Fear, Loathing & Sublime with Pennywise in Las Vegas

Over 100-degree weather hit Las Vegas, but that wasn’t what was heating up the city. Sublime rolled through town for their two-day Fear, Loathing, & Sublime in Las Vegas shows — a very special treat for fans.

The weekend started off on Thursday, August 14th with a pre-show party hosted by Miles the DJ from LA’s renowned radio station KROQ at On the Record at the Park MGM Resort and Hotel.

By the time Friday, August 15th rolled around, it was showtime!

Jakob Nowell hosted an acoustic popup at On the Record before the main show right across the street at the Dolby Live Theater inside the Park MGM. As I arrived at the Dolby Live, I felt the energy and excitement from the crowds buzzing with excited chatter. The concession lines were filled with ecstatic discussions regarding how great the Long Beach Dub Allstars’ performance was earlier in the week; there was also a lot of mention of The Vandals and their performance.

Walking around the venue, I spotted a bunch of photo ops and tables handing out some freebies. The merch for the event was also pretty cool to see. A lot of merch paid tribute to Sublime’s very own Lou Dog, the Dalmatian owned by Sublime’s original vocalist, Bradley Nowell.

To be honest, it felt very surreal to be at a Sublime show in 2025.

Heading into the theater, the lights dimmed, and the roar of the crowd could be heard. Pennywise started their set with an explosion of energy, which the crowd reciprocated right back at them. Immediately, the circle pits started, despite the theater staff holding up signs informing people not to mosh or create circle pits. Everyone was visibly having a good time and all the members of Pennywise had smiles on their faces. Pennywise played about a 45-minute set, but it honestly flew by. At one point, they covered “Do What You Want” by Bad Religion and the crowd absolutely lost it.

After Pennywise finished off their amazing set, the crowd grew restless and hungered for more. Chants were heard loud from the crowd as they eagerly waited for Sublime to take the stage.

The lights dimmed and the roar of the crowd was only a hint about what was about to come up next. Jakob Nowell, Eric Wilson, and Bud Gaugh took their spots on the stage as Jakob said into the mic:

“My name is Jakob Nowell. And this is Sublime.”

The boys then kicked into the first song and it was immediately a party. It was amazing to see Jakob carry the mantle of his father’s band forward. It was almost as if he was channeling his dad, both in voice and energy. The crowd watched with awe as Sublime masterfully played song after song. From the classics to some deep cuts, the crowd sang every song, word for word. Jakob thanked everyone for their support throughout the night and told story after story about how much it was an honor to be able to carry the Sublime legacy alongside his uncles.

One of the highlights of the show was towards the end when they played “Same in the End”; there was a dogpile on Jakob as he was singing! The intensity of the night was definitely something to remember. For those who haven’t had the privilege of seeing Sublime version 2.0, please do yourself the favor — it is life-changing.

Photography by Guillermo “Memo” Sanchez

Share this article

or