“I miss you…”. Fans of Blink 182 had long awaited their reunion tour, and on Saturday 7th July at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) many relived the golden days of the American pop punksters. Kicking off their tour, Welsh emo rockers The Blackout warmed up the crowd. Their fresh voices and enthusiasm were a welcome opening.
All-American Rejects were the support act to follow and they played a phenomenal set; taking Bournemouth by storm with classics such as Gives You Hell, Move Along, Dirty Little Secret and It Ends Tonight. All-American Rejects were definitely a strong choice of support act, with many of the gig goers boasting they had seen two fantastic bands for the price of one! The acoustics inside the BIC were simply brilliant and the sheer musical talent of both support groups were easily enjoyed.
Blackout and an over excited crowd. The moment everyone had been waiting for began with the rumbling sound of Feeling This. Blink 182 created a lively buzz and entertained their crowd with a selection of all their best hits, including: The Rock Show, I Miss You, Always, First Date, All The Small Things and Dumpweed. After around eighteen songs fans were begging for more. Blink 182 were enigmatic and enthralling and no one wanted the gig to come to an end. After copious amounts of cheering, whistling and shouting the boys returned back onstage for the encore.
Travis Barker played a solo of Can a Drummer Get Some which received great response from the crowd. His drumming skills are not to be underestimated, even after all these years. The final song brought back a lot of memories and sheer enjoyment was felt by everyone. The band finished with Family Reunion, a shower full of confetti and a pleased audience. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker proved they still have the sound, style and silliness which we love them for. They are without a doubt, the best pop punk band from the 1990s and even two decades on still manage to wow fans.
Rock on!