In an age where some bands only survive 2 weeks or a couple years, the bands playing on this tour could be considered ancient. Some might even say this tour could be called an Over the Hill type of tour since each band, including the opening act, has been around for at least a decade. But, that’s far from the truth. Each act prevailed by proving to their fans that they are from saying goodbye to their commitment of delivering one hell of a show.

Let’s get the show started. I watched as the occasional crew member tinkered with the instruments intended for The Living End. It was different yet intriguing to see the combination of a bass (one of those huge string instruments), a drum set, and a guitar for this type of band. Yet, Andy did tell me the music was very diverse. The band walked out and devoted “this one for Ray Charles.” I hadn’t spent a lot of time before the show previewing their music; but I was immediately drawn into both their sound and energy. Two of the songs I remember the titles to that they performed were “Jimmy” and “Who’s Gonna Save Us?” They played for about a half an hour- gaining movement from the audience with each song they performed. Their sound is exactly how Andy described it, diverse. At times you could hear pop, one time they introduced bluegrass, but their main form was a fun, energetic rock beat. I’m putting money down that we’ll hear more and more about The Living End in the next couple of years. They are more than ready for the success.

Some were left with uncertainty as to who would perform next due to the fact this is a co-headlining tour. But, there wasn’t much “doubt” left when a curtain projected a crown the No Doubt lettering with it. The next thing heard was the famous classic, “We Will Rock You.” Gwen appeared at the right of the stage to speak a bit about the band’s amazing run before the curtain revealed the rest of the band. She immediately rushed onto the stage as they started to perform “I’m Just A Girl.” The energy never died down after the point. Occasionally, we’d see a few props introduced to the set, such as a bathtub for “Bathwater” and a pink feather boa but that didn’t matter too much since the audience was so consumed with singing and dancing along to all the great hits off their singles CD. There wasn’t a minute where I found myself without something to do. For the longest time, I’ve heard crap about Gwen stealing the spotlight. Well, I’d like to kick whoever pulled that out of their ass. Gwen did an amazing job not only with her vocals (that had sounded almost better than CD quality) but the ability to jump around the stage, do cartwheels, and keep the crowd moving at all times…while singing LIVE. But, she wasn’t the only one having all the fun. Behind her and beside her, the band was rocking just as hard. At the left, Gabe was always grooving along with Stephen on the trumpet. Adrian was having the time of his life on the drums that read “Fucking good time.” And, we watched as Tony and Tom met center stage to interact the two guitars.

They were having a “Hella Good” time which actually happened to be the highlight of their show to me. Although I was feeling hella good with that song, I was loving every other minute including the slower ones including an acoustic version of “Running.” The band quickly did an encore. Adrian returned in a cheerleader skirt. Their encore set included a song devoted to the fans (It’s My Life) and one (Sunday Morning) devoted to the Blink guys . After these songs were over, the members all joined hands and bowed down gracefully before they made their exit.

The wait was even longer for Blink 182. And, it was even more frustrating since the curtain projected the shadows of those preparing backstage. But, it was worth the wait. The curtain again disappeared with the boys in the front of a few large, shapely video screens. The crowd screamed as if they were having an orgasm after hearing the opening notes to “Feeling This.” Now, the pit was in full force with crowd surfers and the famous mosh pit. After completing the first song, Mark noted how hot he looked on the big screen. Tom joked around by saying, “Yeah, my mom would do you.” The blink guys continued to rock as if it were their last show. The songs were much faster than that found on their albums but the audience didn’t seem to mind that. They played some songs I wasn’t familiar with since I’ve only heard the singles but after hearing the other stuff, I’m heading to Best Buy to purchase em. I was kinda disappointed the guys didn’t chat more in between songs. It was rushed where one song was after the other. It almost felt a bit more rehearsed than what I had heard they were like in previous tours. Yet, they never disappointed me with their drive to put on a good show. I was impressed with many of the songs including “The Rock Show,” “I Miss You,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “All The Small Things.” And I can’t review this show without mentioning how incredibly talented Travis is. Again, not to glorify one member more than the other, but you do get lost watching him perform. His variety of beats threw the crowd into a frenzy. It was impossible to not feel exhausted after experiencing that set. Needless to say, I’m going to save up my energy for the next Blink 182 show.

All in all, I’ve never had a better concert experience. Even though the rain was a major bummer, the performances completely made up for it. If you have a chance to see any of these bands perform, go for it. You get more than what your ticket cost- you get 120% of the real deal from the real people who know how to rock.