By Lisa DiCarlucci
Warning, this is NOT a test: punk rockers Blink 182, who have been on a hiatus for several years now, announced at this past Sunday night’s Grammy’s that they are back together. “We used to play music together,” said the band’s drummer, Travis Barker, “and we decided we’re going to play music together again.”
A statement was released to fans and the media via the band’s Web site which read, “To put it simply, we’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy. Summer 2009. Thanks and get ready.”
The band last performed live in December, 2004, and ever since, their fans have been pained by the loss of their beloved rockers. While Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus moved on the form +44 and Tom DeLonge became the front man for Angels and Airwaves, neither project filled the void of the classic Blink 182 sound. The three band mates had a chemistry on stage which couldn’t be replaced.
Despite the excitement on stage at the Grammy’s this weekend, not all the members of Blink 182 seemed equally thrilled. Mark Hoppus shouted “Blink 182 is back!” and Barker seemed just as enthused despite still nursing a broken arm from his plane crash last year. Guitarist Tom DeLonge, however, stood awkwardly to the side and announced the nominees without mentioning the band.
After Barker’s near-deadly plan crash, he and Hoppus began to spend time with the estranged DeLonge. A blog post on Hoppus’ Web site, himynameismark.com, which mentioned this started rumors of a reunion. Though these rumors were quickly stifled, devoted Blink fans couldn’t help but hope. In a January 12 interview with MTV News, Hoppus explained that the band members needed to become friends again before they could be a band.
“I talk to Tom several times a week, sometimes several times a day” Hoppus said, “and you know, he’s still the same Tom that I talked to on tour buses four years ago. He still talks about UFOs and lasers and conspiracy theories…. We also make stupid fart jokes. God help us we’re grown men still making fart jokes.”
Apparently, those fart jokes did the trick and fans couldn’t be happier. In their time as a band, Blink 182 released four studio albums and one live album which made $12.8 million in the United States alone. A new album and tour will most likely generate unprecedented revenue for the band because of the anticipation.
Rumors have already begun to swirl about a tour with fellow punk rock staples, Green Day. While this has not been confirmed, the combination would certainly put on a hardcore, high-energy event, not to be missed. Green Day or no Green Day, though, fans will definitely be lined up for these tickets.
It’s been a long four years without the boys of Blink, but it feels so good to have them back. A band like Blink 182 makes an impact on a generation that is never forgotten, and it almost feels like they never even left.