If music can be a great escape from the cares of the day, whatever they be, then Blink-182’s fun show on Wednesday, rescheduled from a week earlier in light of recent events, was a perfect getaway.
The San Diego pop-punk trio discharged their usual output of between-song locker room comments, and their three-minute tunes, which generally address little more than the standard teen concerns (first dates, school, loneliness), were all delivered with the players’ trademark sense of humor still very much intact.
The 75-minute production opened with recent radio hit “The Rock Show,” which was accompanied by a giant flaming F-word behind the band, followed by a quickly paced round-up of songs from all four of the group’s albums. Lots of loud explosions and pyrotechnics discharged throughout the set.
“This song is about the disenfranchised youth of America,” said guitarist-vocalist Tom DeLonge as intro for “Anthem Part Two,” the lead track from Blink’s new release “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” (MCA). The song’s lyrics cry out for leadership in a seemingly out-of-control world.
One of the band’s biggest hits, “Adam’s Song,” is about teen suicide written from the victim’s point of view, and it was one of the most well-received songs of the show. Following an exciting take on new song “Roller Coaster” that ended the regular set and which included a short solo from awesome drummer Travis Meeks, the young crowd chanted a modest “USA! USA!” cheer. Then, DeLonge returned to the stage for the encore, waving an American flag.
The show, which also featured rising young group New Found Glory, ended with one of Blink’s biggest hits, “Dammit,” after which the band placed a boom box at center stage that played Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” as exit music for the cheering kids.
