YEAR IN REVIEW: Blink tour nationwide and begin to headline their own bills, leading to a spot on the Warped Tour. They also venture outside North America for the first time, playing shows in the United Kingdom and Japan. In November, they sign to MCA, a major label, who will co-distribute their next album, Dude Ranch, which they begin recording in December.

​

1/5/1996: 

• The band performs at Showcase Theatre in Corona, California. Poster, Poster 2, Poster 3

• •  

    Ticket

    Other bands included Homegrown, Sprung Monkey, and Sacklunch.

1/6/1996: 

• The band performs at Showcase Theatre in Corona, California. Poster, Poster 2

  • Other bands included Wisecrack, Backside, Donuts n' Glory, and Mindlis Thots.

1/19/1996: The band performs at Ventura Theatre in Ventura, California. Other bands included The Aquabats, Nutmeg and Ska Daddys. Flyer

1/26/1996:

• The band performs at Mr. Crowns in Tijuana, Mexico. Poster

  • Other bands included Pennywise and Pivit.

• This was the band’s first Mexican show, and only one of four known dates the band has ever played in that country — the remaining three took place in April 2004.

1/27/1996:

• The band performs at SOMA in San Diego, California, completing the GoodTimes Tour. Video 1, Poster, Poster 2, Merchandise Table

  • Other bands included Pennywise and Sack Lunch.

2/1996: 

• After a two-month delay, They Came to Conquer Uranus is released. The EP with Swindle, titled Lemmings / Going Nowhere, is set for February, but the band mocks this projection in their newsletter: "look for it this summer!" According to Larry Munroe, who posted tour dates for the band on alt.punk, the split EP did indeed see release that month.

• According to Rob Perelman, he may have received the split EP with Swindle beginning on 1/23/1996, which indicates that those records were pressed and completed around that time (perhaps they were mailed out and sold beginning in February?)

2/9/1996: The band performs in Long Beach, California, beginning a short mini-tour, though this show may have been cancelled.

2/10/1996: 

• The band performs at Atascadero Academy in Atascadero, California. Flyer, Picture, Flyer 2

  • Other artists included Pennywise, Unwritten Law, and Sprung Monkey.

2/11/1996: The band performs at Palookaville in Santa Cruz, California. Website Proof

2/13/1996: The band performs at Berkley Square in Berkley, California.

2/15/1996: The band performs at the Guild Theater in Sacramento, California.

2/17/1996: The band performs at Mazzotti's in Las Vegas, Nevada, completing a short mini-tour. 

Note : An article from a newspaper from that show refers to a venue called DV8's which is different to the venue mentionned above (that show might have been moved to the venue DV8's?) Article

3/1996: The band begins courting major labels, according to TFBYM. The book lists Epic, Atlantic, Interscope, Columbia, and Epitaph as among the labels who sent A&R reps to shows.

3/1/1996: The band performs at the Roxy in Los Angeles, beginning a month-long mini-tour. Poster

Other Poster

3/3/1996: The band performs at Club 156 in Boulder Colorado. Other bands included The Fairlanes and Slipkid. Flyer

3/4/1996: The band performs at Mercury Cafe in Denver, Colorado. Other band included Jimmy Eat World. 

3/6/1996: 

• The band performs at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Other bands included Big Angry Fish.

3/9/1996:

• The band performs at Centre de Rocher in Quebec as a part of Sno Jam.

• Poster

  Ticket Stub

  Back of Ticket Stub 

  Picture

• Much Music Report

  Other bands include Ten Foot Pole, Shades Apart, and Youth Brigade.

• This was the band’s first Canadian show.

3/11/1996: The band performs at Spectrum in Montreal as a part of Sno Jam. Poster, Video 1, Video 2 (soundcheck)

3/12/1996: The band performs at Salle St.-Phillipe in Drummondville as a part of Sno Jam. Poster

Poster 2

Poster 3

Picture

Article

Other Picture

3/13/1996: 

• The band performs at Irving Plaza in New York City. Audio

• •  

    Flyer

    Other bands included Fear, Sam Black Church, Antiseen and Thorazine.

