Got Blinked

Well, you all know my strong affection for Britney Spears. However, there are two bands that I place above Ms. Spears: No Doubt and blink-182.

No Doubt and blink-182 changed how I looked at music. They were two of the bands that sucked me into the alternative/punk-pop/ska music scene almost 16 years ago. Gwen Stefani inspired me as a young girl in ways that the Spice Girls only wished they could influence and empower females. She was so bold and unapologetic about everything she was.

About seven years ago, a friend and I traveled to Cleveland for the ultimate concert: blink-182 and No Doubt together. I have no words to describe this show. To have my two favorite bands play together was an unbelievable experience. Shortly after that tour, blink-182 went on a hiatus of undetermined length.

I was devastated. My brothers and I didn’t know what to do or think. Seven albums, a greatest-hits collection, Boxcar Racer, the Transplants and almost a decade of fandom behind us, and it was over, just like that.

Following the end of blink, we clung to Tom Delonge’s new band Angels & Airwaves like a security blanket. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker ventured onto their own project, a new band called +44. We tried to fall in love with them as well, but nothing was the same.

In 2008, I watched the news one morning in horror. Travis Barker was in a plane crash. Travis, for those who are not familiar with him, is the greatest drummer in the world if not the most incredible musician in the world.

I know; I know. This is just my opinion. But investigate him. You will not find a harder-working musician in the industry.

About six months after the crash, I received an email from a friend with a link to a news site. Blink-182 was back together. The band’s website read, "Friendships renewed."

I was shaking with excitement as I fumbled with my phone, texted my brother and forwarded him the email. They were back. We attended the reunion tour that summer, completely crushed by the adrenaline and euphoria coursing through our bodies.

It has been eight years since blink-182 released an album. On Thursday night at First Niagra Pavilion, myself, one of my brothers and a group of friends who were also lifelong fans got a taste of the blink that we always knew and loved.

Even though they certainly didn’t play enough of their older songs from Dude Ranch, Buddha and Cheshire Cat, we were introduced to a few new songs. The new songs, off of the band’s upcoming album Neighborhoods, reminded me of the blink that we knew in the mid-90s: fast-paced punk-pop.

(Seriously though, blink. Throw in "Pathetic," "M & M’s," "Depends" and "Reckless Abandon" for your lifers! Also, never, EVER again tour with My Chemical Romance. Bring Rancid on the entire tour with you!)

It is a rare experience to grow up with your favorite band. Blink-182 and New Found Glory I not only grew up listening to but grew up with. Jordan Pundik (the lead vocalist) from New Found Glory is about the same age as me. As New Found Glory’s music, like blink’s, has evolved and grown as the bands aged, I have grown with them. This music is something I can always count on to bring me back to Earth no matter how bad of a day I am having. It is a constant in my life.