It had all the makings of a headlining set: the reunion of a beloved band, a hits-filled discography and thousands of fans all belting along.
And yet, the highly anticipated set from Blink-182 filled the sundown slot at a much-too-small stage. It made it all the better.
On Thursday evening (April 13), when Coachella finally revealed on Instagram its weekend one set times, the caption read: “Take off your pants and jacket.” Fans of the band immediately knew it signaled the good news that Blink had been added to the lineup at the last minute.
In October, the legendary pop-punk band announced it would reunite with its original lineup of Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom Delonge. On Friday (April 14), the band delivered its first show since. (Blink was originally scheduled to kick off a South American tour in March, but had to cancel due to Barker’s finger injury).
The band fittingly entered to the Star Wars theme song (with noted U.FO. researcher DeLonge wearing a shirt that read, “To the stars”) and selected “Family Reunion” as their celebratory opening song. As DeLonge basked in the roars for his return to the band, he couldn’t help but smirk as he held up a middle finger, later telling the crowd how much they’re loved.
After performing “Anthem, Part Two,” Hoppus said something so simple yet staggering: “Hi, we’re Blink-182 … Welcome to Coachella 2023.” The fact that the ’90s-formed act is just as much of a force today as in its heyday is a testament to its catalog and staying power — particularly at a time when pop-punk has returned to center stage. And in the case of Blink, the band brought its boyish sense of humor along for the ride, with Hoppus and DeLonge trading quips about everything from UTIs to testicles throughout the set.
As Barker’s wife, Kourtney Kardashian-Barker, and her sister Khloe watched from the stage, the band tore threw hits like “Rock Show,” “Feelin This” and “What’s My Age Again,” which welcomed a sing-along worthy of the Guinness World Records as a mosh pit formed. And before live debuting their newest single “Edging,” which arrived with the original lineup’s reunion announcement, DeLonge confessed with a laugh, “There’s a lot of testosterone in this s—.”
Minutes past the set’s scheduled end time, Hoppus noted that the band had blown right past it — and that they weren’t about to stop. He said there were three more songs to get through, and they were naturally some of the bands biggest hits to date, closing with an epic hat trick of “I Miss You” into “All the Small Things” into “Dammit,” for which Hoppus interpolated a bit of TLC’s “No Scrubs” for good measure.
But it was Hoppus’ Instagram post that summed up the experience better than any one song could. “Chemo to Coachella,” he captioned a photo of himself on stage with the soon-to-be-packed field behind him. “Very much in my feelings today.”
