Blink-182. They’ve been a staple of my pop-punk repertoire since I was a wee little thing. I wouldn’t say their breakup was particularly devastating to me, because quite frankly, I can’t stand the s/t album, but upon hearing of their reunion, I was overjoyed! I just knew this would be *the* concert of the summer, and I was 100% right!

The first band to take the stage was called Chester French. I missed the majority of their set, and thank goodness. I wonder who they’re friends with to get on a tour like this, because they were mediocre at best compared to the bands to follow them. Obviously, most opening bands are paltry compared to what you’re actually there to see, but these guys were definitely not made for this kind of a show. They’d barely register on my musical Richter scale on a small stage, but on the big stage, it was snooze-inducing. The singer tried his best to rile up the crowd, but with his generic music and half-dead backup band, there was no hope.

Taking Back Sunday was a complete 180 from Chester French, as always. This was my fourth time seeing them this year, and they never disappoint. Even though I was disappointed at their short set (about 30 minutes), they chose a good setlist that pulled from their entire catalogue. Adam Lazarra, the frontman, was as charming as ever, strutting around the stage in his pointy boots and swinging his mic around like Michaelangelo and his nunchucks. Even though it might be considered ‘uncool’ in this town to engage in audience participation, I can’t help but to hold both hands in the air and, “bring them together in a syncopated fashion,” as Adam always instructs before New Again, the song that shares a title with their latest album.

As for the rest of the band, they’re always fantastic. Matt Rubano, the bassist, must live off of energy drinks because I’ve never seen anyone take to the stage like him. He doesn’t stand still for a second (Chester French, take note), always at least headbanging, if not doing jumps that would make a cheerleader envious or running through the audience. One of the best things I noticed during their set, however, was guitarist Matt Fazzi’s instrument having an HRC sticker on it! Way to show your support for equality, guys!

Unfortunately, TBS’s set was too short for the high to tide me over until Blink’s set started, so my friend and I spent a good 15 minutes tittering with anticipation, watching the stage and trying to catch glimpses of what promised to be an epic stage setup hidden behind a black curtain. Finally, the curtain dropped, the stage filled with smoke, and the band came running out playing the opening bars to Dumpweed! It’s entirely possible that I squealed like a 13-year-old girl before running out into the photo pit to start capturing pics, but I will neither confirm nor deny.

They played a long set and started out very strong. They played most of their hits, sprinkled throughout a lot of songs from the self-titled album. Wah-wah. I started losing interest about halfway through the set because I just can’t handle the Blink emo phase. Guys, you’re not pop-punk’s answer to the Cure, I’m sorry. However, they did manage to keep my interest with their usual tawdry stage banter. A lot of it was a turn to the homoerotic, but not in an offensive way. When Tom, the guitarist, declared, “I want to suck Brad Pitt’s d***,” I laughed pretty hard. Knowing that Mark Hoppus, the band’s other frontman, is a strong supporter for the repeal of Proposition 8 also made me like any comments like that weren’t meant to offend. Tom later told us that he wanted to have sex with everyone in the room, and their moms…and their dads. I’m all for equal opportunity lewd jokes.

The show finished off with a stellar encore. Travis Barker, the drummer, came out on a drum platform and started playing a crazy drum solo. That was cool enough as it was, because he’s one of the best drummers in the biz, but it didn’t stop there. The platform rose up into the air, then started swinging back and forth over the stage! With the crazy light show going on behind him, it looked like a drumset spaceship. I was thoroughly awed and impressed, and I recommend that you all hit up YouTube and find a clip of this to see it for yourself. My words will never do it justice.

After the drum solo, the rest of the band came out to join Travis for the song “Carousel”, off the band’s second release, Cheshire Cat. Five other old guys in back and I all started freaking out, screaming along all of the words, while the rest of the audience stared at us in confusion. …well, maybe it wasn’t *quite* that bad, but it was a little strange that most of the audience there was the same age I was when I went to my first Blink show. Either way, “Carousel” rocked my socks off, and they finished off the night with the requisite “Dammit”.

All in all, a great show! If it hasn’t hit your town yet, go see these legends on stage! It’s worth the exhoribitant ticket price, I promise.