Clouds hovered with the threat of rain over the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Wednesday, Oct. 5, but it didn’t stop swarms of Blink-182 fans from flocking to the venue.
It was the 10th anniversary of the Honda Civic Tour, and there was no better act to headline than the band that kicked off the first tour back in 2001. This time, they brought with them My Chemical Romance (whose new CD came out last year), and duo Matt and Kim. Fans enjoyed new music, old music and an overall good time. The show opened with a brief set from Matt and Kim, a drummer/keyboard pair who, aside from being band mates, are also husband and wife. Their energetic dance punk vibes definitely got the crowd going, which is no easy feat as a two-person opening act at 7p.m. in a gigantic venue. Kim even jumped off the stage to run through the aisles and high-five everyone in the first 20 rows, which only shows how enthusiastic the band is about touring with two bands that are so established within the genre.
It wasn’t long before My Chemical Romance came on stage, and the crowd really started to get excited. My Chemical Romance started off their set with a popular song off their most recent album, “Na Na Na.” The song pretty much screams “get up and jump around,” and that’s exactly what people did. This vibe continued with the next two songs, “I’m Not Okay” (hit single off their 2004 album, “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge”) and “Planetary (GO!)” (from their most recent album, “Danger Days,” which is one of my favorites).
The rest of My Chemical Romance’s set included a few older hits (“Helena,” “Famous Last Words”), and several newer songs (“Mama,” “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Scarecrow”). Something notable about My Chemical Romance that puts them in a completely different category than most of the bands with which they’re usually classified is their versatility. They have poppy tunes like “I’m Not Okay,” more punk-rock songs like “Our Lady of Sorrows,” and ballads like “Cancer.” Amazingly, they manage to pull off singing all these songs in the same set and still maintain their solid identity.
The band held the energy for which they’re so well known, even with the absence of their usual on-tour drummer Michael Pedicone (who was dismissed by the band after they found out he was stealing from them). Their replacement drummer Jarrod Alexander made sure their transition went over smoothly, and My Chemical Romance knocked their set out of the park.
Blink-182 came out to a hysterical audience of hardcore fans, many of whom likely haven’t seen them in years due to their limited touring. I personally haven’t seen them in concert in about 10 years, so I was definitely one of those hysterical screaming fans.
Even from an objective standpoint, I was impressed by Blink-182’s performance. I was close enough to see that the guys aren’t the youngsters I saw back in middle school, but their stage presence hasn’t changed much. All three of them looked like they thoroughly enjoy performing and aim to make sure their audience has a good time.
Blink-182 kicked off their set with the single off their self-titled album, “Feeling This.” It was immediately apparent they wouldn’t only be focusing on music from their newest CD or their oldest CD, but were making an attempt to create a good mix of everything. When your discography includes six studio albums, it can be a challenge to play the things everyone wants to hear.
Most of their 23-song set was made up of their self-titled album and 2001’s “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.” However, they did stick in a few songs from older albums such as “Dude Ranch” and “Enema of the State” in order to appeal to the older fans in the audience. Something different about this show compared to Blink-182’s usual on-stage manner is that the “potty humor,” so to speak, was much less prevalent. While it’s been clear through their music that Blink-182 has evolved and matured as a band, it was even more evident when seeing them on stage.
In the past, Blink-182 has been known for their banter and crude jokes during their concerts. This time around, their interaction with the audience was more grown-up while still being funny. (After all, don’t you go to a Blink-182 show expecting to laugh?) They focused much more on their music, keeping the teenage humor to a minimum. The show wound down with a drum solo by Travis Barker (he’s still got it, by the way), and a couple old classics: “Dammit” and “Carousel.”
The Honda Civic Tour at Shoreline went off without a hitch and reminded everyone why they fell in love with Blink-182 in the first place.
