Blink-182 at Musink

Musink. The 8th annual music and tattoo festival was hosted by Travis Barker and featured bands like Rancid, Bad Religion and blink-182. It was a three day event lasting from March 20-22. I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite band, blink-182, at the festival for the second time that week (I also saw them at The Roxy which I blogged about in my last post). Not only did I see my favorite band, but I got my first tattoo! It's on my left wrist and it's the album art from blink's self-titled album. I was tattooed by Baba from Vintage Tattoo who did an amazing job. I'm truly in love with how it looks. How many people can say they got a blink tattoo at a festival that blink played at?

Let's make this last forever

The setlist for Musink was very similar to the setlists from the previous shows that week in Hollywood and San Diego. Restrained by a strict hour and fifteen minute stage time, blink played fast without making the night seemed rushed. Mark sported a bass named the "Bassola" which was designed by Greg "Craola" Simkins and is currently being auctioned off here to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Travis played on a tall platform for everyone inside The Hangar to admire. Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio filled in for Tom DeLonge, and while he added his own character to the band that people weren't used to, he helped make the night special to everyone who attended.

That night was Travis Barker's night. He hosted this entire festival which was filled with everything he loved: punk music, tattoos and old cars. Travis began his night by playing a 45 minute set with Yelawolf, a rapper from Alabama and close friend of Travis'. He then continued to play flawlessly for a little over an hour with blink-182. Seeing Travis play in person cannot be compared to anything else. It's easy to get lost in watching his technique and admiring his focus. It's great to see his kids air drum beside him and cheer him on.

The biggest question everyone was asking was how would Matt Skiba do filling in for Tom? He did amazing, and he did amazing for many reasons. One of the most important reasons, that I also mentioned in my review of the show at The Roxy, is that Matt did not try to be or act like he was replacing Tom. His voice was louder than it was at The Roxy and stronger than at both warm up shows. It was great to notice and visibly see him become more comfortable on stage. Since he is already a popular musician in his own band, he has his own way of performing on stage that he brought to blink. His vocal and guitar sound were neat and professional, but it was also obvious that he was having fun. The crowd gave him a warm welcome with a Skiba chant that made me happy, so I can only imagine what it made Matt feel. As I also mentioned before, there were many people sporting the Famous/Matt Skiba collab shirt that said "Who the fuck is Matt Skiba?" across the front. Some performers from the previous night were also wearing it! There was no awkwardness or tension with Matt being on stage because he put on an amazing, memorable show and that is all a fan could ask for.

Blink-182 are definitely at their best when they have big stage. I'm not saying they are bad at a small stage like at The Roxy, but they definitely seem to have more fun since they have more space to run around. Alright, I'm mostly just talking about Mark. He was all over the place that night, but it was great because the amount of fun he was having was could be seen on his face and how he played. Matt moved more than he did at the two previous shows which added even more energy to the stage.

Just as in the warm up shows, they played "Happy Holidays, You Bastard" with the lights off. I was so stunned by just how fast they played. Their strict time limit caused them to play a lot of the songs faster, but like I said, it never felt very rushed. They cut out both "Hearts All Gone" and "M & M's," but they did an impressive total of 22 songs. The songs that really stood out from all the others were "Always," "Dysentery Gary" and "Man Overboard."

I noticed at The Roxy that Matt added his own little touches to "Always," but they were even more noticeable at Musink. This is one of the songs that Matt impressed me the most. Matt also made the guitar at the end of "First Date" sound differently from what I'm used to. I'm not sure if it was how the song was supposed to be played or if it was just how Matt played it. Something that I have seen a lot of people say and I agree with is that one of the best things about Matt's performance is that we were actually able to hear what he was saying compared to when Tom performs live. So maybe that's why the guitar may sound different/clearer, because Matt takes the time to play it has accurately as it is supposed to sound. I know that Tom has the capability of playing like that, but it seems that over the years he doesn't put as much focus into how he performs. Following "First Date," Mark handed the mic to Travis who said hey to Musink. Travis is a man of many words.

In Mark's podcast where he interviewed Matt, Matt said that his favorite song to rehearse was "Dysentery Gary" and I don't think I have to guess why that is. The guitar in that song must be a fun challenge for any guitarist to learn and the song mostly features Tom's vocals. It's also quicker than most blink songs which makes it a great song to keep the audience and band energized.

Photo by Erik Voake

Blink skipped over the whole "okay this is our last song, just kidding, we have two more songs" trick in order to save time and be able to play their entire set. "Man Overboard" was a tough song to hear just like it was at The Roxy. It applies so well to the drama happening with Tom at the moment. Of course I missed seeing Tom on stage, but I'm not going to lie and say that Matt did a bad job like a lot of people are trying to convince themselves. Matt was without a doubt impressive on stage and he helped Mark and Travis put on an incredible show. All I know for sure is that I don't want blink to stop performing and touring, but I also want everyone to be happy with where they are.

