The rivalry on tour between Blink-182 and Green Day

The singer and bassist of Blink-182 Mark Hoppus During an interview with the British magazine NME returned with his memory over twenty years ago and spoke of the joint tour by Co-Headliner that his band made, in 2002, together with Green Daywho lit a certain degree of rivalry when I Blink-182 were chosen as a closing band despite the status of Green Day.

This is the story of Hoppus: “I was a big fan of the Green Day, then we went on tour with them, but it was strange that the Green Days in that period were in decline and the blink were on the rise. We were presented as co-headliner, but the blinks closed every evening. It was a strange feeling for us. Being headliner of their idols is a little strange.”

Despite the competition that was established, personal relationships between the bands remained positive. “My wife and Billie’s wife were great friends. Billie was super kind to us. Then, when the time came to get on stage … it’s like for athletes: we could be in different teams, but when we take the field we will try to split the ass to everyone.”

In reality the competition during the Pop disaster tour He ended up improving the performances of both bands. “We did not introduce ourselves with that attitude, but they yes. The first evenings literally overwhelmed us on stage. We thought, ‘Oh shit, we have to raise the level’. Then it was a continuous battle on who would have made the best show and who would conquer the public. I think we inspired them so much that they said, ‘we have to split the blink-182 with a fantastic album entitled’ American Idiot ‘.

The tour lasted a couple of months, for a total of 47 concerts. In the backstage Cameraism and confrontation alternated. The album of Blink-182 “Take off your pants and jacket” (Read the review here), released the previous year, had reached the first place in the standings. As he joked (but not too much) in the interview Mark Hoppusi Green Day they raised the level of their creativity and made, in 2004, “American Idiot” (Read the review here).