Forget Friday’s three-song warm-up on the “Today” show; this was the real return of No Doubt: Saturday night at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the O.C. hitmakers blasted back with full force, skanking and strutting their way through a ridiculously tight, upbeat, 90-something-minute workout in front of a raucous, fist-pumping crowd.

It was full-speed ahead, all hits, no misses. Gwen and the guys looking (and sounding) like they hadn’t missed a beat, despite the fact — as Stefani pointed out — that it was their “first show in five f—ing years.”

Taking the stage to a super-heroic instrumental track (DUNNN-DAAA-DUNNNNNN!) and the delighted squeals of long-waiting No Doubt fanatics, the band made up for their half-decade hiatus. Wasting nary a word (aside from Stefani’s shouted instructions for the crowd to “put your hands in the air!”), they launched headlong into “Spiderwebs,” all breezy horns and ska-stroked guitars, Stefani bobbing and weaving across the stage, bassist Tony Kanal and guitarist Tom Dumont popping in place and grinning like kids.

And the energy didn’t let up for a second.

“Hella Good” was next, all bleepy and funky, followed by a breezy take on “Bathwater” and a dub-ified version of “Underneath It All.” Stefani removed her white coat and stalked the stage, looking lithe in a wife-beater — blue bra straps, too, if you’re keeping score at home — and baggy pants, shiny suspenders dangling behind her (the rest of the guys followed her lead, decked out in white from head-to-toe). Only after powering through four tunes did she stop and address the crowd, dropping the “five f—ing years” line” then joking, “I betcha didn’t think I was really gonna do this … I toldya so!” to gratuitous amounts of cheers.

From there, they worked their way through a new version of “Excuse Me Mr.” (very Police-y, right down to the “Eeee-yo-ooohs!”), which segued into the dubby, stop-start intro to “Ex-Girlfriend” the entire band sounding tighter than the slots on casino floor. Then it was on to a sweet and soulful “Simple Kind Of Life,” which Stefani introduced by saying “This is the first time I’ve sung this one since the two babies came out of my belly.”

The entire band was showcased on a seriously fun cover of the Skatalites’ “Guns of Navarone.” Then Kanal and Dumont traded a goofy ska-shuffle on “Hey Baby” (Stefani also showcased her rather impressive hip-shaking techniques), then a racing version of the underrated “New,” from the equally underrated 1999 flick “Go.” All of which were received with overwhelming “WHOOO”s and the flashes of a million camera phones … a couple of which Stefani also grabbed and snapped with.

Then, it was time to take this thing home. “Don’t Speak” was as heart-wrenching today as it was 14 years ago, and Kanal — in a delightfully retro move much in spirit with the evening — thrust a lighter aloft and waived it side to side, a move mimicked by many in the audience. “Just A Girl” closed out the set, Stefani bounding and posing, the girls in the crowd screaming along to her every word. Then they embraced, thanked the crowd and departed.

Of course, there was an encore, featuring a smooth “Rock Steady,” a fun take on “Different People” (complete with soul-review-style introductions of the entire band by Stefani) and then “Sunday Morning,” which shook the Borgata floor.

And then, it was over, and the reunion was officially under way. One show in the bag, and what a show it was. No Doubt sounded great, brought the energy and looked like they were having an absolute blast (and the crowd did too). In fact, it felt as if they hadn’t been away at all — or, at least, not for five f—ing years.

They’re on the cusp of a major comeback tour, and this morning (May 1) No Doubt showed up at NBC Studios to perform on the “Today” show.

Gwen Stefani and Co. looked to be in fine form as they took the stage, all wearing coordinated black and white costumes as they cranked out a few of their hits.






This time around, the “Don’t Speak” rockers are doing things a little bit differently, using a tour to catalyze their creativity to record a new studio album.

According to Stefani, being a full-time mom for the past two years made it hard to write new songs on command, so she’s relying on the energy of their fans to inspire her.

Gossip Girls

Enjoy the pictures of Gwen Stefani and her No Doubt bandmates on the "Today" show (May 1

Gwen Stefani looked better than ever today as she performed with band No Doubt for the first time in five years.

The singer, who recently gave birth to her second son Zuma, was in great shape as she took to the stage on US show Today.

She wowed the crowds as she jumped around in a pair of tie-dye jeans, black boots and a black Fred Perry polo shirt.

And she certainly didn’t look like she had aged a day with her platinum hair in twisted buns and a layer of her signature red lipstick.

The band took a hiatus five years ago because Gwen wanted to start a family with husband Gavin Rossdale.

She said: “It’s not their fault, it’s my fault, because I had this whole game plan: ‘OK, I’m gonna go on tour with my last record, I’m gonna come home, I’m gonna get pregnant, I’m gonna have a baby, but while I’m pregnant, I’m gonna make the No Doubt record’.”

“That was, like, the plan, but it all didn’t work.”

The group are planning a new album for 2010 and are hoping that their upcoming tour will help inspire them.

The band’s bassist Tony Kanal added: “Gwen was feeling like she couldn’t find the place where she wanted to start the writing process.

“I think she always goes through this and I think we, uh, we just need to find ourselves. We just need to get out on the road.”