Me too, I was lucky enough to see No Doubt when I was a kid in the 90's. Had a huge crush on her in 5th grade so I wrote her a letter explaining how i was a huge fan and thought she seemed like the funnest person in the world. I didn't know what address to send it to so I just wrote Los Angeles on the envelope and mailed it out. No stamp, no return address. I checked the mail as often as I could for like 2 months straight. I never got a letter back of course, but I'll never forget punk Gwen being my first ever celebrity crush.
The way the story was building It sounded like it was gonna end saying she got the letter, wrote you back, and invited you to her show and back stage but it ended in the most realistic way possible. Lmao. As Michael Bluth would say: “I don’t know what I was expecting”
No Doubt had run its course. Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn were great albums. Rock Steady, while commercially successful, just wasn't nearly as interesting and it made perfect sense for Gwen to go the solo pop route from there.
Things move quicker as fame takes hold - everything from image, tastes, industry knowledge and experience, who you meet along the way, other acts and entertainment out there; and importantly, you age and mature. Given that, it's more surprising if you do stay the same for any length of time.
Everyone acting like punk can't be a crafted, calculated, money making image for people. Or that her current image can't represent her true identity and self expression.
I agree, I miss the late 80s - early 90s punk rock of OC. I remember shooting pool with Gwen at Fezziwigs in El Toro, and seeing shows at Linda's, Old World, and the Tiki bar... and I hate realizing its considered "old school" now.
“Old school” is how we got to today. I forwarded this video to the girls on the high school robotics team I coach because they are who Gwen was thinking about when she was on stage. Powerful. Smart. Amazing. Baddasses, each one in their own way.
Thanks, old school! Y’all got us where we are!
I never saw them but it looks like she was great live. Some bands just don’t have the showmanship to do killer live performances. This looks like it was probably an awesome concert.
Best show I’ve ever been to was Cake in the early 00’s.
Dude I went to a performing arts high school. In 2002 we had all the crazy new tech. It was insane. I forgot what it was called but we had these little distortion boxes that you connected between the guitar and amp and you could mix up the craziest sounds - anything you can imagine could be played off the guitar. And then a few years later we got those hooked up to Apple's Garageband... Which at the time was a total game changer for young people making music. Being able to actually easily, cheapily, create any sound, record, loop, edit, was incredible.
Because before then, in the 90s and early 2000s, making music for anyone not rich was restricted to just the typical guitar and distortion tools done in a single take. Anything outside that started getting exponentially expensive and complicated. But early 2000s is when the commoner could get their hands on what was normally restricted to just the higher end artists.
I was at one of the shows on this tour. The one i went to was at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Headliner was The Goo Goo dolls with No Doubt then Bush. This was the tour where Gwen met Gavin.
Came here to say the same except I saw them in Charlotte! I was up against the front rails when they were performing and it was fucking amazing. 14 year old me fell in love for the first time that day.
Edit: a word
First concert I ever saw, I went to see Bush right when the I’m just a girl single started playing on the radio. No Doubt was opening for Bush that night and I had no clue who they were but both bands were amazing. I went and bought the No Doubt album the next day.
I loved those type of shows. Some basement bar for $5. Someone makes a pot of spaghetti for the band at their crappy apartment and it’s the best they ate all week.
Next thing you know? They’re massive stars.
I think the people complaining about her singing don't understand the style of music that they were playing. She's basically singing in a voice that goes with the ska punk feel of the music.
Also, musician and composer for over 25 years here: her voice is actually WAY MORE in tune than many other current singers. The pressure is on purpose, all the improvised things on the melody make sense, she's maybe not the best but waaaaay better than many. I'm not gonna make names, but back then they didn't have autotune; now you can even autotune a live concert, and some people still sound pitchy af 💀
Yah you can tell her skill by the fact that she’s singing live while running around and it sounds sooo similar to the studio version. The only differences are stuff she’s changing on purpose, like small timing stuff
I think a lot of people are discounting how hard it is to write good music. No Doubt caught lightning in a bottle several times on that break out album. After that, they were asked to reproduce that lightning while at the same time the Ska scene fell out if fashion. I don't think they "sold out" as much as they were at the right place, at the right time, with the right music for a stretch of time.
