Sun Sentinel (June 25th 1997)

No Doubt leaves sure impression

The stage of Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds near West Palm Beach was decorated with artificial trees and giant oranges.

But there was nothing fake about the people who were preparing for one of the biggest concerts of the season there.

There was "no doubt" it was going to be an incredible evening.

After all, the band No Doubt was headlining.

Before the late spring concert, several students from local schools were invited to watch the sound check and interview the band.

Band members rehearsed clips from Don't Speak, Happy Now? and Hey You - all from their breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom. The title is a reference to where the group is based - Anaheim, Calif., home of Disneyland's Magic Kingdom.

At one point during the check, lead guitarist Tom Dumont said the stage lights were too bright.

The only thing missing was Gwen Stefani's vocals. No Doubt's leading lady was saving her voice for the show.

The check lasted a little more than an hour. Afterward, band members joined student reporters and teen musicians for a question-and-answer session.

Perfect hosts, the band members opened the session by asking whether anyone wanted something to drink. The band members said they prefer protein drinks to soda or bottled water.

Then the questions began: Q. How did you all meet?

A. Stefani: "Tony {Kanal) and I went to high school together."

Q. To Stefani: How do you feel about the "sweetheart" image rock critics have used to label you?

A. Stefani: "I didn't realize there was one. After awhile you stop paying attention to what the media says."

Q. What is the meaning of the whole rotten orange motif in Tragic Kingdom?

A. Dumont: "We come from Southern California and, like Florida, people tend to think it's a perfect place. The oranges symbolize the place, and the fact that they're rotten says that all things aren't all that they're cracked up to be."

Q. What do you think of Coral Sky?

A. Kanal: "This is our biggest show yet."

Q. Would you consider joining Pearl Jam's boycott against Ticketmaster?

A. Dumont: "Maybe in a while. Right now, though, we're focusing on other things."

Kanal agreed: "We were upset about raising our ticket prices. We hate overcharging fans, but it had to be done, especially with the Ticketmaster service charge {added)."

Throughout the interview, band members were gracious and humble. They explained how their fans were so important. Then they thanked everyone for attending and signed autographs.

Between the question-and-answer period and the concert, the band didn't have much of a break.

By 5 p.m., fans already were lining up to get inside Coral Sky. By 6:15 p.m., thousands were waiting.

Security was strict. Guards searched fans' bags, looking for drugs, as well as cameras and tape recorders.

The concert opened with The Vandals, who played a clean, short set that appealed to the ska crowd. The highlight of The Vandals' set was a punk version of Summer Loving, from the Broadway musical Grease, because No Doubt's Stefanisang the female part.

The band Cake followed and gathered loud cheers when they sang their hits The Distance and their cover of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive.

Both groups played well, but they couldn't steal the spotlight from No Doubt.

Before the band came on stage, black curtains were raised to reveal an incredible background. A huge orange hanging above the stage was illuminated with a huge fly in it to emphasize the Tragic Kingdom theme.

During the concert, No Doubt played several songs from Tragic Kingdom, including Excuse Me Mr. and Don't Speak. As the rest of the band jammed on their instruments, Stefani ran, danced, jumped and sang.

During a rendition of their latest single, Sunday Morning, Stefani turned the performance into a sing-along. The crowd also was invited to sing during Just a Girl.

The band saved Spiderweb, one of their biggest hits, for an encore, followed by I'll Call.

With the help of Stefani, No Doubt seemed to touch 20,000 fans just as personally as the band had touched the student journalists and teen musicians hours before.