Blink 182

In 2016, Blink 182 is set to embark on their first major tour in five years. In support of their 2016 album, California, Blink 182's tour will begin at Viejas Arena in San Diego on July 22. From there, Blink 182 will perform across the country through the beginning of October. Other stops on Blink 182's circuit include Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta, Nikon at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY, DTE Energy Music Theater in Detroit, and Key Arena in Seattle. The tour will wrap up at The Forum in Los Angeles on October 1.

Joining Blink 182 for the majority of their shows will be A Day to Remember, The All-American Rejects and All Time Low. Get your Blink 182 tickets today!

California is the seventh studio album by Blink 182, and is their first album without Tim DeLonge, who left the band in 2015. Produced by John Feldmann, California's only single is "Bored to Death," which was released on April 27, 2016. In total, California consists of 16 tracks.

Blink 182 was formed in Poway, California in 1992. The original lineup of Mark Hoppus, Tom Delonge, and Scott Raynor quickly got to work after meeting, recording demos, including Buddha. After spending a couple of years formulating their unique style, the band, then simply named Blink, began to record their first album, Cheshire Cat, which was released in 1994. Although they were primarily a local phenomenon at the time, the band was able to increase their profile by getting radio airplay for some songs, including "M&M's," The album wasn't commercially successful outside of San Diego County, but it helped further establish Blink 182 as a viable punk band.

Even with limited sales, the up-and-coming act was already gaining notice, especially by an Irish band of the same name. Facing the threat of a lawsuit, Blink quickly appended "182" to their name. With a fan base established at home, Blink 182 went on tour throughout 1995 and 1996, while also writing songs for their second album. The record, Dude Ranch, fueled by its lead single "Dammit," helped spread Blink 182's music to an international audience. This time when the group went on tour, everyone was looking for Blink 182 tickets. During the tour, drummer Raynor left the band, allegedly due to alcohol abuse issues, and was replaced by current drummer Travis Barker. The tour was completed by the new lineup and following it, Blink 182 began recording the album that would make them superstars.

Superstardom

That album, Enema of the State, was released in June 1999 and immediately became a hit. Led by singles "What's My Age Again," "Adam's Song," and Blink's now-signature song "All the Small Things," it brought the band to a mainstream audience. Its since sold over 15 million copies. Enema represented a slight change in style for Blink. More time in the studio allowed the band to experiment, and new band mate Barker lent composition expertise. The work paid off the next year when the band was chosen as Choice Rock Group at the Teen Choice Awards and "All the Small Things" won Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

After taking some time to support the album on stage, Blink went to work on Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, which they released in 2001. Though it didn't nearly match the commercial success of Enema, it remains their second best-selling album to date. Featuring singles "The Rock Show," "First Date," and "Stay Together for the Kids," Take Off continued the experimentation started with the previous album. According to Mark Hoppus, the band aimed for a bigger sound with more immediate lyrics. The album ultimately sold two million copies.

Hiatus and Reformation

Following Take Off, the band was as popular as ever, but the ride was not to last. The band's future "indefinite hiatus" may have been foreshadowed during the production of Blink's 2003 self-titled album, which ran far overtime compared to the previous ones. The production was much more complex, featuring completely new instrument setups for each song, as opposed to Blink's previous tendency to only incrementally change the sound per song. The lengthy recording schedule and more involved production seemed to pay off. Blink-182 was critically acclaimed for its more mature sound, due to all three band members' then-newfound status as fathers.

However, the production schedule also led to problems, with some mixes being done very close to the deadline. The final days were some of the most stressful, particularly for DeLonge. By the time Blink went on tour to support Blink 182, DeLonge wanted to take time off, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family. The tensions developing in the band came to a head during the European tour with an extensive argument, leading to the rest of the tour being canceled. Blink ultimately took the break, but came back together for a benefit concert a few months later. During rehearsals, the band again argued, resulting in the six month break becoming an "indefinite hiatus."

During that time, all three members created new bands, with Barker and Hoppus forming +44, and DeLonge forming Angels and Airwaves. The band's reconciliation began following the death of longtime producer Jerry Finn in August 2008. The following month, Barker was involved in a plane crash that almost cost him his life. The band finally appeared on stage again during the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, where they announced the resumption of recording. The first new Blink-182 album since reuniting, Neighborhoods, was released on September 27, 2011. Its first single, "Up All Night," was released on July 14. In 2015, Tom DeLonge was replaced by Matt Skiba.