YEAR IN REVIEW: The band part ways with UMG, their longtime home, and embark on a twentieth anniversary tour. Later in the year, they reconvene for a holiday EP, Dogs Eating Dogs, and promise the true return of the band.

 

5/9/2012: The band cancels a host of North American tour dates due to Travis's "sudden tonsillectomy." 

6/7/2012: 

• The band performs at National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, beginning the 20th Anniversary Tour. Poster, Poster 2

  • Other bands included Four Year Strong.

6/8/2012: 

• The band performs at The O2 Arena in London, England. Poster

  • Other bands included Four Year Strong.

6/9/2012: 

• The band performs at The O2 Arena in London, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/12/2012: 

• The band performs at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. Poster

  • Other bands included Four Year Strong.

6/13/2012: 

• The band performs at Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Four Year Strong.

6/15/2012: 

• The band performs at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/16/2012: 

• The band performs at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. Poster, Poster 2

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/17/2012: 

• The band performs at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield in Sheffield, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/19/2012: 

• The band performs at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/20/2012: 

• The band performs at Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Poster, Poster 2

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Twin Atlantic.

6/23/2012: 

• The band performs at Neuhausen ob Eck Airfield in Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany as a part of the Southside Festival. Poster

  • Other bands included the Cure, Rise Against, the Stone Roses, Mumford & Sons, and more.

6/25/2012: 

• The band performs at Eichenring in Scheeßel, Germany as a part of the Hurricane Festival. Poster

  • Other bands included the Cure, Rise Against, the Stone Roses, Mumford & Sons, and more.

6/26/2012: 

• The band performs at Grugahalle in Essen, Germany. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Royal Republic.

6/27/2012: 

• The band performs at Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Royal Republic.

6/28/2012: The band performs at Werchter Festival Grounds in Werchter, Belgium as a part of Rock Werchter.

6/30/2012: 

• The band performs at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Royal Republic.

7/1/2012: The band performs at Citadelle d'Arras in Arras, France.

7/3/2012: 

• The band performs at Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/4/2012: 

• The band performs at Piazza Napoleone in Lucca, Italy as a part of the Lucca Summer Festival. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/5/2012: 

• The band performs at Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/7/2012: 

• The band performs at Windsor Hall in Bournemouth, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and the Blackout.

7/8/2012: 

• The band performs at Eden Project in Bodelva, England as a part of the Eden Sessions. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/10/2012: 

• The band performs at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff in Cardiff, Wales. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and the Blackout.

7/11/2012: 

• The band performs at Capital FM Arena Nottingham in Nottingham, England. Poster (gif)

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/12/2012: 

• The band performs at Echo Arena Liverpool in Liverpool, England as a part of the Liverpool Summer Pops. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and the Blackout.

7/14/2012: 

• The band performs at Rockhal in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/17/2012: 

• The band performs at Arena of Nîmes in Nîmes, France as a part of the Nîmes Festival.

  • Other bands included Bjork, Elton John, Bob Dylan, David Guetta, Sum 41, LMFAO, and more.

7/19/2012: 

• The band performs at Sant Jordi Club in Barcelona, Spain. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/20/2012: 

• The band performs at Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, Spain. Poster

• •  

    Ticket

    Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Everlyn.

7/21/2012: 

• The band performs at Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/24/2012: 

• The band performs at O2 Apollo Manchester in Manchester, England. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects.

7/25/2012: 

• The band performs at O2 Academy Brixton in London, England, ending the first leg of the 20th Anniversary Tour. Poster

  • Other bands included the All-American Rejects and Lower Than Atlantis.

8/7/2012: 

• Tom tweets: "Me, Mark and Travis are having a 2 day "sexual" retreat in valley of Utah next month to discuss world domination..and get a couple's massage" 

• It's the first mention of a Utah retreat, one that Tom later writes was "quickly was narrowed down to three hours in someone's dressing room in a shitty casino. What I hoped would be a positive get-together away from everything turned into an awkward meeting in a smelly convention hall dressing room." That casino was very likely the following date:

9/13/2012: The band performs at WinStar Global Center in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

9/14/2012: The band performs at WinStar Global Center in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Poster

9/28/2012: The band performs at Boulevard Pool in Las Vegas, Nevada. Poster

9/29/2012: The band performs at Boulevard Pool in Las Vegas, Nevada. Poster

10/23/2012: The band leaves Interscope, becoming an independent act for the first time since their Cargo days. In celebration, Tom tweets an image of Mel Gibson from Braveheart, commenting, "Freedom!! Blink as of today, is now an independent Artist!!!!!"

10/24/2012: Mark speaks with MTV News about the label split: "It's a very exciting time here. I feel like our band is in the best place it's been in a long time." He also claims the band will "continue writing through the end of the year and begin recording after our tour of Australia in February."

10/29/2012: Mark talks to KROQ on the band's future: "We're better amongst ourselves than we've been in years. It's a real positive, excited energy between the three of us."

11/3/2012: According to Travis in an interview with Rolling Stone, this was (roughly) the day the trio began planning Dogs Eating Dogs.

11/8/2012:

• Mark tweets: "We're releasing some new blink-182 songs in a few weeks. Watch this space."

• Tom tweets: "New Blink EP for x mas... :)"

11/13/2012: Mark talks to MTV News via email on the EP: "This kind of agility is exactly what we were looking for, post-label."

11/19/2012: The band announces the EP title: dogs eating dogs (at this point, it's undercase).

12/11/2012: The band releases "Boxing Day" as the sole single from Dogs Eating Dogs.

12/18/2012: Blink's EP, Dogs Eating Dogs, is released online.

12/28/2012: Mark speaks with Alternative Press, claiming the band will "lock [themselves] in the studio" for their next album and "get back to the feeling of Untitled."