Blinkmas Ends: 18 Awe-Inspiring Moments from blink-182’s Australian Return
They say post-gig depression is a real thing and I have no doubt a couple hundred thousand blink-182 fans are going to be living out a real-life hell this weekend following the group’s FINAL Australian show tonight in Melbourne.
From the first date (ha!) in Perth on Feb 8th (revisit our gallery here), Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker have been jetting around the country, making up for 20 years of lost time, spread across 15 shows – many of which had uber fans travelling tens of thousands of kilometres across the nation just to get their long-awaited pop punk fix.
But what made #blinkmas one for the history books? Well, it’s a little more complicated than you’d think, so I’ve compiled the following awe-inspiring moments from the Australian Tour to try and narrow down just how important this was for fans and the band as a collective unit…
1 – Travis Barker Back in Australia for the first time since 2004.
The last time Travis Barker set foot in Australia was 2004 on the infamous Untitled Album Tour where he broke his foot following the second Melbourne show on March 11. The tour was then consequently postponed until August of that year. Barker also injured his hand prior to +44‘s debut at Soundwave Festival in 2007 and couldn’t play – so we’re all glad he remained injury-free this entire run.
Following his 2008 plane crash, Barker lived with a crippling fear of flying which found the drummer unable to attend 2013’s Soundwave Festival and Australian sideshows. Brooks Wackerman (Avenged Sevenfold/ex-Bad Religion) filled in on drums during that last appearance alongside Mark and Tom. Since then Travis’s wife Kourtney has assisted him in overcoming his fear – making this entire tour possible.
As someone who has never seen Travis play live, to watch him in the flesh up close (and not on a screen) was life-changing. For many long-term fans, a significant concert bucket list goal was ticked off with his return and seeing the core trio on stage together will forever be lodged in our core memories.
To put it into perspective, it’s close to 20 years since he last performed in Australia. A generation of kids were born and became adults in that time! Speaking of kids…
2 – Parents infecting The Next Generation of Pop Punk fans!
Not only did many of us elder emos and pop punk fiends get to live out lifelong experiences, but we brought our offspring along to enjoy the antics too. Seeing so many parents and their kids screaming along to the words was infectious. I took my lil man to two Brisbane shows and he had the time of his life – he also learned a few new swear words during ‘Family Reunion‘ but that’s a story for another day…
For most of us, this band’s music was a source of refuge and escapism from the struggles of life in our teenage years, and to be able to experience that with our kids felt like an unattainable full-circle moment for most of us.
Anyone who took their kids (or someone else’s) scores Parent of the Year in my books.
3 – ‘Wendy Clear’ played for the First Time in 20 years!
Talking about making memories, when blink surprised fans by pulling out ‘Wendy Clear‘ during the third Brisbane show, many of us sat stunned trying to figure out what was going on. For the most part, the setlist remained the same across Australia, but swapping out ‘Man Overboard‘ for another Enema of the State throwback was the nostalgia hit to the sack we didn’t know we needed.
4 – The Artwork of Blink: Tour Posters and Show-Specific Merch
As a blink collector, we want a little extra oomph with our experience and not only did the VIPs get treated with our very own plush bunny and commemorative passes, but the show-specific gig posters and merch t-shirts were a nice touch for the true fans among us.
From incredible anime designs to local landmark features, all the way through to the interchanging t-shirt designs sold at each show – it made us feel like the tour went above and beyond to give fans a unique experience for every single show – making it fun, fresh and exciting for those who attended (especially those of us who hit multiple gigs).
5 – The Dick/Sex Jokes and On-Stage Banter was Top-Notch
Another huge part of a blink-182 show is the on-stage banter and comedy routine led by Mark and Tom – and after all of these years, they’re still bouncing off each other like they did during their glory years down under (think Big Day Out 2000) and nothing was off limits!
The duo touched on everything from Tom’s departures, Mark’s sister’s boobs, aliens, and even called out punters leaving mid-show to go poo-poo… all the way through to Mark’s battle with cancer and his iconic Siri joke that resulted in several Apple users texting their Mum’s asking to see their ass.
It was all light-hearted fun that filled us with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia but in 2024.
6 – LIVE Debuts of ‘Turpentine’, ‘Anthem Part 3’ and ‘Fuck Face’
Back in October, the band’s comeback album ONE MORE TIME… was released and sent the pop punk scene into a frenzy. To be able to hear songs such as ‘Turpentine‘ and ‘Anthem Part 3‘ in full before anyone else in the world is a special moment that will stick with us for years to come.
Also, seeing and hearing Travis Barker performing ‘Fuck Face‘ was another one for the blinkstory books!
7 – The Blink Community Online
We’ve all heard the stories of toxic fandoms and communities ruining experiences, but the blink fandom looked out for each other. Groups and group chats were sent into overdrive as we followed the band’s journey across the country with many fans who were venturing solo to shows being invited to link/meet up with strangers who shared the same passion and appreciation for the band.
Old friends and school peers came out of the woodwork and seeing everyone having the time of their lives on socials really showcased a side of us that had remained dormant for decades.