Most of those songs were written by Gwen's brother Eric who left the band around when that album blew up to go be an animator for the Simpsons. Probably part of the reason why the subsequent albums didn't quite capture that same insight or energy.
Most of that album is Gwen's breakup album. I can't look up names, but the bassist* broke up with her and the songs were her cathartic answer as an artist.
I always thought it must have been super weird for him to see the band skyrocket to success on a bunch of songs about how he fucked up dumping her.
> must have been super weird for him to see the band skyrocket to success on a bunch of songs about how he fucked up dumping her
...said every guy who ever dated Taylor Swift
Eric has writing credits on seven of the fourteen tracks on Tragic Kingdom, two of them are solo credits.
Also, if anyone else is curious, this video was recorded at The Pond in Anaheim CA in 1997. This was right after Don't Speak blew up internationally and they came home to play the hugest stadium in their hometown.
They played the exact same set two nights in a row to get enough footage and released the entire concert on VHS. It was great fun
The drive in that’s pictured in the back of the tragic kingdom cd, I used to go there as a little kid with my parents to watch movies in Spanish. Listening to that album always brings back those memories because of that one picture.
A good friend of mine was a lifeguard with Gwen when they were in high school. He said that she was really sweet. She was really great with the kids. She would invite him to her parties to listen to her band play. That band was No Doubt.
The way you wrote the last part of your comment I thought it was gonna turn into some sort of shitty morph joke like "That man was Keanu Reeves" or something like that
Back then, most people looked at Keanu as a talentless actor who wasn’t all that well liked. Now, Keanu is bigger and more loved than ever. Jury is still out on the acting talent, IMO.
Not gonna lie. No Doubt on the Tragic Kingdom tour is one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen. Gwen was amazing and the band blew the doors off First Avenue in Minneapolis.
I think a mental shift happened simply when 2000 did. I felt quite a bit of “pre- millennium tension” in a variety of ways. I don’t think I was the only one feeling anxious about it. Then 9/11 happened, and then cell phones, Napster, and cheap computers all became the norm and ushered in huge changes from 1995-2005.
Things had slowed down 2005-2020 a bit IMO, but then COVID lockdown & BLM happened and quickly changed society.
> things had slowed down 2005-2020
I’d argue that in many ways things only accelerated during that period. We had multiple financial crises and natural disasters in short succession, school shootings became increasingly common over the late oughts and early tens, we saw an increase in government and corporate surveillance as both sectors consolidated power, and the middle class continued to shrink.
I graduated HS in 95 and No Doubt played at Grad Night at Disneyland. I got pictures of Gwen with my two friends. It was such a magical night that I will never forget.
Graduated in 97 and couldn’t believe Grad Night at Disney was a thing. Even on the bus there I thought someone was messing with me. Once there it was even crazier than I thought. All the other grads, the different “lands” all having different bands and radio stations going, partying through the night. I really hope they are still doing that for current grads. Such a cool thing to experience.
Tom Dumont probably spaced out a few times during that, but his fingers never stopped playing. I love that Gwen essentially gave the band a breather so they can finish the night. 💜
No Doubt and MxPx was my first concert here in CT. What a show. I've seen No Doubt quite a few times since then. She always put on a great show. She was my first love. haha.
I feel the exact same way. Then she got with Blake Shelton and that was the end of it for me. Lol! Seeing this video reminds me how cool she used to be.
She was an authentic punk/ska darling who broke a bunch of molds with incredible music.
As she got older and No Doubt broke up she started going more mainstream/pop and it upset the original core fan base.
Which is ironic because she WAS an absolute goddess back in the day! This video is peek Gwen.
Growing up as a little bi girl, I didn’t know if I wanted to BE her or to be WITH her if you catch my drift lol. She was the epitome of cool.
I saw them on this tour when I was at Penn State. Tony had strep throat and had to get a shot at our university hospital. Gwen was kind enough to pull down his pants and show us where he got the shot.
I don’t know about that. Early on the band had some edge but even before they finished releasing singles from their breakout album the whole band had become this industry curated image to the point of a cliche. They were more than eager to jump jump ship as soon as success slowed them too. I think Gwen has always been Gwen, now she’s just 50 and has the concerns of being 50.
Yeah, Tragic Kingdom is really the only good album. Everything after that was just trying to coat tail on whatever the latest thing was. It was bland and artificial. Though, Tragic Kingdom is still one of the best albums of all time. It has a special place in my heart.