It was obvious that something was wrong with Matt's guitar as they started "Reckless Abandon," and Mark even poked fun at it in the beginning of the song. However, Matt still played without pause even though his guitar was out of tune. He eventually switched out guitars near the end of the song, but I still find it fun to watch how bands handle little difficulties like that.

Blink ended the night with an encore, performing "Violence," "Dammit" and "Family Reunion." The confetti rained down on all the fans and Mark shouted "See you all next time!" Their energy never wavered throughout the entire night and it made me unbelievably happy to see all of them perform with such passion and smiles on their faces. I hope there will be many, many, many blink shows to follow this one.

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I'm still in shock that I was able to see these guys perform twice in less than one week. It's also very possible and most likely that Musink was Matt's final show filling in for Tom. The fans are left with many questions of what's next, but there hasn't been any concrete answers. In an interview at Musink, Travis said that blink wanted to record another album and there is a chance that they will go on tour with A Day To Remember who opened up for them during their warm up shows.

My blink tattoo :)

Matt Skiba will release his album "Kuts" under his band Matt Skiba and The Sekrets. In his interview with Mark, he talked about how Alkaline will be performing every single one of their eight studio albums in concert. They'll be touring starting at the end of April in cities like Cleveland, Boston, San Francisco, Santa Ana and other places then continue to do some shows in the UK during this summer. After seeing Matt live twice, I've been listening to a lot of Alkaline lately and they are a really talented band. I definitely suggest checking them out, especially their latest album "My Shame is True" and the album "From Here To Infirmary."

I'm going to wait for some definite blink news to be released, and then make a post about the recent drama and what may lay ahead.


Until next time,
Nikole

Blink-182 @ The Roxy

Six days ago. It has been six days since I attended the best concert of my entire life. I'm not even sure if I want to get into describing what an incredible show this was because there is no way I will do it justice. I'm going to try my best though...

On the morning of Monday, March 16, blink-182 surprised fans with news of a warm-up show to their warm-up show. Their announcement was that blink with Matt Skiba (better known for being in Alkaline Trio) filling in for guitarist/vocalist Tom Delonge are scheduled to play at West Hollywood's The Roxy. The Roxy is a small nightclub with a max capacity of 500 people. Long story short, I struggled and struggled until I somehow managed to get my hands on two tickets. I already planned to see my favorite band in the entire world at the Musink festival on the following Sunday and I had failed to get tickets for the San Diego show set for Friday. Now, my dad and I both owned two tickets to see the legendary blink-182 at a small nightclub.

My dad and I got to the venue a couple hours before the doors were supposed to open. I was speechless looking at just how small of a venue this was. The fact that I was going to see the world-famous blink-182 at this small place. The only merch was a blink shirt and poster that were drawn by artists specifically for this event. There was also another shirt that was a Famous brand/Matt Skiba collab that said across the front "Who the fuck is Matt Skiba?" It's great that the guys didn't have to be so serious and got to poke some fun at the situation.

A Day To Remember opened for blink-182 and there were quite a few times that I questioned my safety. It's hard to suffer through a very cramped space and people pushing you when you can't even sing along to the music you're hearing. They put on a good show, and the crowd's behavior was just as I expected. I'm sorry I'm going to skip over a review of ADTR's set, but I'm not too familiar with the band.

At around 9 p.m., the curtains were drawn and blink started to set up. There was only one person separating me and the stage (which by the way, was not blocked by any barricades - people were actually allowed to lean against the stage). I was right in front of Mark Hoppus's mic stand, literally less than a foot away from where he would soon be standing. 45 minutes later, the curtains were pulled back and the next two hours will continue to be one of the best experiences of my entire life...

Get ready for action.

Blink began the night with a song from their self-titled album, "Feeling This." I was surprised at first that they chose this to open with because it is so heavy with Tom's vocals so Matt was put to the test right away. The crowd mostly sung loud and strong during Tom's parts, but I was still able to hear Matt and I was impressed. He wasn't too loud, but I could tell that he felt comfortable on stage which was really important. His voice took on a little bit of Tom's recognizable and unique accent that he has when he sings. Mark had the energy of a teenager (despite being in his early 40s) and Travis banged those drums with so much noticeable focus and passion. I spend a lot of my time watching and rewatching blink performances on YouTube, and I'm telling you, after just hearing and seeing one song, this band had more energy than they have had in years.




After the third song, "The Rock Show," was one of my favorite parts. Mark introduces Matt to the crowd by calling him our "new mom," which Matt replies with "Hi, kids!" It was the first piece of dialogue in the night, even though it was short. I was hesitant about having Matt fill in for Tom, but seeing the energy he shared with Mark and Travis made me like him right away. Mark was already calling him our new mom!? There was very little dialogue in the show compared to every single other blink show, but it was understandable. It's difficult to recreate the kind of potty humor banter than Mark and Tom shared on stage.




