I remember the first times I heard Blink-182 back in the day during the Enema of The State years. My friends and I would jam to the great tracks everyone knows and loves such as Aliens Exist and Dumpweed. For many, those amazing times became memories and those memories are the reason we go to see them, to reminisce on how awesome it was. They became a staple name in the pop-punk world with their fast drums and extraterrestrial lyrical content. They went on to influence the pop-punk world for years to come.
With the departure of their lead singer, Tom DeLonge to focus on his alien hunting career, Blink made the decision to replace him with Matt Skiba. This change in the legendary lineup has evolved the band in a profound way. The new record, California, is a great example of these changes. With the vitality of the members and no foreseeable end, I am glad to say Blink-182 is here to stay.
The opening band, The All American Rejects, had a great set. I understand the heat of opening for two of the biggest names in the industry, its a hard thing to do. But they destroyed! The melodic lyrics and the heavy instrumentation create an awesome, unique sound that I absolutely love. Their set consisted of, in my opinion having never heard of them, a good representation of their repertoire. The lead vocalist really made a point to entertain, as a good performer should, and completely won over the crowd.
A Day To Remember having seen them three times previous, I had a general idea of what to expect from their performance. During the week, they had released their new album, Bad Vibrations, which I was excited to hear live. Due to having not seen them in a few years, I was surprised to see that they had re-vamped their onstage effects. Large screens similar to Blink's performance adorned the stage in a curtain of light. Instead of hiding them, the large cables that give power to the large screens hung from the rafters of the stage and were used to create visual contrast between them and the backdrop. As for the music, it was just as you would expect from ADTR, impeccable. The set was highly thought out with an acoustic performance and even a guest appearance by Matt Skiba. All and all, their performance was amazing as I had anticipated and I look forward to seeing them in the future.
As the night went on, my anticipation to finally see Blink was getting more and more intense. When the curtain finally dropped and the band with their humongous screen display and the giant flaming, "Fuck," in the middle of the stage. The crowd went absolutely nuts. Their musical energy is just as intense as their recordings. The powerful articulation and rhythms coming from Travis is hypnotic, it was very hard for me to take my eyes off of him and what he was doing. To be a three piece band and have such an immense sound is incredible. Another thing that I was amazed by is their extended jam segments. Most pop-punk band will play their songs with no improvisation or anything different from the studio recording. Blink however, would take a song and not necessarily improvise, but they would extend the songs to the next hit or verse. Travis was definitely the most improvisational of the three of them.
The set, like A Day To Remember, was a very well balanced set. The instantly recognizable songs were well placed apart from each other. There was not a dull moment in the crowd, besides the intoxicated woman behind me who would not stop screaming. When they began to play, All The Small Things, I was skeptical to whether or not Matt Skiba's vocals would be able to compare to Tom DeLonge's signature voice. I was relieved to hear his voice sound almost exactly like the original track. So for all of those Skiba haters out there, I suggest you read this.
-Review-
All and all, the show was a great representation of the band, Matt Skiba, and the new album. Therefore I give it an 8.5/10
ADTR's performance was above par in relation to the last times I have seen them, therefore i give them 8.3/10
And last but not least, AAR's performance was definitely a positive experience, and I will be sure to look into them in the future. 7.9/10
Thanks for a great Spring/Summer concert set! I look forward to seeing everyone in the Fall/Winter tour set! Be sure to check out the Spring/Summer Review that will be out by the end of the week!
-Guru
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