Blink-182 California Tour review

All Time Low

Blink-182

Blink-182

I had the pleasure to attend Blink-182’s California Tour at the Xfinity Theater in Hartford, CT on September 9th. This was a huge moment for me personally because I, much like many others my age, grew up listening to the classic Blink-182 anthems. Finally being able to hear some of those iconic rocks songs we all grew up on was truly an unforgettable night. And to make that night even better, the opening bands happen to be some of my favorites. With All Time Low, A Day To Remember and Blink-182 on the roster, who wouldn’t bring themselves to this show?

DJ Spider kicked off the night with an interesting mix of pop and alternative songs - a perfect match for the crowd if you ask me. He kept us entertained for about an hour until the show was scheduled to start. As any opening act does, All Time Low walked on stage to a not yet full arena. But of course they didn’t let that phase them whatsoever. Being a band that has mainly done headlining shows for the past several years, it was a bit strange to have them open a show. Regardless of the lineup, their performances never fall short of expectations. They decided to open with a huge fan favorite, Lost In Stereo. I was able to get close to the front of the pit area for their set. Being a long time fan, being this close was a surreal experience. Because they had a shorter set than normal, they continued with some bigger hits of theirs such as A Love Like War (unfortunately without Vic Fuentes), Six Feet Under The Stars, Backseat Serenade and Weightless. They also included 3 songs off of their newest album Future Hearts including Dancing With A Wolf, Missing You and Something’s Gotta Give. The set quickly came to a close with of course, you guessed it, Dear Maria, Count Me In. Their sets are always filled with laughs, jokes and the constant bickering between guitarists Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat. Having seen All Time Low several times now, I can confidently say they are some of my favorite live performers. There’s something about the energy they give off live that’s only explainable if you’ve experienced it. A shorter set than All Time low was used to, but still full of energy nonetheless. If you haven’t gotten the chance to catch these guys live yet, definitely try to do so! Alex mentioned he would see us all next year, so that means there might be a tour to look forward to in the future.

Not long after All Time Low’s set came to a close, A Day To Remember took the stage. My only prior experience seeing them live was their performance at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards this past July, so I was beyond excited for what was in store during their full set. They entered the stage to the theme song to 2001 film A Space Odyssey, which was surprisingly quite fitting for the night. They opened with heavy hitter The Downfall Of Us All which got the crowd riled up, and continued to play hits from their albums For Those Who Have Heart, Homesick, What Seperates Me From You, Common Courtesy, and their newest record Bad Vibrations (which was released this night!). Being a on a more post-hardcore spectrum of pop punk than All Time Low and Blink-182, the crowd definitely responded differently. Many large most pits and crowd surfers emerged throughout their entire set, even when lead singer Jeremy McKinnon performed their slower hit If It Means A Lot To You. Overall, the energy in the crowd was undeniable and infectious. Even if you didn’t know a single word, the band just made you want to jump around. Being a huge advocate for live performances, my first full A Day To Remember set was definitely not a let down.

After A Day To Remember ended, it was the moment we all waited for. The second they killed the lights in that venue, I swear I heard every single person scream. Growing up listening to these iconic rock songs, I was more than ready to go crazy. Opening up with the classics Feeling This, What’s My Age Again, and Rock Show, it really got the nostalgic feelings flowing. And of course they had to perform some of their newer tracks from their recent release California, including Bored To Death, Cynical, San Diego, Los Angeles and Brohemian Rhapsody. Continuing with man other big hits, the show was always full of energy. With only the three of them on stage, they really balanced the show well. There was little commentary in between songs, but we couldn’t complain because that meant they could play for longer. The highlight of their performance for myself was finally being able to her I Miss You form their Self Titled album released in 2003. That song was such an anthem for me throughout my childhood and it was truly a surreal experience to finally hear it performed live in person. Blink-182 truly do put on your classic rock show. I highly recommend catching them live if you get the chance. There really is nothing better than screaming all the words to All The Small Things with thousands of other people.

It’s definitely a different feeling seeing these rock bands from a stadium seat, but the music is just as powerful from the lawn to the pit. As an avid concert attender, I appreciate the skill of a killer live performance. After attending this show I can confidently say that these 3 bands exceeded my expectations and I will definitely try to catch one of their shows in the future.

Images by Caitlin Rielly

#music