blink-182, Rise Against @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 11/2/2024
It was the hottest ticket in Adelaide to see blink-182 return after ten years since their last show here in town (which was Soundwave 2013). If you managed to get a ticket you were doing really well as they were snapped up in record time and the Entertainment Centre was packed to the rafters for what could be ONE LAST TIME.
The Entertainment Centre precinct was bustling with excitement and anticipation for the night ahead. Walking in and the lines for the coveted t-shirt was a mile long, crazy! Try getting a drink! Nevertheless, the pre-show vibe was electric and it was great to be a part of it and it will be one of those shows that will be talked about for some time to come.
Chicago punk rockers Rise Against were as far as openers go top shelf bringing their A-game to Adelaide setting the bar extremely high. If you weren’t a fan before there is no doubt that you would be having seen their live set. Forty minutes seemed to whiz by with the brand of melodic hardcore and punk anthems. It was a blistering start with Prayer of the Refugee and vocalist/ rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath said that it is great to be playing in Adelaide rather than passing over like a satellite. Perfect way to introduce Satellite which was followed by The Violence and Re-Education (Through Labour).
Squeezing in a “summer time acoustic song,” which was written twenty years ago, was a great moment. McIlrath took a second to reflect on how rare it is for these Chicago boys to be able to enjoy summer in February. Give It All was stellar finishing on Saviour, with Neil Hennesy being described as their saviour filling in for Joe Principe who had to return home due to a family emergency. Collective thoughts were with Joe and kudos to the band who were at The Dream Theater Rehearsal Studio in Welland this morning learning the songs with Neil. Looking forward to a returning visit soon.
blink-182 played an incredible show and you would be hard pushed to find anyone who would say otherwise. It feels like a lot has happened in the time since they were last here, the fans are older (some weren’t born when they first toured), Tom, Mark and Travis have all experienced their own ups and downs from illness and other life changing events, quitting the band, the reunions and releasing new music last year. All those factors combined led them to here and whether it’s nostalgia there’s no denying what this band means to so many fans.
As the lights dimmed the venue was filled with the sounds of Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 the blink-182 logo on the screen started to illuminate heralding the entrance of Tom, Mark and Travis. It was an explosive start with Anthem Part Two and then charging through The Rock Show. Travis Barker’s drumming is seriously elite and you can see why the band march so much taller with his presence. Family Reunion was a cracker as was Man Overboard. With a cheeky jibe at having to go to Perth before Adelaide they couldn’t stop thinking about Creed.
Travis’s drum solo on Violence was brilliant and what started to become quite apparent was the focus would be more on the newer songs and less about some of the classics such as M+M’s, Apple Shampoo, Josie and Carousel. As The Rolling Stones sang You Can’t Always Get What You Want and that held true. Regardless, the new songs sounded great and this was blink-182 at the very best combined with plenty of dick jokes and sexual innuendo.
New tunes MORE THAN YOU KNOW, EDGING and DANCE WITH ME played in quick succession proved popular. Mark pointed out that Tom’s quit the band twice and he’s back to save the world with an inference to being believer in aliens, UFOs, and conspiracy theories was led in to Aliens Exist. Down and I Miss You from their self-titled albums were big highlights for me. Encouraging the crowd to sing-a-long louder than Perth Tom thought Adelaide had a bit of cockiness but sounded better than their counterparts.
New single TURPENTINE is a great one and the energy levels of the crowd picked up when the blink-182 hit machine was wheeled out playing What’s My Name Again, First Date, the massively popular All The Small Things finishing on Dammit complete with streamers, pyros and fireworks to bring the main set to a big close.
Returning for an encore the song choice was emotive and powerful with ONE MORE TIME leaving fans pondering with the thought is that it? The archival footage neatly tied up blink-182’s career over the journey and was quite reflective in nature and if this is the last time what a way to remember this much loved band. Mark might have said see you next time and it does make you wonder. This was a great concert experience bringing back all the memories about what’s great about this band seeing them play in much smaller venues right up to now playing new music proving that they are just as relevant today as they ever have been before. Melbourne, you’re up next!
Live Review By Rob Lyon