DATE: Wednesday, May 28, 1997               TAG: 9705280042

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E5   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music Review 

SOURCE: BY JEFF MAISEY, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   41 lines

THE OFFSPRING ``SUFFER'' THE EFFECTS OF POPULARITY

SOMETIMES, IT'S HARD to have your cake and eat it too.

In recent interviews, Dexter Holland, lead vocalist for The Offspring, complained that with success comes the ridicule of being considered a sell-out. But if selling out means a sold-out concert, like the one Monday night at the Boathouse, who should argue?

Perhaps The Offspring found a few answers about the price of mass appeal. From the new album ``Ixnay on the Hombre,'' the California quartet played the powerfully hard-rocking ``Gone Away'' and ``All I Want,'' both of which have a crossover quality that has landed them in heavy rotation on ``classic'' rock radio. The sweat-drenched crowd loved every note.

But when the band offered - as a joke - to play a few bars of Lynyrd Skynyrd's ``Free Bird'' and Ted Nugent's ``Cat Scratch Fever,'' the audience cheered rather than laughing at the ridiculous notion. Most seemed disappointed when the group refused to complete the '70s rock staples.

This may be a screaming indication that The Offspring have strayed too far into the mainstream to still be considered a punk rock band. While reaping rewards, they have managed to hook a lot of non-punk listeners with their new material.

The hit songs are what carried these guys through the night. The multidimensional ``Come Out and Play (Keep 'em Separated)'' and the set-ending anthem ``Self Esteem'' had everyone singing along, word-for-word.

The band's energy level, however, was lower than what you see on MTV. Yes, they knocked out a pretty good set, though nothing monumental. Holland mostly anchored himself in front of the mic stand, leaving the pogoing and thrashing to Noodles, who managed to keep his guitar playing on track at the same time. The Offspring's live sound unfortunately fell short of the incredible thickness of the studio versions.

As for their punk material, the galloping drums and bass laid down by Ron Welty and Greg K. were the essential elements to ``Nitro.'' Holland and Noodles combined to drive ``So Alone'' and ``Gotta Get Away'' into the hearts and souls of their beloved fandom.

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