Blink-182 • Pierce The Veil • Landon Barker • July 11, 2024 • Delta Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
On Thursday, July 11th, Blink 182 brought their “One More Time” tour to Salt Lake City’s Delta Center. As expected, the tickets sold out quickly, and the arena was jam-packed with excited fans. The iconic California-based pop punk band put on an unforgettable performance and kept the crowd on their feet for their entire 26-song set.
Landon Barker
Starting the night off was none other than Landon Barker. If the last name sounds familiar, you guessed it, he’s the son of Blink-182 drummer, Travis Barker. As a photographer, we are generally only allowed to shoot the first few songs of a set. We were initially told that he would only be performing three songs. So what I thought I was hearing from the full set sounded pretty good. I enjoyed it. He ended up playing about eight songs. From what I heard from the photo waiting area, the crowd seemed to really support the set.
In what might be the biggest regret of my life, I was later informed that while I was photographing Landon and his band, his father, my favorite Blink-182 member, Travis, was right behind me during the set. Oh, how I wish I could have looked over and caught a glimpse of the proud dad watching his son perform. What could have been.
Pierce The Veil
Pierce The Veil has a great fanbase in this state. They received a headliner’s welcome as they entered the stage. It was only a year ago that Utah Concert Review was able to cover their coheadlining set with The Used.
Just like it was with Landon Barker, we photographers were escorted to a waiting area during PTV’s set. They opened with “Death of an Executioner”. That seemed to excite the crowd pretty quickly. I was disappointed when I heard that I missed Pierce The Veil’s cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police”. From what I was told, it was an excellent cover. I think many fans will be excited to have these guys back in a headlining role soon. But for this show, they did a great job getting the crowd ready for Blink-182.
Blink-182
As pop-punk has made a resurgence over the last few years, many bands from the late 90s and early 2000s are making a comeback. I can’t help but wonder if the cancellation of the Warped Tour in 2019 is the cause. What seemed like the end of an era, may have actually reignited the fire in the pop punk community, bringing a new energy that now shows no sign of slowing down. Blink-182 is undeniably the genre’s most popular band. In October 2022, Fans finally got the announcement they had been waiting for, Tom DeLonge was returning to the band. Blink 182 was complete again, and they have been busy ever since.
With the announcement of DeLonge’s return, they also announced their world tour and released a new single “Edging.” Their ninth studio album “One More Time” was released just one year later in October 2023. After Utah didn’t make the list of stops on their world tour, local fans were elated to see Salt Lake cut their current tour in support of the newest album.
The energy from the crowd shook the arena as the lights dimmed in preparation for Blink 182’s arrival on stage. Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus made their way to the front of the dimly lit circle stage, while Travis Barker took his place with his drums in the very center. In an instant, colorful lights covered the stage, strobe lights flashed, and the crowd went insane as they began to play “Feeling This.”
It took all my self-control to stay focused on taking pictures and keep myself from getting swept up in the excitement. But I somehow summoned the strength to remain professional and capture as many of the great initial moments of the show.
My love for Blink-182 goes back to my elementary school days in the late 90s. By 2004 I was fully invested. I had black streaks in my platinum blonde hair, a studded bracelet on my wrist, and a closet full of famous stars and straps t-shirts. I grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Just minutes from Travis Barker’s hometown, Fontana. Barker even owned a Wahoos Fish Tacos restaurant in Rancho. My friends and I would often go with the hope of running into the famous drummer. Sadly, that never did happen. So I’m sure you can imagine how disappointed teenage me was that I was that close to him earlier in the show and didn’t notice.
The energy in the arena was unbelievable as they played through so many of their old hits, including, “Rock Show,” “Aliens Exist,” and “I Miss You.” There was a segment of the show where they included a couple of songs from their side projects. The crowd loved hearing the +44 song, “When Your Heart Stops Beating,” and the Box Car Racer song, “There Is.”
The production value added to the experience. With pyrotechnics, lasers, and the Blink-182 logo lighting up the floor of the stage, it was a very impressive visual display. At one point, the center of the stage where Barker sat with his drums was raised above the rest of the band.
DeLonge and Hoppus had a lot of fun interacting with the crowd. Their jokes and banter were true to Blink-182 form. Everything from their Utah-specific jokes to sexual jokes (many of which were also Utah-specific), to covering the crowd with sperm-shaped confetti, their fans loved that they haven’t lost the adolescent sense of humor they are known for. At one point, while all eyes were on Barker for a drum solo, I noticed Tom DeLonge playing rock paper scissors with a fan in the pit. His celebratory dance led me to believe he won. One young fan was the real winner when the band noticed his sign that read, “Tom, can I have one of your guitars?” His request was granted and Tom handed him a pink electric guitar.
Blink-182 sounded better than ever, and it was awesome to hear an entire arena of their fans sing along with their songs. They saved some of the best for last and ended the night strong with all their biggest hits, “Always,” “What’s My Age Again?” “First Date,” “All The Small Things,” and “Dammit.” After stepping off stage for a minute, they returned for an encore. As they played “ONE MORE TIME,” photos of the band were displayed on the big screens above them.
Blink-182 gave their fans everything they wanted and more. From their setlist to the energy they brought to the stage, they put on an incredible show.
