Blink 182 Tickets

Formed in California in 1992, pop punk band Blink-182 came about after Mark Hoppus's sister, Anne, introduced him to her schoolmate, Tom DeLonge, after learning that both boys wanted to be in a band. Shortly after, the two recruited Scott Raynor and began playing under the name Duck Tape and, later, Blink. They made a demo tape, called Flyswatter, in 1993, plus another, Demo #2, and a third, Buddha (1993), the last of which they made into a 1000-unit cassette release. They began touring San Diego clubs and school halls, and soon earned a reputation for energetic live performances. Their first proper album, Cheshire Cat (1994), was recorded in just three days, and was supported by the single releases “M+Ms” and “Wasting Time”, but despite increased touring, success still eluded them.

They added the “182” to their name after being threatened with court action by an Irish band, also called Blink, and in 1996 they recorded their second album, Dude Ranch, releasing it a year later, and signing with MCA in 1998, for increased distribution possibilities. The single “Dammit” became a minor hit, but put the band on the music radar. The group toured in 1997 and 1998, during which drummer Raynor was fired for his alcoholism, and replaced with Travis Barker.

Their breakthrough album, Enema Of The State, came out in 1999 and was an instant success. Singles “Adam's Song”, “All The Small Things” and “What's My Age Again”, were popular MTV staples, and in 1999 they appeared in cult teen film, American Pie, and also recorded their own documentary, The Urethra Chronicles. Their live album, The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) was released in 2000, followed by the studio album, Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (2001), which produced the singles “The Rock Show” and “First Date”. In Summer 2002, the band joined forces with Green Day to headline the “Pop Disaster Tour”, which came out on DVD as Riding In Vans With Boys. The rest of 2002 saw the band take a break and experiment with solo projects, before reuniting in Winter 2003 to record their next album. They appeared in the UK at the Reading & Leeds Festivals, then a small 'DollaBill' tour of the US and Australia, before the release of Blink-182 in November 2003. In Summer 2004, they toured with No Doubt, and completed their own European tour at the end of that year.

A planned US tour in Spring 2005 was cancelled amid rising tensions in the band, with Tom DeLonge isolating himself and refusing to speak to his bandmates, who issued a statement declaring DeLonge was out, and the band was on indefinite hiatus. During 2005, Barker and Hoppus worked on their own music, under the name +44, as well as Hopper going more into producing, and Barker launching a line of shoes. Barker also starred in his own reality show, Meet The Barkers. In 2008, Barker narrowly survived a light plane crash, he and Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) being the only survivors, and it was this event that reunited the band. They appeared together for the first time since 2004, at the 2009 Grammys, and announced their reformation, following it with a US tour in Summer 2009 and a European tour in 2010.

In September 2011, they released their album, Neighborhoods, with the first single, “Up All Night”, having come out two months before. “After Midnight” followed, and the band intend to tour the UK in 2012.