Music
Blink-182
SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Jonathan Geddes
two stars
AT LEAST Blink-182’s punk spirit hasn’t totally disappeared, even in a venue like the SSE Hydro. Roughly halfway through their set bassist Mark Hoppus noticed a fan waving a sign saying he could play bass. A couple of numbers later said fan was doing just that, as the band played Always and Hoppus jogged around taking pictures. It was a fun moment, brightening up an otherwise routine arena rock show.
Their last Scottish visit in 2012 featured wearying banter between Hoppus and fellow frontman Tom DeLonge. It felt forced then, and DeLonge’s subsequent messy departure only confirmed that feeling. However this visit, with guitarist Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio onboard, went to the other extreme, with hardly anything spoken. Instead it was a by-numbers run-through of hits and new material from last year’s California album. Forget jokes of old or punkish exuberance, this evening saw the songs dispensed in a clinical, generic manner.
There is a reason Blink are such influential figures of pop-punk, and that surfaced from time to time, including a typically lively All The Small Things, the bouncy simplicity of First Date or a surprisingly funky I Miss You. That made excellent use of drummer Travis Barker, the band’s biggest strength.
The majority of new tracks were workmanlike, going down familiar paths. There was also a strange moment when Hoppus claimed that he was taking a song off the setlist due to the crowd not quietening down and then pretended to walk off. It was presumably intended as humour, but simply generated boos, and seemed quite fitting for a gig that only rarely connected the way you’d want it to.
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