LD on turntables and unknown keyboard player.

The guys started their 90-minute set with Date Rape, the upbeat fun song that got this crowd dancing from the start. The party continued with the timeless stoner classic, the Toyes cover Smoke Two Joints, and the crowd literally lit up. The summer fun continued with Don’t Push and Skankin’ To The Beat, a Fishbone cover. But when the band came out and started to play Wrong Way, the Sublime hit, the crowd really showed their appreciation by clapping and cheering.

Ramirez really shined as they continued their set with Take It Or Leave It, a song from their Yours Truly album. They followed with another Sublime hit, 40oz To Freedom, as the crowd continued to sing along. Next, as the band started to play their new single Sirens, Mickey Avalon came on stage to sing the rap part for them, and it worked. They had the crowd moving right along with them. They continued with Doing Time and Pawn Shop, as Ramirez belted out Sublime’s hits with ease.

All of the sudden, the lights went out inside the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston, it was pitch black for a few seconds as the crowd started whistling and screaming. A loud helicopter could be heard up above, and a spot light started shining down on to the crowd. A police officer voice came over the speaker and their fans knew what was coming! The band started playing April 29, 1992, another of Sublime’s more controversial songs about the 1992 LA Riots in California. The popular song and fan favorite erupted the crowd.

The loud cheers continued as a stage assistant came out and put a joint in the singer’s mouth and lit it for him. After a couple of tokes, Ramirez started playing his guitar and they went onto playing Bad Fish & Let’s Go Get Stoned. Before finishing their set, they sang Wherever You Go, another one from their new album Sirens’, an album that honors Sublime’s legacy, which was just released in July of this year. The band left the stage as they waved to the crowd.

Their Boston fans did not let up as they banged on their seats for an encore. A couple of minutes later, the band came back out as Ramirez approached the mic and thanked them for their support. They did not disappoint; they started their encore with the Sublime hit, What I Got, and the crowd sang with them. They thanked the crowd again before going into Sublime’s biggest hit for the closing, Santeria. Cell phones went up in the air as everyone tried to get a video of the performance for their memoirs.

The guys thanked this crowd one last time, and walked off stage to cheers from their Boston fans. They brought back memories and left them satisfied; what else could you ask from a performance?

To some, tonight’s Sublime With Rome performance was perfect. Others noticed some sound and lighting flaws, but most of the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Also the guys got a little swallowed up on the huge stage. The four-man group was placed about 15 feet from one and other; making it hard to connect with each other. But the guys sounded great regardless, so it outweighed the issues.

On a final note; although a talent like Bradley Nowell could never be replaced, it is good to see the band shining again with the help of Ramirez, who is a very talented musician in his own right.

Their openers Rebelution, although unknown to some of Sublime’s fans, put on an amazing set. The six member band consists of Eric Rachmany on guitar/vocals, Marley Williams on bass, Rorey Carey on keyboards and Wesley Finley on drums. Joining the band on tour was also Khris Royal on sax/percussion and Zach Meyerowitz on trumpet.

Their energetic set was contagious, and had this crowd dancing and singing to their songs. If you weren’t a fan of the group prior to tonight’s performance, you sure were after. They left this crowd wanting for more Rebelution!

Review by: Carlos Londono

Sublime With Rome