EastScene

A lot has happened since Blink-182 called it quits as a band in February of 2005. Singer and guitarist Tom Delonge formed a new band, Angels and Airwaves, whose debut album We Don’t Need To Whisper made it to the number 4 spot on the Billboard 200. Singer and bassist Mark Hoppus went on to produce albums for up-and-coming bands such as Motion City Soundtrack and Something for Rockets, and began a new alternative rock band, +44, with drummer Travis Barker. And Barker, who after the disintegration of Blink continued to play drums for various artists, survived a fatal plane crash in September of 2008, which killed all passengers except for himself and the recently deceased DJ AM.

Yet, when the recently reunited trio took to the stage at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida on September 26th, it seemed as if it were just yesterday that “All the Small Things” was taking over every alternative radio station. The music was loud, the fans were rowdy, and Tom Delonge’s sex jokes were in abundance, as he claimed that every boy who took their girlfriend to a show was only hoping to get a handjob afterward.

The band opened their lengthy set with the first track off of Enema of the State, “Dumpweed,” causing fans on the floor to mosh and fans in assigned seats, such as myself, to wish they were on the floor adding to this nostalgia-induced frenzy. However, whether you were on the floor or looking through binoculars on the lawn, the energy that radiated from the band was felt by everyone as the pop-punk veterans ran through fan favorites such as “Rock Show,” “What’s My Age Again?,” and “Josie”. The trio even played such infamous songs as “Blow Job,” and “Family Reunion,” which the latter they claimed to not have played in seven years. Moms and dads throughout the venue were kicking themselves as their pre-pubescent kids sang along. This concert was proof that with this reunion came a whole new generation of Blink-182 fans who probably recently stole their older siblings’ old cassette tapes.

But it wasn’t just the sing-a-longs that had fans such as myself squealing with delight. Towards the middle of the set, Mark told Tom that his guitar was out of tune, prompting Tom to smash his instrument against the stage a few times and then hand it off to a lucky fan in the crowd. And, to top it all off, during the beginning of the encore, Travis and his drumset were secured to a platform which, much to the fans’ surprise, was lifted above the stage, tilting and spinning as he performed an about-five-minute drum solo. The show ended with a mock-rendition of “Every Rose Has its Thorn,” which followed “Carousel” and “Dammit,”-an ode to the hardcore fans who have been there since the Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch days.

As I exited the venue with my fellow concert-goers, I noticed many fans sporting newly purchased tour t-shirts, emblazoned with the following: “CRAPPY PUNK ROCK”. Sure, Blink-182 is crude and they definitely aren’t musical virtuoso’s, but they’ve come a long way since their Buddha days, proving that even a “crappy punk rock” band can sell out an amphitheatre. It took years for Blink-182 to make amends and reunite musically, but if this show was any indication of what’s to come, then I think it was worth the wait.