“We’re coming. Tour’s coming. Album’s coming. Tom’s coming. Tickets on sale Monday. New song ‘Edging’ out Friday” was the caption on Blink-182’s social media posts on Oct. 11.
The original lineup of the San Diego pop-punk band were reunited once again, and it was only fitting that their announcement fell right in with the adolescent sense of humor that they were notorious for. It was pretty much the news heard around the world, at least in the pop-punk music community, as the band made headlines and released their first track together after Tom Delonge’s return.
Forming in 1992, ths pop-punk trio are the masterminds behind beloved hits such as “All the Small Things,” “The Rock Show,” and “First Date,” quickly becoming a powerhouse in the 2000s music scene. But before this, they started off small by performing in YMCAs, basements, and VFW halls all throughout their hometown, San Diego.
This was until three years later when they released their first record, Cheshire Cat, in 1995 and caught the attention of major record labels. The band’s presence only grew as they received major radio play for the song “Dammit” from their 1997 album Dude Ranch.
After Blink-182’s first drummer Scott Raynor was fired in 1998, bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge replaced Raynor with Travis Barker. The trio released Enema of the State in 1999, which went on to become a massive commercial success, selling over 15 million records.
Flash forward to 2015 when DeLonge left Blink-182 as he shifted his priorities to his company, To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, which specializes in aerospace, science, and entertainment. In a video posted by his organization, DeLonge revealed his reason for his departure, saying, “because this is the moment in time that I can change the world for my kids and everybody else’s.” DeLonge was then replaced by Matt Skiba, the singer of Chicago-based punk rock band Alkaline Trio. The band moved forward by releasing two albums with Skiba in 2016 and 2019.
Upon his return to the band, DeLonge thanked Matt Skiba publicly on Instagram for filling in for him. According to an interview with Vulture, the now-former member of Blink-182, Matt Skiba, claims that there are about eight or nine songs that were recorded for what was supposed to be an EP.
No one, including Skiba, is certain if those songs will ever see the light of day. Around the time those songs were finished, Mark Hoppus was diagnosed with stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Fortunately, Hoppus recovered and announced he was cancer-free. This event inspired Barker, DeLonge and him to reunite once again.
Excitement from fans only grew when Blink-182 released their new single “Edging” with Tom DeLong. Luckily, there is more in store in terms of music as the trio plans to release a brand new album. They even announced a 2023 and 2024 world tour. Joining Blink-182 on the shows are Wallows, Turnstile, The Story So Far, and Rise Against.
There’s only one thing stopping several fans from witnessing the pop-punk legends: ticket costs.
Ticketmaster implemented a new “dynamic pricing” model which allows Ticketmaster to charge more for tickets when they are first released. Long-time fans took it to social media to express their rage about the extreme ticketing prices in comparison to those from the past.
Mark Hoppus tried buying a pair of tickets to the show just to experience the process on Ticketmaster. As he was about to check out with the tickets, he lost them as they were quickly removed from his cart. It seems like Mark, Tom, and Travis are back as Blink-182 and will continue to be around as an active band as they were recently listed to co-headline Live Nation’s We Were Young festival in Las Vegas, NV on Oct. 21, 2023 with Green Day. They will also be headlining the new Adjacent music festival in Atlantic City, NJ alongside Paramore, Bleachers, and others on May 27 and 28, 2023.