3/15/1996: 

• The band performs at Emo's in Austin, Texas as part of the SXSW Showcase. Poster, Flyer

  • Other bands included 30:06 and Four Squirrels.

3/16/1996: The band performs at Twister's in Richmond, Virginia. Other bands included Lost Tribe, Algebra One and pre-skool. Flyer

Advert

3/17/1996: 

• The band performs at Rockafellas’ in Columbia, South Carolina. Flyer

  • Other bands included Gameboy.

3/18/1996: The band performs at the Wreck Room in Atlanta, Georgia. Video 1

3/20/1996: 

• The band performs at Joe Mocha's in St. Petersburg, Florida. Guitar Pick from that show

  • Other bands include Squirtgun (headliner) and Family Size.

  • Flyer

3/21/1996: 

• The band performs at Cheers in Miami, Florida. Video 1, Video 3 (interview)

• Though unconfirmed, it is assumed this is where an interview with Victory Records was shot.

3/22/1996: 

• The band performs at the Milk Bar in Jacksonville, Florida. Flyer, ticket

• Though the band had rechristened themselves with -182 for some time, some promoters apparently had not gotten the memo, as the ticket linked above lists them only as Blink.

3/23/1996: The band performs at Carol's Place in Melbourne, Florida. Other bands included The Skalidays. According to Leigh BZ who was at this show, there were less than 100 people at that show! Flyer 

3/24/1996: The band performs at Offbeat in Fort Myers, Florida. Poster

3/26/1996: The band performs at Emo's in Austin, Texas.

3/28/1996: The band performs at the Nile Theater in Mesa, Arizona.

3/29/1996: 

• The band performs at the Prescott Fairgrounds in Prescott, Arizona. Flyer

  • Other bands include Agent Orange (headliner), Horace Pinker, Hero, and Sam the Butcher.

3/30/1996:

• The band performs at SOMA in San Diego, California.

• Poster​

• Advert

• Other bands included Radiohead, Insane Clown Posse, Cracker, Bouncing Souls, the Goops, David Gray, and Cast.

• This show was organized by San Diego radio station 91X. Hilary Chambers, its music director, posted a blog on the station's website in 2016 with details about the show.

4/1/1996: The band performs at Troubadour in Los Angeles, California.*

4/11/1996: 

• The band performs at Atascadero Armory in Atascadero, California. Poster, Ticket

  • Other bands included Skankin' Pickle (headliner), Good Riddance, and Schleprock.

4/12/1996: 

• The band performs at Oakhearst Community Center in Oakhurst, California. Flyer

  • Other bands included Skankin' Pickle (headliner), Stinkaholic, and Goldfinger.

• Kevin-182 records this date as being played at the Milk Bar in Jacksonville. Though Blink played many shows at the venue, it was likely an error. Most shows between 4/11 and 4/16 were SoCal shows.

4/16/1996: The band performs at the Edge in Palo Alto, California.* From kaahnman who was at this show : "Saw Blink 182 open a Punk / Ska show with like 6 other bands in Palo Alto in 1995/6. They began playing before the actual starting time. Tweet

The band performs at El Dorado Saloon in Carmichael, California. Other bands included Voodoo Glow Skulls, Red Aunts and The Independents. Poster

4/25/1996: The band performs at an in-store gig at Benway Pop in Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas. Flyer, Other Flyer (signed by Scott and Tom), Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

An attendee was at this show and shared this cool story : "It was a free instore. No charge or ticket. I saw Blink 182 play there and they played a metal song because I was the only guy there with long hair so they made me feel welcome!".

The band performs at the Alumni Amphitheatre at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada. Picture

An attendee that was at this particular show added that they played at the Alumni Amphitheatre during the day and later at the Benway Pop during the evening.