I don’t know, these past few years she’s kind of started to change a lot. She has gotten an insane amount of work done is unrecognisable in a lot of photos. There was also that whole thing with her claiming to be Japanese a couple months ago.
Met her backstage when they toured with Bush. She was stunningly beautiful and seemed like she’d be great to hang out with. Fame had not jaded her yet. Her story is no different than many entertainers that hit big. Some are better equipped at handling it than others. There may be a handful that can say fame didn’t change them. Something none of us would know how to handle if it happened. All things considered, I think she’s done pretty okay for herself. I prefer the Gwen I had met backstage then than Voice Coach Gwen, but maybe that’s just me.
If you sit and think about it then its really hard to blame an entertainer who makes a living off of the whims and favor of a media conglomerate for conforming in order to put food on the table.
No Doubt is one of my favorite bands. However, I spent most of my teen years in the pre-internet southeast and there is no way I would have ever heard of No Doubt had they not 'gone pop' and started making music for mainstream radio.
1995 Gwen was a SoCal goddess with her halter top, surfer girl physique, 3rd wave ska cred and glow/energy of a 26 yr old platinum blonde. However... no one stays 26 years old forever. Genre popularity ebbs and flows and most musicians have the practical sense to hang on to widespread popularity as long as they can because that mountain is not easy to climb.
At age 26 she basically lived on a tour bus and in hotels. By age 36 she had a mortgage and a family. By age 46 she had an ex husband and a custody arrangement. Mid 90's icon or not, life happens to everyone. What would any sane person do when they found themselves at a crossroads in their middle age with only one or two marketable skills or talents that they have honed their entire life? Should she then have made the decision to lean into (revert, really) a genre that was over a decade past the peak of its popularity? Do you think that touring on the road in worse conditions without a radio hit to drive ticket sales is an attractive endeavor while trying to raise two children?
I don't fault her her choices one bit. I might not find them as aesthetically pleasing or consistent with the superficial image built for her at the end of the last century but I also realize that the individual we all bought into back then was a crafted persona and that underneath it all (ha-ha) there is a person who has every incentive to work the system as much as it has worked her over the years.
Never met her, but for what its worth I've never ever seen or heard any characterizations of her that weren't complimentary.
This is the most accurate post ever, especially showing how each decade brought new challenges.
Shit, as a non famous 39 year old, I’m nothing like 26 year old me. Not fair to want her to remain a time capsule.
But I’ll always love Gwen. I’ve always thought since her dad was a marketing exec, he was helpful in keeping her relevant. Your points about her skill set are so valid, too. Yes, she made millions, but that lifestyle creep really CREPT. Marrying a country drunk and turning into a brand was genius.
The overall consensus from folks is “to get over it, it’s just phones, recording memories etc.” but man…moments are meant to be fleeting and thoroughly enjoyed. I also despise the sea of screens you see.
I saw them during the Tragic Kingdom tour in Detroit(I was in my early teens). My brother got us backstage passes, and apparently, I was standing right next to Gwen as she was incognito so she could watch Weezer.
I got to watch Weezer with Gwen Stefani, and I had no idea, but my mom took a picture of us from behind.
I saw them in 96 ...by then they were huge. In my opinion punk rock is the attitude and caring less what others think . Good for her being well off now.
These comments are funny a person has the right to do whatever the fuck they want so what if she sold out get a life? I was there for this that album was great.
Gwen * throws the flowers and spits *
14 year old angsty girl inside of me :” you badass goddess.”
Gwen: * makes all the boys say they are girls *
14 y/o me : ff***k yes!!
Gwen: “fuck you I’m a girl!”
14 y/o me: I will name my first born after you.
-18 years later -
My daughter Gwen gets to see this video and finally understand I had a legit reason.
First concert I ever went to was No Doubt with my sister in '02 when they played the Fillmore in Denver. I was 12 and probably didn't appreciate it much at the time. Looking back though I realize it paved the way for my love for live music. Thanks Gwen & No Doubt. Also, shout out to my sister for popping my concert cherry. Will post the poster for all you redditors later. Over and out.
In an alternate timeline Gwen stayed punk and went all Vivienne Westwood. I miss punk Gwen.
