The Westville Music Bowl in New Haven was full of energy when the recently reunited Sublime came to town on August 23.  

In 2023, over 25 years after the passing of Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell, it was announced that his son Jakob Nowell would take over as the new singer of Sublime. After this announcement, many fans were asking if the band could still have the same energy and feeling they had in the 1990s. Since then, Jakob has not only succeeded but thrived. 

As the band continues to tour and perform major festivals like Coachella and the Vans Warped Tour, the enthusiastic crowds show that support for Jakob has only grown.  

This enthusiasm was on full display in the crowd in New Haven, where a vibrant mix of ages stood side by side, as fans who grew up with the band’s sound in the ‘90s now shared the moment with a new generation of fans.  

The stage featured a large screen behind the band, flanked by two large inflatable dogs. Fans cheered when one of the dogs, an inflatable version of the band’s iconic dalmatian, Louie, was inflated.  

The set started with fan favorites “Garden Grove” and “40. Oz to Freedom,” two of their calmer songs to get the fans into it before they went into their classic cover of Toots & The Maytals’ “5446 Thats My Number” straight into “Ball and Chain.” This is when the energy started to pick up as the crowd began moshing and crowd surfing. The band then reeled things back a little bit by playing “Waiting for My Ruca.”  

Jakob brought the fire as the new frontman. He was constantly jumping around and running back and forth across the stage. He brings a youthful energy to the group that really helps it maintain that classic Sublime feeling.  

They continued the set with “Right Back,” before going into three of their covers: “The Ballad of Johnny Butt” by Secret Hate, “House of Suffering” by Bad Brains and “Smoke Two Joints” by The Toyes. They did a very good job of keeping the setlist mixed and keeping their bigger songs like “Doin’ Time” or “Wrong Way” broken up by some of their deeper cuts like “April 29, 1992 (Miami)” and “Romeo.” 

They then played their cover of “Prince of Sin” by Falling Idols and “Greatest Hits” before they played one of their new songs from 2024. “Feel Like That”. The recording of the song features unused vocals from Bradley Nowell as the hook, allowing father and son to sing together.  

The band also had a new dog, a rottweiler named Melvin, who was playing fetch with the band members or just hanging out on stage throughout the entire performance, like Louie used to. Little details like these were the things that showed the band’s commitment to honoring their history. 

The band then played “STP” and their cover of the Descendents’ “Hope,” which kicked off a bit of a grand finale. From there, they played “Badfish”, their cover of Bob Marley’s “Jailhouse,” and their newest song, “Ensenada,” which was released in July 2025.  

There was a sweet moment during “Ensenada” as the crowd began to sing along, Jakob paused to say, “Oh my god, I can’t believe you already know the words.” A moment showcasing how warmly the fans are embracing this new era of Sublime.   

They then played their classic “What I Got” before going into two of their more energetic songs, “Burritos” and “Same in The End” to get the mosh pits moving again. They then ended their set with their biggest hit, “Santeria.”  

Jakob had a lot of fun interacting with the crowd as he was shouting in between songs, encouraging the fans to continue moshing and push each other around, even at one point shouting, “Everybody kill each other!” He also told the crowd that they could “Smoke anything you want.” It smelled like many took this advice.  

During this tour and reunion, Jakob has done so well to honor his father, dedicating songs to him and remembering him at any opportunity while also bringing a new energy to the band. In an interview with Vice, he talked about wanting to take the job seriously but still being able to have fun, and he has done exactly that.  

 With Jakob as the new frontman and a new album on the way, Sublime fans have a lot to be excited about.