Las Vegas. Its opulence is buoyed by its chameleonic and arguably checkered past, its extravagance tempered by its plastic façade of imitation. It’s a place that seems to openly enjoy taking the piss out of itself. A somewhat fitting locale for the pop punk veterans Blink-182 to stake its very first, and historic, Las Vegas residency.
Having carved itself out of the early 90’s punk scene with masterful pop punk rhymes combined with endearing high school potty humour, over the past few decades the group has seen its fair share of successes combined with growing pains. Helping transform the group into a full fledge rock machine that’s evolved a great deal sonically, but still holds close a respectful grasp of its tongue in cheek beginnings.
Las Vegas too, has had its fair share of transformation; shedding its mafia influenced past in favour of a more family friendly focus, to its current tourist centric modern-day spectacle. A perfect spot for a band like Blink-182 to lay down some roots for a few months through its inaugural “Kings of the Weekend” residency; in a place usually more known for its variety shows and pop/dance musical runs. Pop Punk or Punk Rock (or whatever you care to categorize the music Blink-182 plays) is not usually high on the radar residencies of Sin City. Yet, that was almost the best part of the allure, in that it allowed fans to take in a show unlike any other, in a more mature and exotic setting such as the Palms Resort – in the glimmer of the famous strip. As the group and its fans age, this was the perfect venue to enjoy watching a band many of us have grown up loving, play its eclectic hits both old and new in an operatic Vegas setting. Songs were expertly arranged and taken to new heights at just the right moments, all with some vintage Blink-182 humour mixed in along the way. This was a band at its epicenter.
Whether or not something like this happens again, for fans of Blink-182, it was an honour to have been in the presence of this incredibly unique environment. This was the culmination of the band’s past, present and future aligning, and maybe finally addressing that age-old line of, “Well I guess this is growing up?”.
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