Blink-182 Played a Show in Ohio That Would Please Your Mom
Blink-182 visited Columbus, Ohio to play for crowds at Value City Arena on August 13, one of the very last shows of their ‘ONE MORE TIME’ tour, after a few cancelations due to a cold that Tom Delonge has been fighting through.
The band pummeled through a 25-song setlist, which was well-rounded for the average Blink fan with a few deeper cuts like “Wendy Clear” and “M+M’s.” The banter was less than usual due to what we expect is Tom not feeling super up for it, but let’s be real, it’s gotta be hard to push through a set under hot lights when you’ve gotta play 25 songs, so we’re not judging whatsoever.
Bandmate Mark Hoppus held up a lot of the songs for vocals, while Tom sang more toward the front half, and allowed the crowd to chime in to help him out. And of course, you can’t forget the gravity-challenged Travis Barker who’s drumming at the speed of light, while hanging high above the stage. He’s our generation’s Tommy Lee (but is a better drummer, sorry not sorry). He also sang a few times during the night, and the fact that he can “sing” and drum that fast at the same time is honestly pretty insane to watch.
Introing “Stay Together For The Kids,” the band asked for a show of hands on who had come from a broken home or had divorced parents, and then reminded everyone “It was your fault.” It’s important to note that when you go to a Blink-182 show, prepare for jokes because the band has got loads of them… Many include threats or “memories” of “banging your mom.” In this case, it was that “you walked in on your parents having sex, and they never knew how to love again.” We’re not complaining like that one journalist after the most recent Lollapalooza, because this is what you should EXPECT from a Blink-182 show, if you’d done the research or lived through it.
This particular show is making the press, unfortunately, for a situation that occurred in the year of technology and multiple phone recordings. Tom told Mark he needed to drop “First Date” from the set, that he wouldn’t be able to handle singing it all. Mark shared with the crowd that the band had a “contingency” in place in which they’d agreed to call up a fan.
The unfortunate part of this is the fan that came up either didn’t know the words, couldn’t hear the music, or was drunk. We’re honestly not really sure, but she BOMBED HARD. After about a verse and a half of uncomfortability, the mic was taken from her. Mark noted once the song had ended that their decision to have this “contingency” had a clause that the fan had to know the song, but said it’s hard to get up in front of this many people to sing at all, and thanked her.
The band wrapped their set with their heaviest hitters: “What’s My Age Again?,” “All The Small Things,” “Dammit” with their nod to Taylor Swift again (we were hoping for another “Blink-Pony-Club“), before hitting the encore of “ONE MORE TIME.” During “Dammit” they also set off the “cumfetti,” which I’ve been censoring as “Swimmerfetti” for social media. (Please note: We were not approved as “media” for this show, so these videos are personal, and not against the “rules.”)
The show also had Pierce The Veil on the bill, who brought the energy to 11, and included in the setlist “King For A Day,” “Pass The Nirvana,” and “Emergency Contact.” The opener was a band called Hot Milk, which we highly recommend checking out on streaming services.
The show was overall phenomenal, and the spinning 360 stage for Blink-182 also made a cool opportunity for the other bands that performed to run to other sides of the stage and interact with fans that wouldn’t necessarily be seen with a traditional stage. The lighting design was spot on, and the sound overall sounded better in Value City Arena than in some of the others we’ve seen Blink play. While this tour is coming to an end, the band will be releasing a deluxe version of ‘ONE MORE TIME’ in the future with some new songs that have been teased online. Keep your eyes peeled for a release date soon.
Check out the setlist and photos from the show below:
SEE: PHONE IMAGES OF BLINK-182 AT VALUE CITY ARENA