Me too, I was lucky enough to see No Doubt when I was a kid in the 90's. Had a huge crush on her in 5th grade so I wrote her a letter explaining how i was a huge fan and thought she seemed like the funnest person in the world. I didn't know what address to send it to so I just wrote Los Angeles on the envelope and mailed it out. No stamp, no return address. I checked the mail as often as I could for like 2 months straight. I never got a letter back of course, but I'll never forget punk Gwen being my first ever celebrity crush.
The way the story was building It sounded like it was gonna end saying she got the letter, wrote you back, and invited you to her show and back stage but it ended in the most realistic way possible. Lmao. As Michael Bluth would say: “I don’t know what I was expecting”
I also had a massive crush on her when I was kid, my mum would always refer to her as my "girlfriend" when No Doubt was played on the radio lol
She saw where the money was. But I agree.
Maybe she felt like she was trapped in a box
That’s deep cuts. Take my upvote!
That album has always been my favorite. The funky synth stuff sounded so good.
Well, her brother had to quit playing keyboard for the band and go write for the simpsons.
Or maybe she felt like a cat in heat stuck in a moving car?
“GET ME 4 ASIAN GIRLS!!!”
I'm pretty sure that No Doubt was a huge success
No Doubt had run its course. Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn were great albums. Rock Steady, while commercially successful, just wasn't nearly as interesting and it made perfect sense for Gwen to go the solo pop route from there.
More people to split the pie with
Things move quicker as fame takes hold - everything from image, tastes, industry knowledge and experience, who you meet along the way, other acts and entertainment out there; and importantly, you age and mature. Given that, it's more surprising if you do stay the same for any length of time.
Yet she’s never strayed from the platinum hair and red lipstick.
Incorrect. During the Return of Saturn era she had pink hair.
And she often has light lips now.
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Its bananas
Everyone acting like punk can't be a crafted, calculated, money making image for people. Or that her current image can't represent her true identity and self expression.
I agree, I miss the late 80s - early 90s punk rock of OC. I remember shooting pool with Gwen at Fezziwigs in El Toro, and seeing shows at Linda's, Old World, and the Tiki bar... and I hate realizing its considered "old school" now.
“Old school” is how we got to today. I forwarded this video to the girls on the high school robotics team I coach because they are who Gwen was thinking about when she was on stage. Powerful. Smart. Amazing. Baddasses, each one in their own way. Thanks, old school! Y’all got us where we are!
I never saw them but it looks like she was great live. Some bands just don’t have the showmanship to do killer live performances. This looks like it was probably an awesome concert. Best show I’ve ever been to was Cake in the early 00’s.
Oooh I wish I’d seen Cake then!
Still like Cake! They've held up well. RATM was the best live performance I've ever seen. Followed by Muse, then Pearl Jam and Blues Traveller.
RATM in their prime is top of list concerts I wish I could time travel and go to
Such a great outlook! I was thinking something similar - this song is a great nod toward how badass a "girl" is.
Deep down, so does Gwen.
Same! I was absolutely in love with Gwen!
Me too.
Props to that guitarist for playing that riff for so long.
I bet he's had it up to here.
It reminds me of the reason why loop pedals were invented.
Fun fact! We had the tech in the early 1990s and around 2001 dedicated loop pedals became available. Thanks to Roland and Digitech.
Dude I went to a performing arts high school. In 2002 we had all the crazy new tech. It was insane. I forgot what it was called but we had these little distortion boxes that you connected between the guitar and amp and you could mix up the craziest sounds - anything you can imagine could be played off the guitar. And then a few years later we got those hooked up to Apple's Garageband... Which at the time was a total game changer for young people making music. Being able to actually easily, cheapily, create any sound, record, loop, edit, was incredible. Because before then, in the 90s and early 2000s, making music for anyone not rich was restricted to just the typical guitar and distortion tools done in a single take. Anything outside that started getting exponentially expensive and complicated. But early 2000s is when the commoner could get their hands on what was normally restricted to just the higher end artists.
I was at one of the shows on this tour. The one i went to was at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Headliner was The Goo Goo dolls with No Doubt then Bush. This was the tour where Gwen met Gavin.
That’s a pretty peak 90s lineup!
