It felt like eighth grade all over again. There I was, standing in the grass at the Superpages.com Center, waiting for the band that helped me get through so many tough times in middle school by reminding me that life sucks and that girls don’t care about my feelings. The band? Blink-182. The concert? Pretty awesome.
I have always been a fan of blink-182, but I never had the chance to see them live. When their widely popular album “Enema of the State” came out in 1999 and “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” came out in 2001, I was 12 years old and much too young for Blink-182, who were notorious for their profanity and inappropriate jokes. By the time their self-titled album came out I was 16, and told myself I would see them play the next time they came to town.
Then they broke up.
I was absolutely devastated. They were the “Beatles” of my generation; I came close to crying.
Then we had to suffer through lead singer/guitarist Tom Delonge’s new band, Angels and Airwaves, and lead singer/bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker’s band (+44). Neither of them exactly captured the spirit of Blink.
After a tragic private plane crash that killed four people and nearly took Travis Barker’s life, Blink-182 decided to re-form and perform once again.
And on the night of Sept. 23, one year since the day of the plane crash that almost took Travis Barker away from us, Blink-182 played in Dallas.
Well, they were back after the audience had to suffer through Fall Out Boy, The All American Rejects and one hit wonder Asher Roth. And when I say suffer, I mean suffer. Asher Roth became famous for his song, “I Love College.” Half of the people there were 15 and under. The All American Rejects featured a lead singer who pranced around the stage in his underwear singing hits of yesterday.
Then there was Fall Out Boy. You have to be a certain kind of person to listen to Fall Out Boy. I ain’t one of them. I couldn’t understand a word the singer said, and then the bassist informed everyone that he met a girl from Richardson (Ashlee Simpson), and uh … they procreated and had a baby. And then they came out.
As for the show, it was typical Blink-182. F-bombs and jokes about sleeping with each other’s mothers seem to flourish. But there was something off.
Maybe it was Tom’s voice that has lost its high pitch, a signature part of Blink-182’s sound. Maybe it was because the band members are in their 40’s and still shouting things like, “Parents suck!” Maybe the guitar was off.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the concert. It was everything I could have hoped for. Maybe I’ve just gotten too old for Blink-182, and the feelings associated with their songs are things I have put behind me.
The coolest part of the show? Travis Barker’s airlift. While he played intense drumbeats, he was suspended in the air and titled from side to side.
All in all, I enjoyed myself highly, and only wish I was a bit younger to experience punk rock again.