Keepin' the Vibe Alive

"Long live Bradley Nowell," said Stick Figure via Twitter on May 25, the 14th anniversary of the Sublime founder’s passing. Three nights later, Stick Figure's performance at the 710 Beach Club indicated that Nowell's musical legacy is alive and well.

Opening act Boom Culture played a spot-on cover of Sublime's "Caress Me Down," and the Nowell references kept coming during Stick Figure's 90 minutes of dub and roots. With an energetic version of Half Pint's "Cost of Living" and a mellowed-out take on Bad Brains' "The Youth Are Getting Restless," Stick Figure nailed two covers that often appeared on Sublime's mid-1990s set lists. Stick Figure then dropped "Ring the Alarm," which draws on Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng," also a Nowell favorite.

Nowell was Sublime's nerve center, and Stick Figure’s front man Scott Woodruff plays a similar role in his band. He's a charismatic guitarist in his 20s who writes the songs and croons with soul. During "Vibes Alive," a new original that opens with a piano hook, Woodruff sang a line that could have been the tagline for the evening's homage to Nowell: "Another generation/keepin' this vibe alive."

• Concert: Stick Figure, Boom Culture
• Date: May 28
• Venue: 710 Beach Club
• Seats: skankin' on the dance floor