After a four year hiatus, Blink-182 the band that has influenced every major pop punk group during the past 10 years, has picked up right where they left off and is back on tour. 

     The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis, MO was packed chanting, “Blink, blink, blink!” in total darkness. The chant was then cut off as a dark curtain fell and three familiar faces began to play. 

     Blink kicked off with, “Every Time I Look for You,” and the pit erupted with jumping and screaming. They kept the intensity up by playing, “Dumpweed,” which in turn created the first mosh pit of the night.  

     They slowed things down with a series of slower and more serious songs, “Obvious”, “I Miss You” and “Down.”  This proved they still could pull off a deeper alternative side to complement their punk side.   

     Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus, the band’s singers, guitarist and bassist began to joke and mess around on stage to lighten the mood. They complimented the weather and the Arch then ripped on the state of Florida and how it’s not a paradise.   

     The band then started with their best song of the night, “First Date.” Delonge ad-libbed some lyrics as the crowd sang back up. They followed with their hits,  “All The Small Things” and “Adam’s Song,” which sounded as good as the first time I heard them on the radio.  

     They settled down the crowd with some more joking around as Delonge went over their line up and debated with Hoppus on who the men in the audience wanted more. Delonge then launched into, “Josie,” a song that is faster than most of their catalog. They all meshed well as Delonge and Hoppus were able to keep up with Travis Barker’s complex drumming. 

     Delonge and Hoppus left the stage to make way for Barker’s drum solo. The crowd began the “Blink” chant again but this time was interrupted by loud hip-hop and Barker whaling on the drums. His circle platform then lifted up and tilted around revealing Barker and his drum kit to be strapped down. The circle then spun around in circles appearing like a drumming UFO, and was the most impressive thing of the night.

     The rest of the band then came back out to finish up with their final two songs.  The crowd sang along with Hoppus as white confetti rained down on the packed theatre. As the song ended Travis extended the show out with a short improvised drum solo and caped off Blink-182’s comeback.