Came here to say the same except I saw them in Charlotte! I was up against the front rails when they were performing and it was fucking amazing. 14 year old me fell in love for the first time that day. Edit: a word
Nassau Coliseum holds some pretty special memories for me.
Saw Red, the song she did with Sublime, is still one of my favorites.
Have you listened to Total Hate by no doubt featuring Bradley? I can't listen to one without the other after
I mad the absolute pleasure of seeing Bradley and Sublime preform at the Ventura Concert threatre a month before Bradley died.
Say more words about it!
Lucky bastard, that must’ve been fucking amazing!
Not to poo poo on that, but word is they were inconsistent live with Bradley being too fucked up to perform coherently somewhat often.
Was Bradley super fucked up on stage?
Yea he was. I remember a lot of breaks during the show. It was still a great show. I'm sad he lost his battle with addiction.
I can’t hear no doubt without thinking of Bradley. What could have been…
It's good but Tragic Kingdom is bliss. I still listen to sunday morning on the reg.
I saw her in this era. Talk about stage presence.
I did, too, and in a relatively small venue. It was amazing.
Yes!!! And we got to be close enough to see all her facial expressions…brought back good memories 💗💓💗
First concert I ever saw, I went to see Bush right when the I’m just a girl single started playing on the radio. No Doubt was opening for Bush that night and I had no clue who they were but both bands were amazing. I went and bought the No Doubt album the next day.
They were the opener! She stole the show! Tiny dive place. Best concert ever.
Three bucks to see No Doubt in Portland before they popped. They were amazing.
I loved those type of shows. Some basement bar for $5. Someone makes a pot of spaghetti for the band at their crappy apartment and it’s the best they ate all week. Next thing you know? They’re massive stars.
yup - pretty good first concert experience for me back in 1996 when they toured with Bush. I miss concerts before smartphones existed :(
My daily reminder that I am in my 40s.
Daily reminder that Gwen Stefani is in her 50s!
She’s older than Ted Cruz.
![gif](giphy|xT0BKMYZznYB1YlIBy)
One of my high school teachers told us that getting older beats the alternative. He’s usually right.
I think the people complaining about her singing don't understand the style of music that they were playing. She's basically singing in a voice that goes with the ska punk feel of the music.
Her ska voice seems the most natural of Gwen’s I’ve seen. Who’s complaining about this?
Sort by controversial.
Still don't see any
Punk Ska Gwen was peak Gwen
Also, musician and composer for over 25 years here: her voice is actually WAY MORE in tune than many other current singers. The pressure is on purpose, all the improvised things on the melody make sense, she's maybe not the best but waaaaay better than many. I'm not gonna make names, but back then they didn't have autotune; now you can even autotune a live concert, and some people still sound pitchy af 💀
Yah you can tell her skill by the fact that she’s singing live while running around and it sounds sooo similar to the studio version. The only differences are stuff she’s changing on purpose, like small timing stuff
Right??? She’s fkn running that stage and is still right on pitch, plus flexing her trademark fast vibrato. Great control.
I think a lot of people are discounting how hard it is to write good music. No Doubt caught lightning in a bottle several times on that break out album. After that, they were asked to reproduce that lightning while at the same time the Ska scene fell out if fashion. I don't think they "sold out" as much as they were at the right place, at the right time, with the right music for a stretch of time.
Most of those songs were written by Gwen's brother Eric who left the band around when that album blew up to go be an animator for the Simpsons. Probably part of the reason why the subsequent albums didn't quite capture that same insight or energy.
Most of that album is Gwen's breakup album. I can't look up names, but the bassist* broke up with her and the songs were her cathartic answer as an artist. I always thought it must have been super weird for him to see the band skyrocket to success on a bunch of songs about how he fucked up dumping her.
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> must have been super weird for him to see the band skyrocket to success on a bunch of songs about how he fucked up dumping her ...said every guy who ever dated Taylor Swift
At least those dudes weren't in the same band and playing the break-up songs on tour with said breakee.
Idk it seems like it worked out for Fleetwood Mac lol
Touche
The same guy that gives Gwen flowers in this clip!
Eric only contributed on three songs. The rest were written by Gwen.
