REVIEW: Sublime, The Interrupters, The Bouncing Souls at The Great Hall at Avant Gardner | 08.21.2025
Just under a year ago, I caught and covered a stop on the first official leg of Sublime’s reunion tour, with Jakob Nowell — son of the late Bradley Nowell — at the helm. Since then, most of the band’s shows have been festival appearances, including a few dates on the reborn Warped Tour.
But this past week and weekend, Sublime broke away for a three-date Northeast run, kicking things off with a long-awaited return to New York City. The Great Hall at Avant Gardner in Brooklyn set the stage, with The Bouncing Souls and The Interrupters rounding out the bill.
When I last shot Sublime, I had the benefit of the venue being seated. The crowd didn’t use the seats, of course, since they were standing the whole show, but seats meant aisles — and aisles meant multiple unobstructed stage views to utilize after the first three songs in the pit. As a result, I ended up with an extensive set of photos I was (and still am!) proud of. The only downside of that experience was that it set a “comfort bar” I knew would be unreachable at Avant Gardner.
Avant Gardner is a great place to watch a show, but it can be a challenging place to shoot one. The photo pit is no problem, but the standing-room-only layout makes shooting from the house a task — especially when the show is as sold out as Sublime’s was. Add in several support columns that strategically obstruct your wide shots, and you’ve got yourself some hurdles to clear.
Avant Gardner is an industrial area of Brooklyn surrounded by factories and supply trucks. The contrast of the landscape with the steady stream of people in sun-logo-clad Sublime shirts made for a GPS more effective than Google Maps as I pulled up to park and head inside.
The room was already well on its way to capacity when punk legends The Bouncing Souls kicked off the evening. Not far from their home territory of New Jersey, the band brought nothing but good vibes from the start. Their East Coast anthem, “ECFU!” was met with particular enthusiasm, giving fans a moment to celebrate themselves before inevitably turning their admiration westward toward SoCal.
Despite the band being three years my junior, three of the four Bouncing Souls members have been along for the ride since day one. Yet they still played with a youthful energy that would’ve had me winded by the end of the first song.
I was plenty winded already just trying to move quickly and keep up with “punk song timing” — by that, I mean the first three songs of a punk set are over in an instant, so time is of the essence.
I left the photo pit with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t confident any of the shots I’d taken were all that compelling. Usually, I can ease that anxiety once I shoot from the house, but the room was packed to the rafters. As I feared, my backup approach was going to be an uphill battle.
The moment The Interrupters walked on stage, I suddenly remembered covering their performance at Brooklyn Paramount last summer when they supported Sum 41. Their upbeat, animated stage presence made for a fun shoot then, and this performance would prove no different.
The Interrupters’ blend of punk, ska, and reggae showed an intuitive grasp of each genre, along with the ability to let one shine in a song while weaving in elements of the others. The result: high-energy, sing-along anthems that kept the crowd locked in.
Fans in the mosh pit were having a bit too much fun, apparently, as the band had to pause the show twice to address injuries in the crowd and help ensure the affected fans got the assistance they needed. It was a class-act response from the band, putting safety first, and an unexpectedly entertaining one from guitarist Kevin Bivona, who used the breaks as an opportunity to recount the classic story of “The Gingerbread Man.”
Unfortunately, I left the pit again feeling that I’d missed the mark on my shots. Excuses circled in my head: the lighting wasn’t the best, the band members moved around too much, the room was too hazy — but in reality, I think I was just having an off night.
Exploring this feeling led to some important and challenging insight. No matter how much I succeed, or how many shows I shoot where I’m genuinely proud of the results, every show — hell, every set — feels like a test of my credibility and talent as a photographer. I leave no room for mistakes or off nights, even though both are inevitable and only human. “I guess I don’t have it in me after all,” I’ll think. No matter the number of obstacles, I ultimately feel comfortable only blaming myself.
It’s a common element of imposter syndrome and something I believe all photographers — and creatives, for that matter — struggle with to varying degrees. In lieu of a foolproof solution, let me just say this: it’s not the quality of the work that makes you an artist, but the practice. Had a great night? Awesome, keep at it. Had an off night? Bummer, keep at it anyway. Do it for the love of the process, not the validation from the results.
As I waited in the pit for Sublime to take the stage, I had a welcome distraction courtesy of Jakob Nowell’s dog, Melvin, who trotted onto the stage during the set change to play fetch with the stagehands. When a security guard retrieved the ball after it fell off the stage, Melvin decided the guard was his new playmate; the guard happily obliged, and a game of fetch ensued to the delight of the crowd. It was a heartwarming moment that created the perfect precursor vibe for Sublime’s set.
Sublime opened with “Garden Grove,” as the unmistakably familiar synth note, followed by drummer Bud Gaugh’s rhythmic beat, had an innate ability to unlock core memories of ’90s pastimes. The set was a trip down memory lane for casual and mega-fans alike, featuring the obvious “Wrong Way” and “What I Got,” as well as deeper cuts like “STP” and “5446 That’s My Number/Ball and Chain.”
Now that it was time for the main event, my self-doubt was in high gear. I’d accepted that I wouldn’t match the caliber of my prior Sublime shots, but I was committed to doing my best to get as close as I could.
The trio had their relative obstructions: Eric Wilson tucked behind his synth, Bud Gaugh behind his kit, and Jakob Nowell behind his bangs. Still, early on, I finally felt my anxiety ease—albeit slightly—knowing I was getting some decent shots. In hindsight, I got too confident with my shots of Bud and moved on too soon; what I captured of him was usable, but nothing stood out as a definitive keeper. It didn’t take me long to give up after leaving the photo pit—there were just too many people, and any shots I’d take would be more about playing the numbers game than making meaningful contributions to the final gallery. So instead, I put my camera down and chose to just enjoy the show.
It may have been a dreary night outside, but the proverbial skies inside Avant Gardner were filled with sonic sunshine, briefly clouded only by the massive amounts of cannabis smoke in the air.
Jakob Nowell demonstrated a sense of comfort and confidence in his frontman status. He’s a reflection of his father’s spirit rather than a replica, having found his own footing within his father’s footsteps. The release of the band’s new single “Ensenada” charts a clear path forward for the next generation of Sublime while staying true to their roots. The song blended seamlessly into the set and was a personal favorite of the night.
A late start time ate into the curfew clock for the band, but not before they closed with “Santeria,” ending the evening in a joyous singalong.
Sublime will be hitting festivals through mid-October, including Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park and Shaky Knees in Atlanta.
THE BOUNCING SOULS
THE INTERRUPTERS
SUBLIME