5/3/1996: 

• The band performs at The Dome in San Bernadino, California. Poster, newspaper flyer 1, newspaper flyer 2

• Ticket Stub

  Concert Handbill

  Picture 1

  Picture 2

• Other Flyer

• Other Flyer

  Other bands included Ten Foot Pole, Sense Field, Homegrown, and Assorted Jelly Beans.

5/5/1996: The band performs at Showcase Theatre in Corona, California.*

5/6/1996: The band performs at Egan Hall in San Bernadino, California.*

5/10/1996: 

• The band performs at the Playroom, Gold Coast, Australia. Poster

  • Other bands included Blister and Gilgamesh.

• Here's a shirt sold on this tour, using the "Wasting Time" single art. Image

5/11/1996: 

• The band performs at the Surfer's Paradise Surf Club, Australia. Flyer, Poster

  • Other bands included Blister and Gilgamesh.

• The band performs at Crash n Burn, Brisbane, Australia. Poster

  • Other bands included Blister and Gilgamesh.

5/12/1996: 

• The band performs at Crash n Burn, Brisbane, Australia. Signed CD from that show

• • Poster

    Other bands included Blister and Gilgamesh.

• The band performs at Noosa Reef Hotel, Noosa Heads. Poster

  • Other bands included Blister and Gilgamesh.

5/17/1996: 

• The band performs at the Sands Hotel in New South Wales, Australia. Flyer, Ticket

  • Other bands include Bodyjar and Hammonds.

• This date and the following date were part of a short run billed as “the More GoodTimes tour”.

5/18/1996: 

• The band performs at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Flyer

  • Other bands include Bodyjar and Hammonds.

5/21/1996: The band performs at the ANU Unibar in Canberra, Australia. Other band included Hammonds. Flyer

5/23/1996: The band performs at the Adelaide University in Adelaide, Australia. Other band included Numbskulls. Poster

5/24/1996: The band performs at the Tivoli Hotel in Adelaide, Australia. Other band included Numbskulls. Poster

5/25/1996: 

• The band performs at Joeys Oxide Prahran in Melbourne, Australia. Poster

• •  

    Advert

    Other bands included Frenzal Rhomb and Pollen + Trevor.

• This date and the following date were part of a short run billed as “the Wasting Time tour”.

5/26/1996: 

• The band performs at Joeys Oxide Prahran in Melbourne, Australia. Poster 

• Advert

• Other bands included Frenzal Rhomb and Pollen + Trevor.

5/31/1996: The band performs at The Groove in Honolulu, Hawaii. Poster 1

Poster 2

Advert

6/4/1996: 

• The band performs at Moscow in West Palm Beach, Florida, beginning the Florida Vacation Tour '96.* Flyer

• Other bands (probably) included Unwritten Law (no poster yet, so no proof).

6/5/1996: 

• The band performs at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida. Poster

• Other bands included Unwritten Law.

6/7/1996: 

• The band performs at the Milk Bar in Jacksonville, Florida. Poster, Advert

• Advert 2

• Advert 3

• Ticket Stub

• Other bands included Unwritten Law and Quarter Roy.

6/9/1996: 

• The band performs at Fairbanks Inn in Winter Park, Florida, ending the Florida Vacation Tour '96. Poster, Video 1

• Other bands included Unwritten Law.

6/13/1996: The band performs at The Palace in Hollywood, California.*

7/4/1996: 

• The band performs at Desert Sky Pavalion in Phoenix, Arizona, kicking off their stint on Warped Tour 1996.

• Matt Connelly tells a story (at 13:35 in this video) about meeting Mark on this date in Episode 6 of the podcast One Crazy Story with Nate Armbruster.

7/5/1996: The band performs at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Ticket

Poster

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture 7

Flyer

7/7/1996: 

• The band performs at Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. Poster

  • Other bands included Face to Face and the Jimmies.

• It’s entirely possible this date took place in 1997, or even 1998, but I find it most plausible that it would have taken place during this time and have included it here for now.

