What’s Their Age Again? Who Cares? Blink-182 Rocked Harder Than Ever in Dallas

Nothing could have stopped 20,000 of blink-182's biggest fans from making it out to American Airlines Center for the rock show of the summer on Wednesday, not even sky-high ticket prices or having to sit behind the stage. That’s right, some people paid money to be in the same room as the iconic trio just to watch the spectacle from the giant screens.

Wednesday, July 5, was a day long awaited by tens of thousands of live music fans in Dallas — the day when blink-182 would grace the stage at AAC, reunited with founding vocalist/guitarist/UFO enthusiast Tom DeLonge, in their first North Texas appearance since 2011.

Pop-punk is big business right now, thanks in large part to millennial and Gen X fans with disposable income looking to relive the glory days. According to Billboard, blink-182’s world tour could bring in a staggering $150 million in sales when all’s said and done. (Although, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which is now projected to rake in a record-setting $1.4 billion.) The contributions that Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge have made to the genre cannot be overstated. Their music raised an entire generation, and now, more than three decades later, they’re living legends. There isn’t a punk-rock-adjacent musician around today who hasn’t been influenced by blink-182 in some way. It’s safe to say their reunion world tour may have been the most highly anticipated rock show of recent memory, and we’re happy to report that it did not disappoint.

The openers, Destroy Boys, had their work cut out for them with this crowd, plenty of whom showed up early, from the pit all the way up to the nosebleeds. Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba started Destroy Boys in 2015, when the Sacramento teens were still in high school. Despite some sound issues, the pair were the embodiment of rebellious, angst-fueled punk-rock spirit and clearly had a great time on stage. The group got things started with a solid attempt at Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls On Parade,” but it was met with little more than polite head bobbing from the audience. They eventually managed to break the ice a little, expressing their gratitude for the chance to share the stage with blink-182, one of their favorite bands.

“A lot of people told our band that we could never do this,” Mayugba said. “But here we are.”

Next up was Baltimore’s favorite hardcore outfit, Turnstile, who have earned a place in the mainstream scene in recent years through relentless touring and a unique brand of driving rhythms, nonstop energy and effortlessly cool aesthetic. The Grammy-nominated rockers were welcomed by the Dallas audience on Wednesday night, who cheered for them the second the lights dimmed and the opening notes of “MYSTERY” from their 2021 breakout release, GLOW ON, rang out.

Vocalist Brendan Yates’ microphone stand was rarely stationary, as he tossed and twirled it around while screaming through their entire set. They displayed incredible musicianship with tight, flawless performances and absolutely zero bullshit. At one point, the band members all took a knee for a killer drum solo from the likes of a shirtless, sweat-drenched Daniel Fang that surely made even the great Travis Barker proud. If anyone showed up not knowing who Turnstile was, they undoubtedly left with a new favorite band. Blink fans could hardly contain themselves during the set change, their excitement reaching a fever pitch that manifested itself in the form of a stadium wave one would normally expect to see at a sporting event.

It wasn’t long before the house lights dimmed and Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra set the stage perfectly for what was to be a truly otherworldly experience. Blink-182’s smiley-face logo slowly materialized on the backdrop as Mark, Tom and Travis made their way onto the stage to ceaseless, deafening cheers from the crowd. DeLonge was clearly in his element, soaking in the well-deserved adoration, presumably overjoyed to be back in the band (and to be validated for his long-held belief that aliens exist). Their setlist covered a ton of ground, starting off strong with “Anthem Part Two” and “The Rock Show” from 2001’s Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, which were delivered with plenty of pomp and circumstance. True to form, there was plenty of inappropriate banter between each song, from Hoppus making light of the high ticket prices (“No refunds, goddammit!”) to cringeworthy “your mom” and dick jokes from DeLonge. The two rock stars didn’t forget about their drummer amid all the antics, making him perform the second half of “Violence” with a towel covering his eyes — not that Barker was fazed for even a second.

“Pretty fuckin’ cool, Travis,” Hoppus proclaimed. DeLonge added: “Women looooove our drummer … Travis is gonna say hello, so shut the fuck up.” He put the mic in front of a still-drumming Barker, who took a deep breath before saying the only word he uttered all night:  “Yo.”
Hoppus shared a poignant moment with the crowd as he introduced “Adam’s Song,” which he wrote during a time in his life when he was struggling.

“This band saved my life,” he said, before touching on his recent battle with cancer and how his bandmates helped him through when he “felt like he wanted to die.” If there was a dry eye in the room, we certainly couldn’t see it (at least not through our own tears).
Blink finished out with a predictable, but welcomed, block of their biggest hits, “What’s My Age Again?" "First Date," "All The Small Things,” and finally “Dammit,” with its famous lyrics, “Well I guess this is growing up” hitting differently in an arena full of grown men and women screaming along to songs we’ve loved since childhood. At the end of the show, Barker threw each of his drumsticks to a group of men who behaved more like bridesmaids fighting to catch the bouquet at a wedding. If this is growing up, it’s not half bad.