Why The Offspring Refused to Tour With Metallica in the ’90s

You’d probably think that any rock or metal band would jump at the chance to tour with Metallica, but according to guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, punk rockers The Offspring passed on the opportunity in the 1990s for one big reason.

Why The Offspring Turned Down Touring with Metallica in the 1990s

In a recent interview with YouTuber Marcelo Vieira – conducted on Nov. 7, 2024 and uploaded on Dec. 9, 2024 – Noodles was asked if it’s true that The Offspring declined to share the stage with the iconic thrash quartet way back when.

Noodles reflected [transcribed by Ultimate Guitar]:

I don’t remember who all we turned down, but I mean, nothing against Metallica. We love those guys. Those guys are a great band, and you know, we’ve got to meet them over the years and do shows with them since. What we wanted to do is, rather than going out and opening up for a big arena band, we didn’t feel like we were a professional band. We didn’t think we were good enough to go out and do that.

Referring specifically to 1994’s widely popular Smash – which Loudwire ranked as The Offspring’s greatest album in 2017 – Noodles adds that “it kind of caught us by surprise.”

He continues [via Ultimate Guitar]:

We didn’t expect that kind of success, and we knew that our live show wasn’t up to par yet. So, what we wanted to do is we wanted to go out and start in small clubs and work our way up and build and become a professional band over time. I think we’re almost there. I think we’re almost a professional band on stage now, almost [laughs].

You can watch the full interview below.

READ MORE: Why Shadows Fall’s Jason Bittner Initially Hated Slayer + Metallica

Dexter Holland on Smash

Back in 2014, frontman Dexter Holland spoke with Full Metal Jackie (for Loudwire Nights) about the 20th anniversary of Smash, and he shared a similar sentiment:

We’ve gone out there and played these songs for a long time and it still gets a great reaction. There’s always new people in the audience, new kids, young kids and they’re rocking out to it. It’s as much of a surprise to us as anybody else. It just keeps on going, which is great.

The Offspring Today

In October of 2024, The Offspring released their 11th studio LP – Supercharged – which followed 2021’s Let the Bad Times Roll and marked the proper introduction of drummer Brandon Pertzborn (who replaced percussionist Pete Parada in 2023). It received positive reviews from publications such as Blabbermouth and Kerrang!, and naturally, Loudwire named lead single “Make It All Right” one of the 67 best rock and metal songs of 2024.

The Offspring’s Noodles Discusses Not Touring With Metallica + More