Blink-182 gives all that's expected

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

And after four years spent memorizing all the lyrics to "The Rock Show" and "First Date," a sellout — and mostly underage — Blaisdell Arena audience was eager to give Blink-182 its due. Good thing, then, that Blink came ready to respond in kind.

Well, in its own much-imitated enfant terrible style, anyway.

The we-can-make-it-big-just-like-they-did idols of just about every high school guitar-bass-drum garage band formed (and broken up) in the last five years, Blink took the stage silently and sans an intro. The frenetic renderings of "Feeling This," "Easy Target" and "What's My Age Again?" that followed had several mosh pits instantly roiling and parents on the risers frantically searching for their offspring wading within.

It was clear early on that Blink was going to be all about providing the requisite sped-up, duly thrashed, adrenaline-pumping rock show its fans came for. Lots of dirty words? Check. Frat boy antics? You bet. Nuanced musicianship? Buy the album.

The show wound up heavy on material from that album — the post-adolescent reflective "Blink-182."

Drummer Travis Barker's potent skills were put to an insane test on the terrific "Down," which ended with a furious solo.

Blink didn't ignore any of its early hits, either. Arguably among the most amusingly knowing and underrated teen angst anthems ever written, Blink's canon had the crowd singing along every time it tossed another one out like so many Mark Hoppus bass picks.

"Josie," "Dumpweed" and "Reckless" arrived as nonstop sonic barrage. With guitarist Tom DeLonge's voice threatening to give out near show's end, the crowd happily helped out on "All the Small Things."

Blink's instrumental skills were markedly improved since its last O'ahu visit. Sure, Hoppus and DeLonge were still as endearingly punk sloppy as ever — often missing Barker's beats completely. But the duo's unglued, infectious tandem energy couldn't have pleased the enthused crowd more if Hoppus and DeLonge had actually attempted playing on cue.

Blink's resident musical MVP, however, was Barker. Attacking his drum kit with a force strong enough to leave one wondering if he had emptied his and his bandmates' entire Red Bull stash backstage, Barker showed off surprisingly wicked timing and a remarkable diversity of skills throughout the quick, but satisfying, 75-minute concert.

In a show full of juvenile and profane band banter, in a truly cheesy/cool moment before starting up the band's power ballad "Stay Together for the Kids," Hoppus asked the gathered to stash the lighters and flash their cell phone screens instead.

On cue, the arena was instantly awash in a sea of waving blue and white twinkle lights. The well-planned moment wound up as sweetly beautiful, as it was pure gouda.

And pass the crackers around ... we, of course, joined in.