7/12/1996: The band performs at The Daily Grind in Kansas City, Missouri. Other bands included Nuclear Family and 110 Volts. Flyer

7/13/1996: 

• The band performs at the Palace in Hollywood, California. Ticket, Poster

• •  

    Flyer

    Other bands included Incubus and Homegrown.

• The show was NOT a Warped Tour date.

• Our own daveyjones recalls that on this date Mark passed out stickers debuting new lettering for the band logo.

7/22/1996: ​

• The band performs at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ⁃ Other bands included Unwritten Law, 7 Seconds, and Sprung Monkey. Advert

• Picture

• Aaron Goodyear recalls this show : "Blink 182 opening for Samiam in 7th Street Entry, 1996. 40-50 people there." Tweet

  The show was NOT a Warped Tour date.

7/23/1996: The band performs at Thurston's in Chicago, Illinois. Other bands included Samiam and China Drum. This was an all-ages show and tickets costed 10$. Website Proof

7/24/1996: 

• The band performs at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, Michigan. Poster

• Full Show

• Advert

  Other bands included Unwritten Law.

• The show was NOT a Warped Tour date.

7/28/1996: The band performs at Hippodrome Racetrack in Montreal, Quebec as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Flyer, 

Other Flyer

Poster

Flyer 2

Ticket Stub

Flyer 3

7/29/1996: 

• The band performs at the Underworld in Montreal, Quebec. Other bands included My Big Wheel and Unwritten Law.

• Full Show

• Unwritten Law Set

• Flyer

• Picture

• JasonD79 recalls this show : "Blink 182 at Underworld in Montreal. Must have been July 1996. 200 people capacity. Tweet

• The show was NOT a Warped Tour date.

• Article

7/30/1996: The band performs at Northampton Airport in Northampton, Massachusetts as a part of Warped Tour 1996.

Ticket

Ticket and Press Passes

Poster

Picture 1

Picture 2

7/31/1996: The band performs at the Capitol Ballroom in Washington, D.C. as a part of Warped Tour 1996.

Full Show

Set Times

Ticket Stub

8/1/1996: 

• The band performs at Blockbuster/Sony Entertainment Center in Camden, New Jersey as a part of Warped Tour 1996.  Audio

• Here is Scott Raynor's itinerary from that day: Itinerary 1, Itinerary 2, Itinerary 3. Poster, Ticket

8/2/1996: The band performs at Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Ticket

8/3/1996: The band performs at Barnstable City Fairgrounds in Falmouth, Massachusetts as a part of Warped Tour 1996.

Full Show

Ticket Stub

Tom watching the DHC set

8/4/1996: The band performs at the Ashbury Park in New Jersey as a part of the Warped Tour 1996. Other bands included Fluf, Sexpod, Sensefield, Guttermouth, Suicide Machines, Figgs, Unwritten Law, Rocket From The Crypt, Dance Hall Crashers, Deftones, CIV, Nofx, Shelter, Fishbone, Down by Law, Pennywise and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Ticket Stub

8/6/1996: The band performs at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, Florida as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Ticket Stub, Flyer

8/7/1996: The band performs at the AT&T Amphitheater at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida as a part of Warped Tour 1996. 

Ticket Stub

Full Show

Picture 

Other Picture

8/8/1996: The band performs at Club La Vela in Panama City, Florida as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Poster

8/9/1996: The band performs at Cocoa Expo in Cocoa, Florida as a part of Warped Tour 1996. Video 1, 

Ticket Stub

8/12/1996: 

• The band performs at Backdrafts in Corpus Christi, Texas. Flyer and Ticket Stub​

• ​Other Flyer
• Article
• Reddit user matterbaiter78: "Great show! Probably less than 100 people. Think it was only 10 bucks for the ticket. I remember them just playing pool and hanging out before the show. They were still relatively unknown at the time. We heard them first on some surf videos and then bought Cheshire Cat and was hooked. Unwritten Law became a favorite for awhile afterwards also." Reddit 
• Other bands included Unwritten Law, China Drum, and the Hit-N-Runs.

