Sublime with Rome’s last concert in Kansas City unites generations: ‘It’s my childhood’
While none of the original members of ‘90s California ska-punk band Sublime were on stage in Kansas City on Saturday, Sept. 15, it didn’t stop the sold-out KC Live! Block from having a great time.
Sublime with Rome, led by singer Rome Ramirez, took their farewell tour to the Power & Light District, and for 1 hour, 45 minutes, fans sang along to the band’s greatest hits and danced to their latest songs. Before they took the stage, opening acts Sitting with Stacy and Soul Rebel and the Beast had warmed up the crowd with their slow jam ska songs.
Before 2024’s tour started March 4, Ramirez announced he’d be leaving the band to focus on his solo career. But he wasn’t the first to go.
Original Sublime band members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson joined Jakob Norwell, the son of original lead singer Bradley Norwell, on stage for a benefit concert earlier in 2024. Then Wilson, who was still playing with Sublime with Rome at the time, announced Feb. 26 that he’s leaving Rome’s band to play with Jakob full time under the Sublime name.
None of the drama leading up to the farewell tour seemed to impact the 4,200 fans in attendance Saturday, as they gave Ramirez, drummer Joe Tomino, bassist Brian Allen (wearing a Session Taco Joint shirt), and trombone and keyboard player Gabrial McNair all the energy they could muster.
The band opened the show with “April 29, 1992 (Miami),“ a crowd favorite and a song that fan Dillon Edwards had been hoping to hear live. Edwards, born and raised in Meriden, Kansas, grew up listening to Sublime and said he had to be here for the last show since he’d missed out a few times before.
He was here with Cheyenne Bergman from Topeka, who grew up listening to the band because of her parents and called Saturday a bucket list show. They both arrived at the venue at 5:15 p.m. to claim a spot in the front, since it’s standing room only.
“It’s my childhood,” Bergman said. “It’s very nostalgic. I grew up on Sublime, so being able to see them live and this close (is awesome).”
Throughout the show, Ramirez would hype the crowd up by calling out “Kansas City” or asking them to make noise for themselves. One of the biggest reactions of the night came when Ramirez popped up smoking a joint before jumping into “40oz to Freedom.”
Hidden among the smell of marijuana, bubble blowers and beach balls being passed around in the crowd was a shared connection between two distinct groups during the show: those who grew up listening to Sublime and those who made their kids listen to the band. The 36-year-old Ramirez said during the show that the band’s song “Wrong Way” changed his life when he first heard it as a 12-year-old in Fremont, California.
“Sublime’s global,” Ramirez said.
Their reach is global, but their roots and sound trace back to the California surf scene, where Luis Castro was born and raised. The 43-year-old fan recalled listening to Sublime in high school in San Fernando Valley. He later learned how to play guitar and began playing songs for the person who made him leave the house for the concert: his 22-year-old daughter Azel.
“I love this band and this is my favorite band,” Luis Castro said. “But, she was the one who was like ‘Hey, you gotta go out’, and I was like, OK, I’ll go.”
Azel Castro said her dad would play songs like “Take It or Leave It,” and “Lovers Rock,” which were both made after Ramirez took over lead singer duties. The father-daughter duo will be able to share Saturday’s memories for the rest of their lives, when she pulled out her phone to record the band sing “Take It or Leave It” midway through the show.
Ramirez would take time in between songs to thank the fans for supporting him and the band for more than 15 years as they tried to keep the legacy of Sublime alive. Luis Castro said he can sleep knowing he played a part in passing the music down from one generation to the next.
“I love my dad,” Azel Castro said. “Thank you for playing all those songs.”
The crowd waited for the radio classics like “What I Got,” and “Santeria” until the very end. Some fans exiting T-Mobile Center for Hank Williams Jr.’s concert were able to hear these songs, many listening from outside the gates of the KC Live! Block on Grand Boulevard.
What songs did Sublime with Rome play?
Sublime with Rome played songs from the original trio, Ramirez’s tenure as the lead and some of his solo work. Here’s the full set list from their show in Kansas City:
- “April 29, 1992 (Miami)“ (Sublime cover)
- “Smoke Two Joints” (The Toyes cover)
- “You Better Listen”
- “Blessings”
- “Doin’ Time” (Sublime cover)
- “Skankin’ to the Beat” (Fishbone cover)
- “What Happened” (Sublime cover)
- “Cool & Collected”
- “California Radio”
- “Black and Blue” (Rome Ramirez song)
- “Wrong Way” (Sublime cover)
- “Take It or Leave It”
- “Shine Eye”
- “Holiday”
- “Blackout”
- “40oz. to Freedom” (Sublime cover)
- “Forever” (Lee Fields cover)
- “Scarlet Begonias” (Grateful Dead cover)
- “Can You Feel It”
- “Tangerine Skies”
- “Badfish” (Sublime cover)
- “What I Got” (Sublime cover)
- “Santeria”