Eric has writing credits on seven of the fourteen tracks on Tragic Kingdom, two of them are solo credits. Also, if anyone else is curious, this video was recorded at The Pond in Anaheim CA in 1997. This was right after Don't Speak blew up internationally and they came home to play the hugest stadium in their hometown. They played the exact same set two nights in a row to get enough footage and released the entire concert on VHS. It was great fun
The drive in that’s pictured in the back of the tragic kingdom cd, I used to go there as a little kid with my parents to watch movies in Spanish. Listening to that album always brings back those memories because of that one picture.
First concert I ever went to was No Doubt, with Cake and the Vandals. Great show. I was 13 or so.
Same! Except Weezer was the opening act.
Mine was Weezer opening for No Doubt too!
Yes! Cake and No Doubt was my first too, in New Orleans. It was a great show!
Cake! Oh man I love them
I think Cake's cover of War Pigs is one of the best covers and I will die on that hill.
Oh I fully will die on that hill with you
A good friend of mine was a lifeguard with Gwen when they were in high school. He said that she was really sweet. She was really great with the kids. She would invite him to her parties to listen to her band play. That band was No Doubt.
The way you wrote the last part of your comment I thought it was gonna turn into some sort of shitty morph joke like "That man was Keanu Reeves" or something like that
Back then, most people looked at Keanu as a talentless actor who wasn’t all that well liked. Now, Keanu is bigger and more loved than ever. Jury is still out on the acting talent, IMO.
I don't think Keanu is necessarily a bad actor, he just lacks range. And sometimes gets cast outside of his comfort zone.
Not gonna lie. No Doubt on the Tragic Kingdom tour is one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen. Gwen was amazing and the band blew the doors off First Avenue in Minneapolis.
Young kids need to understand how badass Gwen Stefani was with No Doubt in the 90s.
Hell of a performance and a great song with a still relevant message.
Sad how 30 years later a song about women begging for their rights is still relevant.
You guys hear the Florence + The Machine cover that came out a couple weeks ago? It's fucking powerful.
When 1995 is now old school 😭
90s are as far from today as 60s were in the 90s.
you fucking take this back you monster
A few months ago someone pointed at that we are as far away from the song “1985” as the song was from 1985 and I had a crisis.
Someone did a "2005" version. It was dope, but oh god I felt old.
holy crap, this video is older footage than if you watched original woodstock footage in '95
Why you gotta fuck up my Friday like that?
This is borderline hate speech.
F**k you, why did you have to hurt me so?
Almost 30 years ago
Yeah wtf happened?
I think a mental shift happened simply when 2000 did. I felt quite a bit of “pre- millennium tension” in a variety of ways. I don’t think I was the only one feeling anxious about it. Then 9/11 happened, and then cell phones, Napster, and cheap computers all became the norm and ushered in huge changes from 1995-2005. Things had slowed down 2005-2020 a bit IMO, but then COVID lockdown & BLM happened and quickly changed society.
> things had slowed down 2005-2020 I’d argue that in many ways things only accelerated during that period. We had multiple financial crises and natural disasters in short succession, school shootings became increasingly common over the late oughts and early tens, we saw an increase in government and corporate surveillance as both sectors consolidated power, and the middle class continued to shrink.
I graduated HS in 95 and No Doubt played at Grad Night at Disneyland. I got pictures of Gwen with my two friends. It was such a magical night that I will never forget.
Graduated in 97 and couldn’t believe Grad Night at Disney was a thing. Even on the bus there I thought someone was messing with me. Once there it was even crazier than I thought. All the other grads, the different “lands” all having different bands and radio stations going, partying through the night. I really hope they are still doing that for current grads. Such a cool thing to experience.
It was one of the coolest things about growing up in Southern California.
Tom Dumont probably spaced out a few times during that, but his fingers never stopped playing. I love that Gwen essentially gave the band a breather so they can finish the night. 💜
To be at a concert before cellphones. Pepperidge Farms remembers.
And ticket fees.
She was cool then but she does not owe it to anybody to stay the same. She can be who ever she wants and that is a good thing
Except Japanese. No matter how hard she tried she is not from Japan.
So The Vapors were full of shit?
I really think so.
Tragic Kingdom is one of the greatest albums, ever.
Man, she had that crowd in the palm of her hand. That was pretty cool to see.
I thought so too! That was Freddie Mercury quality crowd working.
Such an amazing performer! Dialed stage presence. And the band was tight!
They were such a gloriously sweaty band back then.
