Mark Hoppus Blink-182

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Blink-182

with Fall Out Boy

September 26, 2009
Cruzan Amphitheater
West Palm Beach, FL

Review and Photos by: Lauren Laufer

       When I pulled up to the big grass lot of Cruzan, I could see that even though the show hadn’t started yet, the fun had already started. Hours before the show even started, Tom and Mark's voices (from Blink-182) were blasting through the air. People were hanging out making new concert buddies and just having a good time in the big open field of the parking lot while waiting for the gates to open.

       When the concert did start, the first band to kick off the night was newbie Asher Roth, and in my opinion his performance showed just how new to this he was. He couldn’t seem to get in a good flow and couldn’t get the crowd as into it as he would have liked. Maybe he’ll get the hang of it after a few tours.

       There were cancellation and hospitalization rumors floating around about The All American Rejects, which they quickly put to rest with an exciting and pretty interesting performance. Opening up with their hit “Move Along,” lead singer Tyson Ritter got help with his microphone by an out-of-the-ordinary character that he called his “ninja.” He explained his leg was in a brace and that he had to have a tumor removed earlier that day, and against doctor’s orders he still came out to perform. Ritter hobbled around the stage while singing his heart out and being held up by his helpful ninja.

Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer

Next to take the stage was Fall Out Boy. They were greeted by deafening screams as they played the opening riff of “Sugar We’re Going Down.” They put on a good show of jumping around, hair flipping and head tossing. During their set, bassist Pete Wentz had his own interesting take on catch that he was playing, where he would spit up in the air and try to catch it. This of course got him a few squeals of approval from the girls down in front. Overall, Fall Out Boy’s set was a nice mixture of new and old, playing their big hits from Take This to Your Grave to their new singles from Folie à Deux. They even threw in a nice cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” which singer Patrick Stump vocals were perfect for.

Armed with their instruments, dick jokes and crude comments, it would have seemed like the same Blink you would have heard a few years back.

Tyson of All American Rejects

       Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, it was time for Blink-182 to come on. Armed with their instruments, dick jokes and crude comments, it would have seemed like the same Blink you would have heard a few years back. However, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker seemed to be the only two who were on top of their game vocally and musically. Tom DeLonge’s vocals and improvisations on their classic hits weren’t on the same level and were a bit too immature. As expected, though, they played their more R-rated songs like “Blow Job” and “Family Reunion,” where they had a few people singing along and a lot more laughing. Toward the end of their set, Hoppus and DeLonge had a guitar that was “out of tune,” so they dealt with it by beating it against the stage and breaking it apart before handing it off to a lucky fan in the front row.

       When they ended the set, the fans knew it wasn’t over. After minutes of screaming, seat banging and chanting from the audience, the band came back out. Travis did a drum solo on a moving floating platform, which also rotated, showing off his amazing drumming skills. They finally closed the show by playing “Dammit.”

       It was an evening that any die-hard Blink-182 fan will never forget and will be talking about for a while. In the words of Mark Hoppus, “Parting is sweet, sweet, sweaty sorrow.”

Were you there? MySpace Us!