Texan Mosaic

by SERGIO MADRID//Editorial Assistant

God shed some tears the night Blink-182 came to Lubbock.

Hundreds waited in line in front of the Lonestar Amphitheater on March 28 to see Blink-182. When gates opened at 7 p.m. people piled in for about 30 minutes, but some were stopped after reports of an oncoming storm.

The line came to a halt when a lady came out to tell those in line to take cover. No one was getting in until the rain stopped, and all they could do was suggest taking cover to wait out the storm.

Most people left to take shelter in their vehicles, though there were some who endured the wind and rain to hold their place in line.

After about an hour of waiting, the gates opened at 8:45 p.m. Once inside the theater, people bunched together, trying their best to squeeze past each other, attempting to get as close to the stage as possible.

With hundreds in attendance, the wait was becoming almost unbearable. People were shouting, pushing, and shoving, all eager for the show to start.

Finally, the lights went out, and the crowed roared in excitement as the opening act, The Naked and Famous, came on stage. There was an opener before them, Makeout, but they were cut due to time constraints caused by the storm.

Without saying a word, The Naked and Famous, kicked off the show with, “Hearts Like Ours.” It’s a very invigorating song all on it’s own, but it seemed to give everyone chills, as the rain came pouring back down not long after the song started.

People raised their hands, welcoming the rain as they swayed from side to side in pure emotion. Captivated by an electronic wave of quarter notes from the keyboard cutting through the rain into their ears, the crowd was putty in the hands of the Naked and Famous.

After the song, lead singer, Alisa Xayalith, was cut off during her band introduction to be informed they were cutting their set short to prepare for Blink-182.

I’ve seen sets get cut short, as well as people get cut from a show, but never have I seen a band get on stage and only get to play one song.

It would be almost another hour before Blink would start and the crowd showed its impatience, with yelling and complaining, throwing beer cans, boos, and unnecessary cheers.

The crowd would ease up and join in a sing along to “Baby Got Back.” It was enough to invoke tons of laughs.

When Mark Hoppus (bass, vocals), Travis Barker (drums), and Matt Skiba (guitar, vocals) of Blink-182 walked onto the stage, the crowd lit up.

Starting the concert with a familiar tune, “Hey Ho, Let’s Go,” Blink-182 got the crowd going right away. This short cover of the classic Ramones song led into one of Blink’s biggest hit songs, “Feeling This.”

After every line, the words, “I’m feeling this” followed as everyone in attendance joined in a chorus-like fashion.

Hoppus made sure to keep the crowd involved for the majority of the show. After “Feeling This,” Hoppus said, “I have to do this at least once while we’re here.” And he shouted, “the stars at night, are big and bright,” and the crowd responded with, “deep in the heart of Texas,” accompanied by the famous five-count clap.

Hoppus also said they would do something to share with everyone after the show. He had the Amphitheater turn off the lights and requested everyone light up their phones, as they played a couple of songs in the dark.

Having released their latest album, “California,” last summer, Blink still made sure to play both new and old fan favorites.

They played songs such as, “Bored to Death,” “Los Angeles,” and “She’s Out of Her Mind” from their new album, as well as older hits, including “First Date,” “All the Small Things,” and “What’s My Age Again.”

The show was full of emotion, made apparent by fights that broke out, the drugs passed around, love and anger between couples. To top it all off, a very unfitting mosh pit broke out.

Of course, for the last song on their set, Blink jumped into their most prominent song, “Dammit.”

As most bands do, they made the most of this one, letting red and white confetti fly as they threw picks and drum sticks. Hoppus even brought a kid on stage to go wild on the drums alongside him.

Though the show seemed to have ended abruptly, and without an encore, this was still an intense show you would expect to see from the leaders of the punk-rock genre.

[Photo by SERGIO MADRID/PLAINSMAN PRESS]