Blink-182 Unites Generation of Fans at Kaseya Center

"Has anyone here ever played with their penis?" said 48-year-old, foul-mouthed Tom DeLonge amid the signature crowd banter that has made him and his band, Blink-182, pop-punk royalty and one of the most in-demand live acts.

It had been 24 years since the last time the trio of Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, and DeLonge last washed up on Miami's shore, and in that time, a lot has happened for Blink.

The group dropped important projects like Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and the self-titled follow-up. DeLonge left the group in 2015, only to reunite eight years later after Hoppus beat cancer. And that's just a smidge of the chaos that helped inspire One More Time, Blink-182's latest project.

On Friday night, pop-punk fans from ages 14 to 45 gathered at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami to celebrate a band whose music spans generations. From the new crop of emo kids dressed in all black to the elder stalwarts sporting vintage Blink merch, the arena was packed.

It didn't hurt attendance that hardcore band Pierce the Veil opened. They came out to Vicente Fernandez's "El Rey" and proceeded to turn out one of the most entertaining opening sets this New Times writer has ever seen. Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry, Jaime Preciado, and Loniel Robinson tore the house down with songs like "Bulls in the Bronx," "Circles," a cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police," and, of course, "King For a Day."

Considering that many fans were wearing PTV merchandise, it's safe to say they were a good choice to open on this tour.
At 9 p.m., the telltale gong of "Rest in Peace" (AKA the theme song of WWE's the Undertaker) signaled Blink-182's arrival. The trio made its way to the stage and ripped into "Feeling This."

If anything has changed about Blink's live show, it's that it's gotten better as the members have gotten older. The production on this tour alone is much crazier and more ambitious than anything the band had done in the past.

The sole stage adornment was Blink's Nirvana-esque smiley-face logo, blown up at one end of the arena, allowing fans to see the group in a 360-degree layout. Barker's drum set spun 90 degrees every few songs, giving each quarter of the arena a full-frontal view.

Oh, and there were pyrotechnics.

The setlist was superb, as Blink managed to cram in classic after classic into a 90-minute performance along with songs from the new album.

"This is a celebration of Blink," Hoppus informed the crowd.
And it was, with fan favorites like "Aliens Exist," along with the inclusion of tracks like "Easy Target" and "Man Overboard," which haven't been played for quite a while. There was even a special introduction to "Carousel," which the band said was the first song Hoppus and DeLonge teamed up on since they first met in 1992.

One of the most memorable moments came when the red lights filled the arena and Blink performed renditions of "When Your Heart Stops Beating" and "There Is" from DeLonge and Barker's Box Car Racer and Hoppus and Barker's +44 projects. Watching the trio carry off those tracks was living proof that they're long past their earlier disputes.

Simply put, Blink-182 has never sounded better. DeLonge's voice, in general, has improved compared to his 2012-2014 touring days, when he was clearly struggling. He now possesses a mature voice with the nuances of his younger self. Barker, as always, killed it on the drums (including one epic solo). Hoppus' bass sounded even groovier than usual, perhaps most memorably on "Always."

"Did you know that the Billy Idol song 'Dancing With Myself' was about masturbating?" DeLonge asked Hoppus.

"I thought every song ever was about masturbation," Hoppus replied.
DeLonge and Hoppus continued to trade juvenile jokes and "your mom" jabs between songs. Goofing around is a big part of Blink-182's identity, and it'd be weird to go to a show to see them merely sing and play.

Fans sang along to almost every song on the new album, including "Edging," "Dance with Me," "More Than You Know," and, of course, "One More Time," the closer.

The most energetic moments were delivered via favorites like "I Miss You," "What's My Age Again?" "First Date," and "All The Small Things," songs that older fans have listened to for years and Gen-Z has rediscovered. There was an aura of young, dumb fun, because isn't that why everyone loves Blink-182?

Toward the end of the show, things got even louder and crazier. "Dammit" was accompanied by the previously mentioned pyrotechnics, plus confetti raining from the ceiling and an interpolation of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Getting Back Together." It felt like a victory lap for a group that has gone through so much together.
During the encore, "One More Time," a single orange spotlight enveloped the trio for the evening's most vulnerable track. It was yet another intimate moment shared by thousands.

Then, as Gloria Estefan's "Conga" piped over the sound system, Hoppus showed off a few dance moves as he left the stage.

Legacy acts are nothing new, but three decades in, Blink-182 feels more relevant than ever. Whether you're an elder millennial who discovered the band in high school or a Gen Z'er who stumbled upon pop-punk not long ago, the band's live show offers something for everyone.

Setlsit for Blink-182's Miami Concert

- "Feeling This"
- "The Rock Show"
- "Man Overboard"
- "Aliens Exist"
- "Dance With Me"
- "Easy Target"
- "Bored to Death"
- "Edging"
- "Up All Night"
- "More Than You Know"
- "Carousel"
- "Stay Together for the Kids"
- "Not Now"
- "Can't Go Back"
- "I Miss You"
- "Down"
- "When Your Heart Stops Beating"
- "There Is"
- "Fuck Face"
- "Anthem Part 3"
- "Always"
- "What's My Age Again"
- "First Date"
- "All The Small Things"
- "Dammit"
- "One More Time"

Photos From Blink-182's Miami Concert