Watching, Waiting, Commiserating with blink-182 in Charlotte

Pop-Punk Legends Play Sold-Out Show at Spectrum Center

“ Always, I know

You’ll be at my show

Watching, waiting

Commiserating…”

The last year or so has been a huge one for the legendary pop-punk band blink-182, releasing their first new music in 10 years last fall with the hooky single “EDGING” and hitting the road for the better part of 2023 and 2024 for a huge world tour. This was a tour that many thought would never happen especially after band breakups, drummer Travis Barker’s plane crash, and most recently bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus’s battle with cancer. Needless to say, fans were beyond stoked to hear the news of the beloved threesome’s return to the road and have turned out in droves, selling out arenas all over the country to witness the event for themselves.

Fun Fact: Guitarist Tom DeLonge believes in aliens, hence the tune “Aliens Exist.”

Critics, however, have been a little underwhelmed with what the band is bringing to the table, calling the tour everything from a money grab to a return to high school with some even going as far as to use the term cringeworthy. After witnessing the Charlotte show for myself, I can attest that indeed it is all of those things and more, however, in the most excellent way possible, a fact that most press has failed to understand. Was it a nostalgia-packed return to the band’s glory days? Yes! Was it cheesy and a bit like returning to high school or middle school? Yes! Would we want it any other way? No! In fact, those are the very reasons that blink-182 fans rushed to get tickets as soon as the dates were announced.

The Stage Set Up

The band’s setup and production for this run was amazing and they definitely spared no expense in bringing an action-packed, fun-filled show. A huge, diamond-shaped stage provided a different feel and allowed both Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge to take a spot on each side point or make a move to the front at various times throughout the set. Barker’s massive drumkit was situated to the rear surrounded by three giant, LED screens which would change throughout the set. The show began with the blink-182 logo slowly appearing on the screen and we were in action. The band was able to drive their humorous points home during the show via the screens which were emblazoned not only with designs but awesome, things like “FUCK,” a giant hand with the middle finger up, and even a “Warning: I F*cked Your Mom.” You get the idea.

The production was quite impressive with all the bells and whistles one would expect from an arena rock show. We had a giant inflatable vehicle, a huge, animated blink-182 rabbit, and enough lasers, smoke, fireworks, and confetti to satisfy even the biggest expectations. For “Happy Holidays, You Bastard,” the band performed in the dark as pyro shot up around Barker’s kit as the music got faster and faster and faster. The piece de resistance of the night was Barker’s drumkit. Now, the kit did nothing in and of itself, but huge chains came down to raise the entire platform high above the stage where Barker found himself for the second half of the show, athletically pounding away from up high, giving those in the upper level seating a bird’s eye view of his stick handling abilities.

Fun Fact: The band made a cameo appearance in the first American Pie movie.

The Band

What’s My Age Again? Well, for blink-182, it seems forever young because they have never sounded better and seem to have all the vim and vigor of their younger years. Maybe it was the time away. Maybe they really miss touring and playing together. Maybe they have a secret elixir that will be the next hit on late-night tv infomercials. Or perhaps, they are just really great musicians who are happy to be on the stage again and are giving it their absolute all each and every night.

The Set List

Well, there’s always going to be a small minority that whine about the band missing their favorite song and with as long and storied career as blink-182 has, there’s simply no way possible to play every song. With that being said, the setlist was as near perfect as it gets. It had all the hits from the first songs that made you really notice the band back in the day to a heavy dose of songs from Enema of the State and even their newest song “EDGING.”

The Cheese and The Substance

The band was definitely firing on all cylinders musically, but what about the rest of the show and their fan interaction? Well, to be honest, it was pretty damn amazing. Yes, some of the jokes were a bit cheesy and some off-color, but you know what? We loved it! The audience ate it up, laughing and giggling as Hoppus referred to Barker’s kit as the sex dungeon when the chains came down. I mean, this is a rock show, right? But, there were also some serious moments during the show. It was a beautiful sight as Hoppus asked the audience to light up the arena with their cellphones before saying “Hey Siri, text mom. Let me see that ass!” Even putting humor into the most serious moments, Hoppus does something awesome like that before taking us into the story of his cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. He told us how the band and the music and the fans saved him before a touching rendition of “Adam’s Song.”

Fun Fact: Before joining the band, Travis was in a band called The Aquabats and before that he had a job as a garbage man.

The Nostalgia

As great music does, the night transported us back to a time and place. For some it may have been high school or college, for others it may serve as a reminder of happy memories long gone. For me, it took me back to being a young mom and putting my oldest son (now 26, yes, I just aged myself badly) in his turquoise umbrella stroller and walking over to Best Buy to grab some new music (yes, back in those days we actually went to the store to buy CDs) and picking up a copy of Enema of the State.

“Say it ain’t so, I will not go

Turn the lights off, carry me home…”

And like all good things, this night must come to an end even though every single person in attendance wished it could have gone on forever. The North American leg of the tour is over but after a short break, the band will be heading over to Europe for a full run. I hope you got a chance to see this show, but if you missed out cross your fingers that the band adds some more dates later in 2024. Until then…Take Off Your Pants and Jacket!

Fun Fact: The iconic riff from “Dammit” happened by accident when Mark Hoppus was missing two strings on his acoustic guitar.

Hardcore punk band Turnstile performed in direct support of blink-182 putting in a solid performance with Travis Barker’s son Landon opening the show.