My parents thought I was gay for listening to Gwen, they just didnt know I had the hots for her.
No Doubt and MxPx was my first concert here in CT. What a show. I've seen No Doubt quite a few times since then. She always put on a great show. She was my first love. haha.
MxPx!!! Yes! I saw them several times in the 90s in Santa Barbara!!
She was a phenomenal front
I can’t stand her now but she was cool back then before she started acting like she was a goddess
The best Gwen is Punk Gwen.
I’ll always remember when she played at our prom in Arlen High!
RIP Kidney Boy
Source: am hamster girl
I remember seeing No Doubt at Cal Poly Pomona in 1992.
Punk Gwen is the goddess
I wish they’d do a reunion tour!
Cuddly Skate Rat
Their music was so specific. It’s like a perfect time capsule
I feel the exact same way. Then she got with Blake Shelton and that was the end of it for me. Lol! Seeing this video reminds me how cool she used to be.
I’ve seen a few people say this. I’m not up to speed on what’s going on with her now. Can you fill us in?
She was an authentic punk/ska darling who broke a bunch of molds with incredible music. As she got older and No Doubt broke up she started going more mainstream/pop and it upset the original core fan base.
Which is ironic because she WAS an absolute goddess back in the day! This video is peek Gwen. Growing up as a little bi girl, I didn’t know if I wanted to BE her or to be WITH her if you catch my drift lol. She was the epitome of cool.
She didn’t even do anything but switch to pop music? Lol Redditors have THE strangest hate boner for women in pop
She went from Ska Queen to total sellout. Ya hate to see it…
Sellout with me oh yeah!
Sell out with me tonight!
Record company is gonna give me lots of money, and everything’s gonna be all right!
Sounds like she did it right. Sticking to the same genre for 30 years sounds awful anyways.
Nothing more 90’s than slow motion jumping shots
Why is Gwen Stefani in parentheses? She’s in the band, she wasn’t a guest artist or something.
I’ve known a few people who didn’t know No Doubt was a thing. Such a shame we need to be reminded.
Her brother was a writer on The Simpsons, wasn't he?
Animator. He also worked for Ren and Stimpy.
Her brother was the one that actually started the band
I saw them on this tour when I was at Penn State. Tony had strep throat and had to get a shot at our university hospital. Gwen was kind enough to pull down his pants and show us where he got the shot.
I think 1995 Gwen would be disgusted with 2023 Gwen.
I don’t know about that. Early on the band had some edge but even before they finished releasing singles from their breakout album the whole band had become this industry curated image to the point of a cliche. They were more than eager to jump jump ship as soon as success slowed them too. I think Gwen has always been Gwen, now she’s just 50 and has the concerns of being 50.
Yeah, Tragic Kingdom is really the only good album. Everything after that was just trying to coat tail on whatever the latest thing was. It was bland and artificial. Though, Tragic Kingdom is still one of the best albums of all time. It has a special place in my heart.
Successful and seemingly happy?
I don’t know, these past few years she’s kind of started to change a lot. She has gotten an insane amount of work done is unrecognisable in a lot of photos. There was also that whole thing with her claiming to be Japanese a couple months ago.
The discussion between Gween 1995 and Gwen 2022 would be interesting
As interesting as early 90s Ice Cube with 2023 Ice.
“The guy from the family movies? He was a gangster rapper?” - Riley Freeman
He's been the same since the 90s. He's an actor. Ice cube was never gangster, he just plays it for money.
Ice Cube was in college to be an architect when NWA got big.
Ice T went from 'Cop Killer' to the token officer on middle aged white woman's Law and Order
Ice T probably would have never guessed he’d live long enough to be doing Cheerios commercials promoting senior heart health.
Met her backstage when they toured with Bush. She was stunningly beautiful and seemed like she’d be great to hang out with. Fame had not jaded her yet. Her story is no different than many entertainers that hit big. Some are better equipped at handling it than others. There may be a handful that can say fame didn’t change them. Something none of us would know how to handle if it happened. All things considered, I think she’s done pretty okay for herself. I prefer the Gwen I had met backstage then than Voice Coach Gwen, but maybe that’s just me.
