SublimeEric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, the surviving members of Sublime, performed at Saturday’s SmokeOut Festival, only their second show in the 13 years since band mate Brad Nowell’s death, according to rollingstone.com.

An estimated 15,000 fans made the trek to San Bernardino, California to see such performers as Method Man and Redman, Cheech & Chong, Kottonmouth Kings and hosts Cypress Hill. However, the performance that seemed to create a great deal of buzz was that of Sublime, who debuted their new lead singer, 21-year-old Rome Ramirez, at the festival.

Nowell, who died of a heroin overdose, had expressed the hope that no one would use the name “Sublime” for any group that did not include him, and even trademarked the band name under his own name. However, Wilson and Gaugh wanted to perform under the original band name at the festival, and want to continue to do so.

Even before new lead singer Ramirez had taken to the stage, Sublime’s Saturday performance was causing controversy. Days before the show, representatives for Nowell’s estate filed suit against Gaugh, Wilson and Ramirez, citing trademark infringement, but a District Court judge OK-ed the show to go on. Wilson and Gaugh came back with their own statement, which said, “while we all mourn the passing of our brother and band mate Bradley Nowell some 13 years ago, Sublime still has a strong message of hope and love.”

Despite the drama, the threesome hit the stage in the early afternoon to a welcoming and excited crowd. Ramirez dedicated the first song of the set, “Get Ready,” to Nowell. Then he led the amphitheatre in a sing-along of classic Sublime songs like “Santeria,” “Wrong Way,” “Date Rape,” and “What I Got.”

Promoter Chang Weisberg was proud of the band’s performance, which he told Rolling Stone backstage after Sublime’s show: “My take is that Bud and Eric are two-thirds of a group called Sublime and, at the end of the day, if they want to go out and perform music that they helped create, they have every right to,” he said. “Those guys waited 13 years and they found someone in Rome that can help them celebrate the music they created with Brad. They’re not trying to replace Brad, it’s not a reunion or a reformation, it’s about feeling good playing what they all created and what fans want to hear. I think Brad is proud looking down today.”

Legal proceedings over the band name are ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for Nov. 3.






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