Mark was extremely interactive with the crowd. He would lean into the sea of people and occasionally toss out a bass pick. After over 20 years of performing, Hoppus hasn't lost his hops. Mark would skip over to Matt's side of the stage and then hop back over to his, then sometimes he would stand on the raised platform where Travis was rocking out. The first time I saw blink was in 2011 for the Honda Civic Tour, and there is such a huge difference with seeing a musician be himself from a giant screen and seeing him right before your very eyes, barely a foot away from where you're standing. There wasn't a single moment when Mark didn't have this huge cheesy grin on his face. I can see why they didn't perform some of the sad, serious songs like "Adam's Song" and "Stay Together For The Kids" because they were genuinely having too much fun to be serious. With every move that they made, it was obvious that they were so ecstatic to be in front of a crowd and not in the rehearsal room.

The band played one song from Cheshire Cat, one song from Dude Ranch, four songs from Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, seven songs from Enema of the State, seven songs from Self-Titled and two songs from Neighborhoods. That's a total of 24 songs!! For the first time in over a decade, they performed "Wendy Clear" from Enema. It starts off with a great guitar riff and opens with vocals from Mark. Despite not playing the song for such a long time, they made performing the song look effortless, like it was second-nature to all of them. Major kudos to Matt because he admitted that he had to relearn the guitar in order to learn the songs for blink. A few songs before this one, the band played a song in the dark. It's one of the classic blink humor songs that every fan knows the words to. I'm talking about "Happy Holidays, You Bastard." I was surprised because not only did they play the song in the dark, but they played the song fast (despite there being only three chords in the song, it is still impressive).


Two of my favorite drumming songs were also played that night: "Always" and "Heart's All Gone." I absolutely have no clue how Travis does what he does. "He's a bad boy, but he's got a heart of gold," Mark told the crowd right before Travis began "Always." This song is really heavy with Tom vocals, but Matt did not disappoint. It was already noticeable that he was getting more comfortable with being on stage. He started to move around a bit, and the most important detail I loved about his performance was that he was not trying to be Tom. He didn't act like Tom (although his vocals contained some of that unique accent, but how do you sing a blink song without Tom's accent?). Matt even added some original harmonizing towards the end of the song which I thought was a nice touch. "Heart's All Gone" is an even more fantastic song to see what a beast Travis is. I didn't realize how special at the time it was to watch because it turns out that they only played this song for The Roxy. I couldn't take my eyes off him for the entire song. It blows my mind just how incredibly talented he is.


Watching them perform "Man Overboard" created a feeling like none of the other songs did. It's crazy to think about how Mark and Tom originally wrote this song for their first drummer, Scott Raynor, and it's weird to think how accurately it fits for Tom now. I'm going to save my opinion and a recap of the drama for another post, but I thought I would just include this now.


After performing "Reckless Abandon," the trio left for a short time while the crowd chanted "encore, encore, encore!" The came back to play two more songs, "Carousel" and "Dammit." By then the crowd was going absolutely crazy and people were crowd surfing left and right (and sometimes right above me). Their actual final song was "Family Reunion" which is another classic blink humor song that was responsible for teaching me every swear word and how to sing them (it's a detail that I know would make blink proud)! Confetti rained down over the crowd and the band and then they wished us a good night and left the stage. In a blink (ha-ha) of an eye, the show was over and it was time to go home. All I can say now is that I am truly honored to have been a part of that very small crowd that night and witness blink-182 featuring the wonderful Matt Skiba performing in a club.


In a small recap, I couldn't have imagined a better show. Blink performed songs that they haven't performed in years and they performed with such passionate energy that reminded me of why I love this band so much. I know that Tom wasn't there and now the fans are all asking "What's going to happen next??" but for the time being, it was great to see Matt take on the role and help his friends out. There might not have been a show without him. So thank you, Mark, Travis, and Matt for making the night of March 18 one of the best concerts ever.



Well, I guess this is growing up. 


Side note, I got to wave hello to the boys from 5 Seconds of Summer and meet Josh Dunn from twenty one pilots that night. It was no surprise that the club was crawling with famous musicians and celebrities. Basically, I was in a room that also held so many of my favorite people on this earth and I couldn't be happier.

I felt like that recap was all over the place, but I could honestly talk for hours and hours about that show so I wasn't sure where to start and where to end. If you didn't already know, I also attended the Musink festival and saw blink perform there on Sunday night. I'll be writing a post about that probably tomorrow. I also want to write an updated post about all the blink drama that has happened since January 26 so stay tuned for that as well.

Blink-182 is my favorite band in the entire world so I hope you enjoyed my wordy (and unorganized?) review. After this show, I actually slipped into a bit of a Tom depression. I've always been a huge huge fan of his and to not see him on stage that night was crushing. However, Matt was terrific and he grew on me pretty quickly.

Check out my instagram and twitter for more pictures of the show.


Until next time,
Nikole


P.S. I changed the url for my blog. It was previously givemeonegoodtune, but now it is himynameisnikole. I hope that isn't too confusing. :)