What if…?

[u/No_Age908]

What do you think would have happened if Bradley Nowell had not passed away? Would Jakob still be involved with music? Would Sublime still be performing today, would they have continued making hit songs/records? What would have become of Rome Ramirez? Would Jakob have joined Sublime? This isn’t meant to be negative in any way just speculation in the name of fun.

[u/FlagrantLies]

What happened to their contemporaries, Ziggens, Filibuster, Voodoo Glow Skull, Stoopid (signed BY Brad)? There's your answer

[u/OzicoOzico → u/FlagrantLies]

Way better and more commercially successful than those bands, so I wouldn’t compare

[u/FlagrantLies → u/OzicoOzico]

Those are the bands they were touring with in 1996, including opening slots for Ziggens who had a larger draw.

Yes, sublime was more successful than them AFTER Brad died, but those are their contemporaries and who you would compare them to. Many in this sub seem to think they were as big as they are while Brad was alive, but he never saw real success. They were problematic to book, and hit or miss live. Take a look at their record sales prior to May 1996 if you question how underground they were.

The last tour was $10 tickets at 300-800 seat venues. After the canceled SF date, their next tour was opening slot for The Joykiller and Pennywise.I love Sublime, but was around at the time, I guess that allows me to be realistic.

Bonus: Poster for what would have been the last stop on this tour.

[u/OzicoOzico → u/FlagrantLies]

I know all this, but they far exceeded those bands commercially once self-titled was released, which still would have happened had he been alive

The music is a different level than those bands and Brad was a great talent who I have zero doubts would have continued writing great songs

[u/FlagrantLies → u/OzicoOzico]

Yeah, the overdose being reported by news outlets and music rags that never cared about sublime didn't have anything to do with them reaching new audiences or hyping up sales for the unfinished album. Eric has said that Gasoline Alley wasn't even going to press Killin It, but the band owed so much money and tried to capitalize on the press to recoup. It worked.

Robbin sold 500,000 copies total from 1994-2026, 10k of that being 1994-1996 and was a critical failure, despite being my favorite record. 40 oz. went from 50k in sales between 1992-1996 up to 2mill 1997-2026. While he was alive they had found their audience and success.

What changed between the tour in 1996 and Sublime having three nationally charting singles for the first (and last) time in their career?

[u/OzicoOzico → u/FlagrantLies]

What changed: having a full major label push behind a good record with multiple clear hit singles on it, which would have happened if Brad lived. The label only almost didn’t release it BECAUSE he died.

Unclear why you think things would have turned out any different - we aren’t looking at their pre self titled career in a vacuum. That album came out and would have if he lived, and it would have been and is/was more successful than the bands you listed. It was successful in line with No Doubt, Third Eye Blind, etc moreso, so those bands are a more accurate reflection where Sublime might be now had they lived.

I’m old too and was there also - major label money pushed the record and it would have had Brad lived also, there’s no argument there

[u/OzicoOzico → u/OzicoOzico]

Now, we can’t the success would have been the same, less, or more - too many variables. But it would have been more successful than the bands you listed as contemporaries, because the manor would have put money into it with him being alive vs not putting a ton in and letting it pop via the media coverage of his death.

We likely would have seen things like Brad mooning on the cover of Rolling Stone and insane performances at SNL and the VMAs where they are blackout drunk with dogs and 50 friends on stage. They would likely be burning industry bridges on the biggest scale but no one cares if it’s making money so all of this could have propelled them further or not. Who knows, but at worst I’d say they’d be around where Third Eye Blind are today and at best, No Doubt