8 – 27 Career-Spanning Songs from 1997 to 2023
This was THE tour for catalogue-frothing blink fans. We heard tracks from almost every era of the group including 1997’s Dude Ranch, 2001’s Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, 2011’s Neighborhoods, and even 2016’s album California got a run (more on that in a second).
While old-school fans lapped up deep dives from Enema Of The State (such as ‘Dysentery Gary‘, ‘Aliens Exist‘, ‘Man Overboard‘ and ‘Wendy Clear‘), 2003 Untitled fanboys and girls lost our collective minds to ‘I Miss You‘, ‘Feeling This‘, ‘Down‘ and ‘Violence‘.
Hearing ‘Stay Together For The Kids‘ performed by the trio who recorded it is an experience I’ll take with me to my grave, as well as the tear-inducing closer ‘One More Time‘.
@brownypaul blink-182 // Stay Together For The Kids LIVE in Sydney, Australia Feb 17 2024
9 – Tom Singing California-era single ‘Bored to Death’
As mentioned before, California‘s lead single ‘Bored To Death‘ got a run with Tom stepping up to the plate in place of Matt Skiba, who joined the outfit between 2015-2022 in his absence and kept the band alive.
That album was a significant entry in blinkstory because without Skiba’s inclusion, who knows if the group would have continued for a second time without Tom. The subtle nod to that era was welcomed and hopefully, in future, we see a 4-piece tour with Skiba singing songs from the California and NINE albums… #blink182erastour anyone?
10 – The Deafening ‘I Miss You’ Sing-a-Long
WHERE YOU YEWWWWWWW AND I’M SO SORRRRRRRY!!!
@wallofsoundau I Miss You LIVE in Sydney, Australia Feb 17th #blink182 #poppunk #marktomandtravis #emo #blink182live #Sydney #whereareyou
11 – SHOOEY FREE SHOWS!
For the first time in a LONG time – our gig experience wasn’t interrupted by unruly concertgoers taking attention away from the stage. Shooeys are shit and we need to stop subjecting any/all touring musicians to peer pressure to take part.
Compromise: Drink from your own sure, but stop forcing the idea upon every other musician that comes here.
12 – Interstate Sledging Caused Headlines
I found out Perth Times is a try-hard, Daily Fail from ALDI “news” outlet that lost their minds when blink made jokes about Perth. The band also ripped into Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane and it was funny as fuck for everyone who didn’t get offended or try to make cringe-worthy click-bait articles about it…
13 – Mark’s Post-Show Discord Chats with Fans
On top of the community mentioned above, a selection of fans managed to have heartfelt chats with Mark Hoppus on tour via his Discord. Most nights post-show, he’d jump on for a wind-down, talking about moments from the set, sharing photos, industry banter and joining conversations with fans.
14 – blink fans SOLD OUT Arenas – Proving Pop Punk NEVER Died.
Qudos Bank Arena was a spectacle and a half – if you’ve never seen a sold out arena show there, you’re truly missing out. The boys played 4 times in that venue and even pulled in a full crowd with Taylor Swift playing right next door.
84,000 fans saw blink-182 in Sydney alone. Let that sink in.
15 – The Sperm Confetti
Dick Jokes in 2024 are still funny, especially in 3D physical form.
16 – The VIP Front Mosh – Up-Close Action for True Fans
A new thing I witnessed at a show was the VIP front mosh – which gave big fans an up-close experience that felt like an undersold 200-capacity show. All the people wanted to be there, looking out for each other and being able to endure the entire show without needing to escape the action.
There were moshers, there was wheelchair access, there were fans watching with ample space between them and the next person, and it was perfect. Definitely worth the price/experience if you want to get sweaty surrounded by people who love your favourite band’s entire catalogue.
@brownypaul blink-182 ‘Feeling This’ from front mosh. Feb 19, 2024 Brisbane, Australia. #blink182 #feelingthis #poppunk #blink182lifeforlife #blink #tomdelonge #travisbarker #markhoppus #onemoretimetour #millennialsoftiktok #emo
17 – Mark Hoppus Trolls Taylor Swift Fans
Growing up blink-182 were the biggest band of our generation and fans were just as fanatic as Swifties were (we just didn’t have social media to prove it back then). So, seeing Mark Hoppus rock up next door to their Sydney show and start trolling Taylor Swift fans (WHO HAD NO IDEA WHO HE WAS) for not going to blink was not only hilarious, but proved how far the generation gap has come since our own adolescence.
@wallofsoundau Mark Hoppus trolling punters at Taylor Swift’s concert right next door to where blink-182 play tonight in Sydney. Madness! #blink182 #taylorswift #erastour #erastoursydney #poppunk #blink182fans #funny #fyp
18 – The Fashion and Costumes
Between the Boomers, Enema Nurses and blink-specific fashion outfits and costumes, there was plenty of fun to be had away from the stage. Die-hards dressed to impress with every fan tipping their hats to their fav era of the group.
In closing, the shows and overall experience from this tour will be spoken about for years to come. Many fans found closure to certain moments we had been longing for, while others topped up their blink live concert counts to well over fanatic levels.
Thank you blink-182, we needed this… more than you know xoxo
Words by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul
Stream the album ONE MORE TIME… here
