Photo by Ashly Nagrant

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Okay, maybe Dickens is a BIT much for this occasion. But I use that quote for a reason. Because, when I saw Fall Out Boy and Blink-182 on August 14th, it was really a double-edged sword. Blink was returning from an extended hiatus, touring together for the first time in years, and I was getting to watch a band I never thought I would get the chance to see perform live. However, on the other hand, this concert was taking place just one day after Fall Out Boy announced that following this tour they intend to “take a break.”

But that phrasing is important. They’re saying “take a break” rather than “break up” and after seeing their live show I know why. These are four guys who still love making music together. Which leads me to believe that this break is just that: time for the Fall Out Boys to be just boys.

I’ve been a fan of Fall Out Boy for years, but seeing them live is truly an experience. Their live show used to be regarded as a joke, but now the joke is on their critics. Joe and Pete continue to jump around and flail as if they’re still the same band playing suburban VFW halls — which is because, to a certain extent, they ARE that same band, just with a bigger audience. Trohman is occasionally underrated as a guitarist and the live show proves it. He plays hard and he plays his heart out, to the point where the following morning he mentioned on Twitter that he’s developed blood blisters on his fingers during this tour.

Watching Andy drum is occasionally hypnotic, he throws himself so completely into the beat that it sometimes almost seems like he’s in a Zen state on stage. And Patrick? If there is anything that has made a major change in the band’s existence, it is Stump’s onstage confidence, both in his stage presence and his vocal performances. His vocal variations, ranging from his normal rich and almost blues-influenced voice, to the occasional high note, to his recent trend to growl and scream certain lines in their songs, are a highlight of the show and are an argument for something I have long believed he should do during an FOB break: Patrick, we beg of you, please release a solo project. It can just be a bunch of covers called “Patrick Stump Covers Everything. Ever.”

But for now I can settle for the concert set list, which included many of Fall Out Boy’s singles such as “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” “Dance, Dance” and “I Don’t Care.’ Conspicuously missing was their latest single “What a Catch, Donnie,” which Pete has referenced as the band’s “swan song.” But perhaps that is part of the message they are trying to send: we’re not over yet. This message was further sent by their cover song for this tour: “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco on guest vocals.

But even as Fall Out Boy bows out, Blink-182, who have served as mentors, tourmates and most importantly friends, are on the rise again.

And it’s like they never really left.

From the second the boys took the stage they laid it all out. Their onstage cues, music, camaraderie and pretty much everything else you can think of had the feeling of a band that had never taken a break. In fact, it was hard to remember that this was their first tour back together and they’re treating it like a triumphant return.

Which it utterly is. They played to a packed crowd, blasting songs like “The Rock Show,” “What’s My Age Again” and “Adam’s Song.” It was hearing the soundtrack to my high school years all over again. It was very easy for me to get swept up in the fact that I was watching a band I had never had a reason to believe I would ever see perform live. The emotional impact was enough that, when the band began playing “I Miss You,” a friend and I both began crying. The friend with us mocked us a bit, but lost it herself during “Stay Together for the Kids.”

Crying at a Blink show? It seems far fetched considering their onstage banter in between involved conversation about licking each other’s necks, calling for a band hug, announcing “There shall be no texting tonight!” and occasional monologues by Tom that were accompanied by a computer-generated rabbit, Seabiscuit, holding up a sign that said “Shut UP Tom!” on the onstage screens. Seabiscuit showed up throughout a great deal of the show, shown running from screen to screen, jumping up and down, playing guitar and more. It’s weird to think that I’ve missed an animated rabbit mascot, but trust me, it was almost disgustingly nostalgic.

The show wasn’t without its faults, though. And actually, most of the fault fell on the venue. For some reason, certain gates were not allowing you to bring in anything. This included purses, blankets and even in one case a girl was denied the right to bring in her hoodie. However, other gates were allowing people to come through with just about anything. And you know what? People still managed to get weed in, LiveNation. The rules about having to leave my purse in my car (which, while I wasn’t there with a press pass, I was still there as a reporter and would have liked to take my notepad in with me) were obnoxious enough, but the fact that they were not uniformly enforced was worse. Bag searching I understand, but it’s not as if this were a concert with a high risk of people bringing in weaponry. It wasn’t even a hardcore dirty punk show. The crowd there was not the sort to start problems.

By the end of the night that didn’t matter, though. Because, when Blink left the stage and the crowd began the inevitable “One More Song!” chant, there was a tension in the air. One of my companions turned to me and said, “Something epic and amazing is about to happen. You know it.”

And then Travis Barker reappeared on stage. Sitting behind a drumset that was being suspended in mid air.

And then the platform it was on started rising. It proceeded to swing back and forth in mid air and then pause center stage, tilt and began to rotate. All while Barker played a drum solo. And I am talking a full-out, skin-smashing, heart-beating drum solo.

Then, after he was brought back down to the ground, Mark and Tom reappeared and they closed the show with “Dammit (Growing Up).” But this band is proof that growing up, growing old and growing stale are all completely different concepts. And they haven’t done any of them.