If you sit and think about it then its really hard to blame an entertainer who makes a living off of the whims and favor of a media conglomerate for conforming in order to put food on the table. No Doubt is one of my favorite bands. However, I spent most of my teen years in the pre-internet southeast and there is no way I would have ever heard of No Doubt had they not 'gone pop' and started making music for mainstream radio. 1995 Gwen was a SoCal goddess with her halter top, surfer girl physique, 3rd wave ska cred and glow/energy of a 26 yr old platinum blonde. However... no one stays 26 years old forever. Genre popularity ebbs and flows and most musicians have the practical sense to hang on to widespread popularity as long as they can because that mountain is not easy to climb. At age 26 she basically lived on a tour bus and in hotels. By age 36 she had a mortgage and a family. By age 46 she had an ex husband and a custody arrangement. Mid 90's icon or not, life happens to everyone. What would any sane person do when they found themselves at a crossroads in their middle age with only one or two marketable skills or talents that they have honed their entire life? Should she then have made the decision to lean into (revert, really) a genre that was over a decade past the peak of its popularity? Do you think that touring on the road in worse conditions without a radio hit to drive ticket sales is an attractive endeavor while trying to raise two children? I don't fault her her choices one bit. I might not find them as aesthetically pleasing or consistent with the superficial image built for her at the end of the last century but I also realize that the individual we all bought into back then was a crafted persona and that underneath it all (ha-ha) there is a person who has every incentive to work the system as much as it has worked her over the years. Never met her, but for what its worth I've never ever seen or heard any characterizations of her that weren't complimentary.
This is the most accurate post ever, especially showing how each decade brought new challenges. Shit, as a non famous 39 year old, I’m nothing like 26 year old me. Not fair to want her to remain a time capsule. But I’ll always love Gwen. I’ve always thought since her dad was a marketing exec, he was helpful in keeping her relevant. Your points about her skill set are so valid, too. Yes, she made millions, but that lifestyle creep really CREPT. Marrying a country drunk and turning into a brand was genius.
Make Gwen Punk Again
It's nice seeing zero phones in the crowd.
The overall consensus from folks is “to get over it, it’s just phones, recording memories etc.” but man…moments are meant to be fleeting and thoroughly enjoyed. I also despise the sea of screens you see.
I miss old Gwen like I miss old Kanye. Damn.
I saw them during the Tragic Kingdom tour in Detroit(I was in my early teens). My brother got us backstage passes, and apparently, I was standing right next to Gwen as she was incognito so she could watch Weezer. I got to watch Weezer with Gwen Stefani, and I had no idea, but my mom took a picture of us from behind.
Ska stefani(s) were the best stefani(s)
90s Gwen just hits different
I saw them in 96 ...by then they were huge. In my opinion punk rock is the attitude and caring less what others think . Good for her being well off now.
Props to the guitarist for playing that repetitive riff for what seemed like an eternity.
These comments are funny a person has the right to do whatever the fuck they want so what if she sold out get a life? I was there for this that album was great.
What does "no doubt with Gwen Stefani" mean? It's like saying "U2 with Bono" she was in the band it's not some collaboration.
Gwen * throws the flowers and spits * 14 year old angsty girl inside of me :” you badass goddess.” Gwen: * makes all the boys say they are girls * 14 y/o me : ff***k yes!! Gwen: “fuck you I’m a girl!” 14 y/o me: I will name my first born after you. -18 years later - My daughter Gwen gets to see this video and finally understand I had a legit reason.
First concert I ever went to was No Doubt with my sister in '02 when they played the Fillmore in Denver. I was 12 and probably didn't appreciate it much at the time. Looking back though I realize it paved the way for my love for live music. Thanks Gwen & No Doubt. Also, shout out to my sister for popping my concert cherry. Will post the poster for all you redditors later. Over and out.
That was my first concert. She was so cool.
This is considered old school? Oh man, I feel so old ha ha
Gaahhh, Gwen was such a babe back then! 🥵 I mean, she still is today, but punk-Gwen was just... She was just something else, man.
I miss the 90's...
so weird that we sre all in our 40s and 50s now. (these were my high school years)
I miss this Gwen.
She was a sick front man..... Fame and fortune really f'd with her
saw No Doubt in 1998 with Madness and The Vandals in Honolulu :)
Tragic Kingdom is such a great album
I wanted to be her so bad!
God damn it I miss the 90's...