photo courtesy of matthew adams, taken on 9-23-09 in dallas, tx.

it’s safe to say that it’s nearly an impossible task to find someone in this generation who hasn’t like or at least heard one blink-182 song. for many, the triad of 30 somethings posing as 20 somethings was a gateway drug that set a lot of people on their own forays into pop/punk-rock.

when i heard blink was coming, not to say i wasn’t excited, but i wasn’t going from six to midnight anytime soon. i’m 23 (hey, no one likes you) and i’ve felt like i’ve outgrown a lot of the music i listened to in middle school. as the date grew closer, i couldn’t help it. i was getting more stoked by the hour to revive that small rebellious skating mall punk inside.

recap after the jump.

-grizzly

photo courtesy of matthew adams, taken on 9-23-09 in dallas, tx.

the band reunited, to the excitement of many. maybe they missed each other. or maybe they felt a revival of a love that was put on the line when travis barker nearly died a year ago. or maybe they went broke because all of their side projects are embarrassing and worthless. that’s not important though. blink-182 was back, and despite how jaded we have become, there was an overwhelming feeling of excitement when the stage was being set up.

the blink boys got a hold of the same team that was responsible for kanye west’s 2008 glow in the dark tour and when it was unveiled, jaws were dropped. to catch a good idea of what the stage looked like, check this out. an assembly of LED lights and screens put a futuristic and extremely daft punk-esque twist on a pop-punk band of yesteryear.

truth be told, the 2003 break-up/indefinite hiatus didn’t affect me nearly as much as it may have affected others. maybe it should’ve, though. blink-182 is the only example i’ve ever had growing up of a rebellious young band breaking down the barriers for mainstream music. “all the small things” and “the rock show” are some of the biggest and most popular songs of this decade, and it’s pretty much safe to say that they were overplayed and obnoxious. these two songs that i personally wished i never wanted to listen to again were as enjoyable as they were in 1999 and 2001, respectively.

the gates were at 5:45, so we missed sets by asher roth and heard the all-american rejects on the way in. no loss, as i’m sure their sets were riveting and revolutionary. however, we did catch fall out boy as they are on their uninspired path to the same indefinite hiatus that led us to this reunion tour for blink-182. maybe it was the sound techs, but they were really flat. perhaps they were never meant for stadiums, amphitheaters or arenas and should’ve stayed small, playing the engine rooms and numbers of the world.

i won’t lie – i’ve always been a semi-closet fall out boy fan. it’s no secret that i love take this to your grave, but i also like about an album’s worth of songs post-TTTYG. their set had a bunch of their shitty hits, but they did have a fair share of good material. it’s just the fact that the crowds at the woodlands couldn’t give less of a shit. pete wentz seemed to realize this wasn’t the tour he signed up for, sounding like a bitter betty when he said things like “we will hurry up and get off the stage so you can all see what you came for.” bummer wentz. i guess a pop-punk empire with lots of riches and being able to stick it to ashlee simpson isn’t enough for some people.

it was time for blink-182, and we got our hands on premium $9 beers and $12 margaritas. the band pretty much flew through the entire set that spanned an entire catalog of the early 2000s, while we flew through the beers. they touched base on all of their albums, which was exciting due to the fact that i had never seen a tour after 2003’s self-titled album came out. “stockholm syndrome,” “down” and the wonderful “always” were definitely crowd pleasers amongst our group, but the crowd grew weary for songs off of enema of the state and the likes.

no surprises in the set, really. they played every song you would expect them to play. however, the songs they left off of the set were interesting. after the passing of AM, it might have been TOO obvious to play “adam’s song,” and tracks like “going away to college” and pretty much anything that wasn’t a single on TOYPAJ was looked over.

the most nostalgic show of 2009 would end in an encore of “carousel,” “dammit” and maybe the most incredible thing i’ve ever seen, travis’ drum solo. a solo that would find him suspended above the pit and a solo that would challenge the concept of gravity. even though he was strapped in, i can’t imagine it’s easy playing the drums at a 80 degree slant.

all in all, a fantastic show by a band that i really used to love. the on-stage dick jokes were in full effect and it seemed like the band had all new material. it’s also worth mentioning that the mark, tom and travis show ruined a lot of songs for people. i heard more than a few ‘take your pants off!’ during “dammit,” and many more throughout the set. it’s good to see that penis jokes and sexual perversions of three married guys resonates through the lives of so many.

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[setlists]

fall out boy:

sugar we’re goin down
thriller
sixteen candles
grand theft autumn
cooperstown
this ain’t a scene
i don’t care
i slept with fall out boy
thx for the memories
don’t stop believing (journey cover)
dance dance
saturday

blink-182:

dumpweed
feeling this
the rock show
what’s my age again
obvious
i miss you
stay together for the kids
down
always
stockholm syndrome
first date
man overboard
don’t leave me
not now
all the small things
blew job
reckless abandon
josie
anthem pt. II

encore:
travis barker drum solo
carousel
dammit

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this isn’t my video, but it’s by far the best video footage i’ve seen of travis’ solo:

jesus lawd.

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also, my boy mike interviewed tom delonge a few months ago and his feature got the front page treatment of the houston chronicle’s entertainment section this past tuesday peep some of that bidness here.

thanks for reading.

-grizzly