Blink-182 recently performed at the Reading Festival and at the end of the show, guitarist Tom DeLonge was crying.
Tom DeLonge was thrilled with Blink-182 performance
Fans revealed that emotion got to Tom at the very end of the show, and he always seems to struggle singing ‘One More Time.’ At the very end of the show when the band was thanking the crowd, he was tearing up, and it shows the pure emotion and investment he has in the band after his return a couple of years ago.
“No one can compete with what we do,” Tom DeLonge said into the mic, greeted by thousands of fans who seem to agree wholeheartedly.
“No one is as good as us… it says it in the bible.” The latter part of this statement may be a bit of a stretch. However, it was Blink’s first performance at Reading and Leeds in a decade and one thing is for certain pop-punk is having a resurgence, and Blink-182 are paving the way.
It’s been a decade since the trio made their last Reading appearance, and a lot has changed since their last appearance. Bassist Mark Hoppus overcame stage four lymphoma in 2021, drummer Travis Barker ventured into the hip-hop world and married a Kardashian, and DeLonge pursued his passion for UFO research.
At Reading, the trio delivered exactly what fans would expect from a Blink show. They managed to give fans a drive for a plenty of nostalgia, lots of onstage antics, and the same unsophisticated teenage humor that first made them famous.
The band was at full force with the effortless wit between Hoppus and DeLonge, which, although juvenile, was sorely missed during DeLonge’s time away from the lineup. Travis Barker’s unmatched vigor in his playing throughout is awe-inspiring and only becomes more impressive over time.
In contrast to ‘Feeling This’ and ‘Dammit’, tracks like ‘Bored To Death’ and ‘One More Time’ come as a poignant contrast. With each lyric, the band seem to be consciously aware of the way things could have turned out differently, and a seem little more grateful to be back on the stage together than ever before.
This set marks the long-awaited return of the pop-punk pioneers. It’s clear that the trio, Blink-182, have no intention of letting go of the charm that helped them reach headliner status.
However, given what they’ve overcome in recent years, their dynamic in 2024 feels more nuanced than ever before. Their effortless showmanship and technical ability push their set beyond nostalgia into something that will stand the test of time.
Blink-182 setlist:
‘Feeling This’
‘The Rock Show’
‘Man Overboard’
‘Aliens Exist’
‘DANCE WITH ME’
‘Bored to Death’
‘EDGING’
‘Up All Night’
‘MORE THAN YOU KNOW’
‘Stay Together for the Kids’
‘Not Now’
‘CAN’T GO BACK’
‘I Miss You’
‘Down’
”When Your Heart Stops Beating’ (+44 cover)
‘There Is’ (Box Car Racer cover)
‘FUCK FACE’
‘ANTHEM PART 3’
‘Always’
‘What’s My Age Again?’
‘First Date’
‘All the Small Things’
‘Dammit’
‘ONE MORE TIME’
