For some reason Blink-182 has always been a band everyone likes. I have vivid memories of hearing “Going Away To College” for the first time when I was 15, and my older brother then giving me a copy of Buddha for my birthday. Their music became the standard for car trips and singing along to “Josie” set the bar for how to have fun driving down route 146. My mom even loved to sing the high harmonies on songs like “First Date” so despite the vulgar language they were acceptable to play in the car.
There has just always been something to love about Blink-182.
I would be hard pressed to find someone I know who would have passed up the opportunity to see Blink honor the 10-year anniversary of their 2003 Untitled album. Whether it’s my friends in bands, people who work in the music industry or even childhood friends who haven’t held onto music the same way I have; any of them would have jumped at the chance to celebrate the milestone.
Last night was my 5th album anniversary show in the past year, and while some might think that’s repetitive, each experience has been different. I’ve always held the albums I listened to as a teenager in a sacred place, and hearing them in full, live, ten years later, is what a passionate fan dreams of. The biggest contrast to Blink’s anniversary show was the lack of acknowledgment of the actual anniversary. Sure they played the full album and the backdrop was the album’s artwork, but they didn’t actually say anything about what we were celebrating. They didn’t share any anecdotes about the album or any feelings about the anniversary. Instead, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge kept up their crude humor and slipped vulgar words into their songs. Very traditional Blink show.
During the show the crowd was always moving and sang back every lyric. It was almost like they had all been given choreography beforehand because they all knew when to jump, mosh and surf. There was a strong connection between the three men on stage and the rambunctious crowd. The audience also served as a gauge for the popularity of each track. The more popular the song, the more smart phones were held up to capture a photo or video. Things got really interesting during the encore set when at least one circle pit broke out for “Not Now,” “M+M’s,” “Mutt” and of course, “Dammit.”
It was just really bleeping cool.
The part I found most fascinating about the experience was hearing specific songs live because this marked Blink’s first experimental album. For “All Of This,” Hoppus took over Robert Smith’s vocals for the ominous song. In comparison to the rest of the album, “All Of This” was a polarizing experience. It made me wonder if when they wrote that song they ever anticipated they would have to play it live. As a matter of fact when the song ended Hoppus exclaimed, “We did it!” out of relief.
Seeing Blink-182 active in any way will always send fans flooding to the gates. They have created such a loyal and ravenous fan base that people will always want more and they will continue to make new fans. Heck I even saw a 30-something with his four-year-old son on his shoulder during the show. As long as people keep passing down their albums to the next generations like my brother did to me, we will keep celebrating the milestones of their music.