8/13/1996: The band performs at Backdrafts in Corpus Christi, Texas. Other bands included Jedi Mind Trick and Hit-N-Runs. Flyer

8/16/1996: The band performs at the Rainbow Amphitheatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other bands included Unwritten Law and China Drum. Flyer

8/17/1996: The band performs at the Elks Lodge #2399 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Other bands included Unwritten Law, China Drum and Donuts N' Glory. 

Picture

8/25/1996: The band performs at Sona in Montreal, PQ, Canada. Soundcheck, Touchdown Boy Live Performance 

9/1996 (undated): According to a letter postmarked this date and sent to longtime Blink fan daveyjones, Mark writes that he expects to enter a studio in San Diego to demo songs for Dude Ranch — unsure as to whether this is the Fitzferald demos or not.

9/6/1996: The band performs at Orange Pavilion in San Bernadino, California.*

9/15/1996: The band performs at the Marché aux Puces de Trois-Rivières in Québec, Canada. Other bands included No Fun At All, Bodyjar and Ten Days Late.

Ticket Stub

9/17/1996: 

• The band performs at the Salle Orange in St. Phillipe, Canada. Flyer

• •  

    Ticket

    Other bands included Bodyjar, No Fun at All, and Ten Days Late.

9/18/1996: The band performs at Sona in Montreal, PQ, Canada.

9/20/1996: 

• The band performs at Call the Office in London, Ontario. Poster,

• Poster 2

  Other bands included Bodyjar and Ten Days Late.

9/21/1996: 

• The band performs at the El Mocambo in Toronto, Canada.

• Poster

• Picture 1

• Picture 2

• Advert

• Other bands included Bodyjar, No Fun at All, and Ten Days Late.

9/28/1996: 

• The band performs at Bay NK Hall in Tokyo, Japan, kicking off their second stint on Warped Tour 1996. Image, Poster, Front of the T-Shirt, Back of the T-Shirt

  • Other bands included No Doubt (headliner).

• This was the band’s first-ever Asian show.

9/29/1996: 

• The band performs at Imperial Hall in Osaka, Japan. Front of the T-Shirt, Back of the T-shirt

• Poster

  Other bands included Social Distortion, Sick of It All, Dog Eat Dog, Murphys Law, and more.

9/30/1996: 

• The band performs at Diamond Hall in Nagoya, Japan, concluding their second stint on Warped Tour 1996.Front of the T-Shirt, Back of the T-Shirt

• Poster 

  Other bands included Social Distortion, Sick of It All, Dog Eat Dog, Murphys Law, and more.

10/5/1996: The band performs at a benefit concert for Adam Mejia at the Temecula Valley High School in California. The show took place from 4pm to midnight and other bands included Homegrown, Union, Pivit, Donuts & Glory, Midway and Wisecrack.

Flyer

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

The Californian News Article October 5th 1996

The Californian News Article October 9th 1996

10/8/1996: 

• The band performs at the Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles, California. Poster, poster 2, 

• Picture 1

• Picture 2

• Picture 3

• Other bands included the Descendents (headliner) and Mustard Plug.

• One of the most famous photos of this lineup of the band was taken backstage by photographer Jim Steinfeldt.

10/15/1996: Mark gets into a bitter online dispute with David Taba of Liberation Records via alt.punk. Subjects debated: money, Kung-Fu Records, and the meaning of "punk".

10/24/1996: 

• The band performs at SOMA in San Diego, California. 

  • Other bands include Unwritten Law, the Classified and Assorted Jellybeans.

11/1/1996: 

• The band performs at SOMA in San Diego, California.

• Ticket

  Picture 1

  Picture 2

  Picture 3

  Other bands included Carter Peace Mission, Joykiller and 98 Mute.

• Tom and Mark are interviewed in Thrasher; topics include their trip to Alaska, girlfriends.

​​