San Diego hometown heroes blink-182 took over the home of the San Diego Padres, Petco Park, for what would be the band’s explosive return home during their expansive One More Time Tour. San Diego natives and others across Southern California would make the trek to rock out the sold-out performance with Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker.
Joining forces with blink-182 during the San Diego stop of the One More Time Tour would be English pop-rock band, Hot Milk and Pierce The Veil, yet another group of natives to beautiful San Diego.
I arrived a few hours before the venue’s posted opening time and explored San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter where various blink-182 shirts would be seen as concertgoers took in a drink, grabbed a bite to eat, and just in general hung around blasting songs from throughout blink-182’s massive catalog as we all watched the time flyby.
It wouldn’t take too long after entering the floor of Petco Park before Hot Milk would take the stage and ignite the crowd with their brand of fast and kick-ass tunes that would see the crowd on their feet, having the time of their lives as they quickly took over the screens fixated on the stage.
This was my first time seeing Hot Milk live and after their San Diego performance, I know it won’t be my last. The band’s high-energy performance won me over quickly as I found myself scrolling through my phone instantly following them on socials and adding their songs to a quickly put-together playlist.
Hot Milk would charge through songs such as, “Bad Influence,” “Horror Show,” and “Glass Spiders” to name just a few of the band’s short but jam-packed setlist which honestly saw the band not wasting any time while not missing out on giving the crowd just a taste of their own on stage banter and crowd interactions. It was a crazy fun time, and I’m glad they got to perform in front of a good chunk of the show’s sold-out crowd.
Hot Milk would quickly be off the stage and wasting no time, Pierce The Veil would appear, leading right into “Death of an Executioner” off the band’s latest album, The Jaws of Life. It was exciting to see Pierce The Veil live again, as the last time I got to experience a PTV performance was during the 2015 Self Help Festival.
Pierce The Veil has not missed a step, if anything, their live performances continue to improve as I found myself falling in love with some of the band’s other songs off their latest album that found their way onto the setlist that I otherwise disliked beforehand.
PTV would of course perform a handful of fan favorites like, “Caraphernelia,” “Circles,” and “Bulls in the Bronx,” which would simply ignite the crowd into a flurry of excitement. I personally still have the band’s hit single, “King for a Day” as a personal favorite, and they did not disappoint as their set would come to an end following their performance of the hit song as the crowd sang their hearts out.
The time would continue to tick away and just shy of 9 PM the lights throughout Petco Park would black out and the familiar sound of WWE wrestler Undertaker’s theme song would ring throughout the baseball stadium, as blink-182 made their way onto the stage.
Kicking things off wasting zero time, the pop-punk legends would begin with “Feeling This,” quickly igniting the crowd as emotions began to fly throughout the electric atmosphere being created.
Jumping through a flurry of “The Rock Show,” “Man Overboard,” and “Aliens Exist,” frontmen Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus would have the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands with amazing comedic timing, as DeLonge would let the crowd know about a vacant lot where he had just had sex ahead of the night’s performance which had drummer Travis Barker in stitches.
Mirroring the amazing dynamics from their 2023 reunion performance at BMO Stadium, blink-182 continues to improve throughout their post-reunion phase. A highlight amongst fans going into the band’s One More Time Tour was blink-182 swapping out a duo of songs between each stop, with San Diego getting the combo of “Easy Target” and “M+M’s.”
Circling the swapped songs would be electric performances of “Bored To Death,” “Up All Night,” and “EDGING.” I will say, throughout the band’s set, I had wished a few more songs from the tour’s namesake would have been included, for example, “TURPENTINE,” “BLINK WAVE,” and “TERRIFIED,” as some of the best songs performed throughout the night were the songs off of One More Time….
One of my personal highlights of the entire night was blink-182’s set inclusion of a small medley that contained +44’s “When Your Heart Stops Beating” and Box Car Racer’s “There Is.” There was just something cool about hearing a packed stadium singing along as the band performed a duo of songs that before this current reunion would have been an impossible thought.
Another cool little thing was the direct inclusion of Travis Barker’s high-flying drum solo as an addition to the band’s performance of “Not Now,” and not just its own solitary thing. One thing’s for sure; this go-around throughout the One More Time Tour, there is a better flow if you were to compare each little detail alongside 2023’s reunion outing.
The band would also perform their yet-to-be-released tune, “Can’t Go Back.” A song I can’t wait to listen to once the supposed deluxe edition of One More Time… drops later this summer/fall.
Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus would of course continue their onslaught of jokes with DeLonge taking on a set that would constantly attack the Texas-infused Mexican food known as Tex-Mex which DeLonge and others in the crowd would label as the worst thing to happen to Mexican food.
The guys would continue their San Diego takeover with a fiery performance of “ANTHEM PART 3,” alongside traditional live show stables, “What’s My Age Again,” “First Date,” and of course, “All The Small Things,” which would have bassist Mark Hoppus also perform Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The amazing One More Time Tour would sadly come to an end with blink-182 ripping through the always fun “Dammit,” which would lead right into the band’s emotional finale of “One More Time.” A truly emotional performance that saw the band covered in smoke effects as concertgoers began to leave hoping to make their escape as quickly as possible.
Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker would make their exit as “The Adventure” by the Tom DeLonge-led Angels & Airwaves would blare throughout Petco Park continuing the band’s show of bonding and healing. A fun gesture from bassist Mark Hoppus, catching Tom DeLonge off guard.
Everything from Hot Milk’s electric performance that transformed me into a fan to Pierce The Veil proving they have what it takes to play in front of massive crowds, to of course blink-182 successfully taking over their hometown of San Diego was purely amazing.
Everything about the One More Time Tour was special, calculated, and perfect. Nobody can do what blink-182 does, and they continue to showcase that fact with each live performance. If the tour is coming to a city near you, I can’t recommend attending enough.
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