I have only seen Blink 182 once before. It was back in the late 90’s at a festival in Washington State. They were just starting to get big and only had 1 one song on the radio. So, when I heard they were doing a new tour I was excited to see them again. Especially now that I know more songs from them then I did back in the 90’s. I figured this could be a show that would sell out so the day they went on sale I bought them. By the time I got through the que a lot of tickets were already sold and I was only able to buy seats in the 300 level. I would have preferred to get GA but of course was happy I at least had tickets to see them.
The day of the show we left town around 3:30 to make sure we got there early. We were hoping to get merch before lines got too long. We got to the venue around 5:30, an hour before doors. Luckily they had a merch trailer outside so we didn’t have to wait to get inside to buy our shirts and hoodies. There was a long line as we walked up but it moved fairly quickly. I think we stood in that line for maybe 25 minutes. By the time we did get to the merch trailer, they had sold out of some of the sizes. Thankfully we found most of the shirts and hoodies we wanted in our sizes with the exception of one. Jess still made it work though. After we got our merch we went back to the car where I smoked a bowl and had a couple of shooters. We didn’t go into the venue until 7, which was half hour after doors. This way we didn’t have to stand in line to get inside. And we didn’t, we walked right in. After grabbing a couple drinks we made our way towards our seats. Our plan was to do some seat hoping to see if we could find open seats a little closer. When we first got to our section we sat several rows down. We didn’t sit there long before some people came and claimed those seats. So, we then went to our assigned seats to watch the first band.
The opening band was called Destroy Boys. I had never heard of them before. They came out doing a cover of Rage Against the Machines’ Bulls on Parade. I thought they did a good job not only with the cover song but with their whole set. I didn’t know any of their other songs but they had good energy and the crowd seemed to enjoy them. Not sure how many people knew of this band before this night but again they seemed to like them. Not a band I would go see just to see them but I wouldn’t mind seeing them open again for another show in the future. After their set was over Jess and I ran to the restroom. After we were done, instead of going back to our seats we moved to the section over from us since I saw open seats there during the first band. We ended up staying in those seats for the next bands entire set.
The next band was Turnstile. Jess and I saw part of their set when they played in Vegas at the Sick New World Festival. I really only know the 1 radio song they play, Blackout. Which I was a little surprised they didn’t close with. Though I didn’t know any songs but the one, I still enjoyed their set. They had a good sound and were very upbeat and energetic during their set. Like the opening band, not sure I would go to a show just to see Turnstile but I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing them open again for another band or maybe again at another festival. After their set Jess and I left the seats we were in to hit the restroom again. When we came back some people had taken those seats, so we went back to our assigned seats as the place by this point was pretty packed and we didn’t see any other open seats. This is where we would stay for the rest of the night.
When Blink 182 hit the stage the place wasn’t only packed but the whole place was pumped and ready! The band did a great job of not only playing their hits but also engaging with the crowd. There was a few jokes that were told throughout the night as well as some serious moments like just before they played Adam Song where the singer talked about suicide and writing that song when he was in a dark place and not sure he wanted to be alive. I think they connected well with the fans and played some great songs. I know in the section we were in, most of the people around us sang to every song they played. There were some songs I didn’t know but for all the ones I knew I was singing right along with the band and the crowd. Blink 182 played 26 songs in total! I also noticed that no one in our section left early to try and beat the crowd. They all stayed until the very last song and I don’t blame. I’m glad that Jess and I got to see them, and I am hoping that we get to see them again in the future. Though I hope the next time we see them we are on the rail and not the nosebleed section.
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