Twenty-eight years after the death of singer Bradley Nowell, Sublime is getting a second life.
The beloved Southern California ska-punk band reunited at Coachella Valley Art and Music Festival in Indio, California, on Saturday, with their late singer’s son, Jakob Nowell, on the mic.
Joining original bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh on the festival’s main stage, Jakob perfectly echoed his dad’s sound as he played guitar and sang during a set that included classics like “Bad Fish,” “Santeria” and “What I Got.”
It was a soulful tribute to Bradley Nowell, who died of a drug overdose at age 28 in 1996, just two months before Sublime’s self-titled album was released.
Nowell’s death put the band in stasis until 2009, when Wilson and Gaugh revived the act with singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez at the helm, calling themselves Sublime with Rome.
Ramirez announced he was leaving the group late last year, just one week after Wilson and Gaugh performed at a Los Angeles benefit concert with the younger Nowell.
Saturday’s festival performance was the first time Sublime played to a public audience with Jakob.
The latest iteration of the reggae-influenced punk band plans to appear at music festivals and one-off gigs together, while Sublime with Rome will wrap a farewell tour this August.
Jakob, now 28 himself, was only 11 months old when his father died and called stepping into his dad’s shoes “emotionally complicated” in an interview ahead of their big Coachella debut.
“I think stepping into this role has given me a lot of closure,” he told People magazine. “The story feels complete.”