Blink-182 w/ A Day To Remember & The All-American Rejects
KeyArena, Seattle, WA
09.17.16
Seattle’s KeyArena was packed with as diverse a crowd as you can get for a punk rock show. With Blink-182 exceeding 20 years of pioneering the pop-punk movement, it was a fresh sight to see parents and their kids filling the arena to rock out to a career of music highlighted by streaking, first dates, rock shows, and plenty of hijinks.
First up on the stage was veteran rock group The All-American Rejects. The group from Stillwater, OK had plenty of energy for the crowd who arrived early, and delivered hits such as “Dirty Little Secret,” “Swing, Swing,” “Move Along,” and “Gives You Hell.” Lead singer Tyson Ritter provided spirited vocals and guitarist Nick Wheeler was a freaking hummingbird flying from one end of the stage to the other. Their set provided some great moments for the crowd who was steadily filing into the arena.
With old time reel-to-reel machines and multiple TV screens as their backdrop, hybrid screamcore pop-punk group A Day To Remember, touring in support of their new record Bad Vibrations, came on to the stage set to the overture “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and they brought a set just as powerful as the Strauss classic. Opening with “The Downfall of Us All,” oversized beach balls were immediately launched and kicked into the crowd by the band. Lead singer Jeremy McKinnon exploded onto the stage with his signature screams and his bandmates followed suit with boundless energy.
As “All I Want” began, a large plastic ball was inflated and McKinnon jumped into it to run over top of the ecstatic crowd; a watershed moment of the night. The apex of their set came during “Paranoia,” when the crowd spun shirts in the air and the middle of the bowl grew into a swirling mosh pit. As their set neared its closure, McKinnon and guitarist Kevin Skaff brought out their acoustic guitars and asked the crowd to light up their cell phones and lighters as they played “If It Means A Lot To You.” ADTR were very grateful to their fans, pointing out the passionate ones, during their vibrant set.
With a flaming “FUCK” sign gleaming in the background, Blink-182 began their set with the classic “Feeling This,” a fitting song to describe the overall pulse of the crowd. Their set was a great mix of old and new with Matt Skiba replacing original guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge on the tour and their latest album, California. While there wasn’t as much banter between bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus and Skiba as there was with DeLonge, Skiba definitely made up for it by handling their early hits such as “What’s My Age Again?,” “Rock Show,” “First Date,” and “I Miss You” with ease and energy.
“Hey Seattle, so you are the 12th man?” Hoppus asked before the band began Enema of the State staple “Dumpweed,” when an army of blow-up dolls were unleashed onto the crowd. It’s hard to do their performance justice without mentioning the embodiment of power and energy that is drummer Travis Barker. Throughout his career, Barker has always been an exceptional stick-man, but even with 20 years of tread on those hands, he seems to be getting better with his complicated bass drum kicks and fills. He is one of the models that aspiring drummers should study.
Now, the on-stage comedy show may have diminished, but it was certainly not dead, as between songs, tour staffer Robert refilled Hoppus’s pick supply like a champ to the cheers of Hoppus and the adoring fans. An awesome, light-hearted moment.
The first part of Blink’s set was definitely for the thirty-somethings, who may have brought their kids and were looking to reclaim their punk rebelliousness and show how hip they were. As the band ventured forth into their latter half of their set, it turned toward the future. Their new sound retained some of their familiar riffs and sounds, with a new injection of melancholia that speaks to their growth and maturity as a band. With standouts “Cynical” and “Not Now” inducing a sing-a-along atmosphere amongst the sold out crowd, it was evident that their new sound is resonating with the masses.
The encore to their set spanned the band’s colorful history, from “Carousel,” off 1995’s Cheshire Cat, to fan favorite “All the Small Things,” from the classic 1999 release Enema of the State, and ended with “Damnit,” an iconic track from 1997’s Dude Ranch. An encore that had something for everyone and an incredible close to the night.
At the end of the night, whether you were a fan of their new material or came out to enjoy the hits of the past, the fans left satisfied with the great variety to their set. The boys who were at the forefront of the pop-punk phenomenon are now men who have a new direction in their musical journey and judging by the response of the younger sect of the crowd on this night, they will be inspiring new fans for years to come.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
Blink 182
A Day to Remember
All American Rejects
