August 22 was a great day if you are a fan of Sublime. The boys from Long Beach, California, who are synonymous with skateboarding and cannabis found themselves in Canandaigua for a show at CMAC. The same afternoon, Jakob Nowell and Zane Vandevort also played a brief, invite only acoustic set at nearby Finger Lakes Racetrack and Casino.
Thanks to local music store House of Guitars and radio station 94.1 The Zone, Nowell and Vandevort, along with Kris Roe of The Ataris played intimate acoustic sets a few hours before the main show. With Roe takin the stage first, the bar area of Remedy, inside the casino, was filled with raw and pure vocals. A simple and subdued start to what would become an evening of high energy riffs.
With only 15 minutes to play, Roe took the opportunity to play some stripped-down sounds, a few of which will be on new album, due out later in the year. The invite only crowd was loving the laid-back event, even if it will be short lived, as Roe and The Ataris will be ready to go hard by eight o’clock.
Following Roe’s 15 minute set, Nowell and Vandevort are the focus of attention of now. Seated on high top bar stools, each with a guitar in hand, the exchange pleasantries and a Zyn, ready for a chill 20-minute set. Nowell talks a bit about playing with the band that his father started nearly 40 years ago and all the relationships he has made along the way, with Zane being one of them. Childhood friends, these two have played in various projects over time and both are doing what Nowell says his father would be so proud of. Capping off this abbreviated set was subtle mash up of big hits, including “What I Got” a quintessential Sublime track.
Fast forward a few hours, and CMAC is ready for the party, and party they do. Getting the crowd warmed up is Bedouin Soundclash. This trio has that Toronto sound and vibe of ska/reggae/rock fusion and they had it on full display for fans and newbies alike. With Warped Tour creds and Juno Awards (Best New Group – 2006) under their belts, it seems to be a complete package for great success. Finishing strong, vocalist Jay Malinowski leads their rendition of “Stand by Me”.
Following the footsteps of the Toronto natives, The Ataris hit the stage ready to rumble, with new music in hand.
Fresh off his mellow acoustic set, Kris Roe has his bandmates with him, along about 5000 more fans to cheer him on. The Ataris start off strong with “In This Diary”, a thought-provoking peek into someone’s private thoughts about childhood and all good times that were had. Any song that can use Cherry Coke as a lyric is a win in my book.
Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up
K. Roe – In This Diary
These are the best days of our lives
Sticking with a theme, later in the set we are serenaded with yet another memory inducing song, “Car Song”. While the lyrics and tones are enough to get the listener deep into thought, hearing this song acoustically earlier in the day takes it to a whole new level. Raw vocals and deep, bottomless thoughts abound, “Car Song” forces life to stop and allow the listener to relate to every verse.
While the band evokes strong rock vibes, don’t let that fool you. Many songs from tonight and in their catalog have deep meanings and all hold special place the hearts of those involved. Deep thoughts, regret, and lost love are a common theme with the Ataris. Even with that, Kris Roe, John Collura, Chris Knapp, and Mike Davenport have developed cult like following that showed up at CMAC as they balled out, retracing their punk roots.
The Ataris setlist: In This Diary, Unopened Letter to The World, The Hero Dies in This One, Takeoffs and Landings, The Saddest Song, The Boys of Summer (D. Henley cover), Boxcar, Car Song, Eight of Nine
Openings acts have come and gone as the clock strikes nine. The lower sections of CMAC have filled in quite nice, including the makeshift ‘pit’ area where fans are cramming in like sardines. The smell of fresh herbs fill the air, and you can feel the anticipation building as another iconic 90s band is about hit the stage.
Sublime was formed in the late 80s, by Bradley Nowell and they had some localized success in Long Beach, CA. Surfers, skaters, and stoners were the top clients, but no mainstream success yet. Sadly, Lowell passed in 1996 and was not able to see the fruits of his labor as less than a year later, Sublime had risen to the top. They had become more than just a local band, more than just another group who sings about reefer and sex. Icon status was in reach, and Lowell never got the opportunity to taste it. Subsequently the band was on and off for years, for various reasons.
Fast forward a couple decades and now Brad’s son Jakob is now the frontman of his father’s humble efforts. While Jakob has had his own projects going along the way, to be where he is today is humbling for him. When someone says “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, they are surely speaking of the younger Nowell and his voice, as it a true replica of the one that founded the band.
Here we are in 2026, with Sublime hitting the stage for a quite diverse crowd. There is the one guy up top who probably saw them for the first time in 1988, and he’s still wearing the same pants and suspender. There are young kids who are still a few years away from driving, and then are the 40 something’s who listened to 40 oz to Freedom on their Sony Discman, while drinking bootleg Boone’s Farm.
Back to 2026, Jakob takes the stage with Sublime and two large inflatable dalmatians, an ode to the bands original tour pet. The show is ready to begin. With earplugs and booming speakers in front of me in the photo pit, it was easy to hear the fans singing along to “Date Rape”, “The Ballad of Johnny Butt” and “Wrong Way”. This crowd was special for sure.
Throughout the set, Nowell stops occasionally with some banter. Maybe about his father and how proud he would be and that he wished dad was still alive to have this show, or to introduce songs as videos played on large screen behind the set. With a quip about a police scanner going off, fans knew what was next. “April 29, 1992 (Miami)” started with some sirens and then some clips of the Rodney King beating in LA. This was Sublime’s political piece from 1996 about the riots that ensued and a lyrical FU to police tyranny. While the band rocked out the song in fashion, the crowd took it all in, as the video screen showed all that needed to be seen.
There is no mistaken that Jakob is not his father. But to listening to Jakob now and Brad from the early days, it is clear that this was some sort of destiny for the younger Nowell. His sound and energy are nearly carbon copies, and Sublime fans could not ask for anything different.
As the show winds down, DJ Product swapped out his turntable for a board was doing circles around the stage, while Nowell and the fans were pumping him up. He even tried using the ramp on stage, with little success, but I’m sure it was fun trying.
Closing out the night with “Same in The End” and “Santeria”, Nowell expresses his love for the band and how welcoming they were to him in 2023 when he joined up, and immediately goes into little foreshadowing about meeting up at Taco Bell, as the band did after one of their last shows at CMAC. I did not stick around to find out, but driving past the restaurant, many fans were hoping for an impromptu show. Fans and cars were lined up around the building and through the parking lot. Live Mas!
Sublime setlist: Date Rape, The Ballad of Johnny Butt, Wrong Way, 40 oz to Freedom, Smoke Two Joints, Ensedada, Garden Grove, April 29 1992 (Miami), Get Ready, Under My Voodoo, F.T.R., Burritos, Doin’ Time, What I Got, Greatest Hits, STP, All You Need, Badfish, Jailhouse, Until The Sun Explodes, Same in The End, Santeria
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