Fans kept eyes open for Blink-182
Jennifer Kho
COSTA MESA -- Armed with blankets, chairs and coolers, more than 200
teenagers waited up to 12 hours to see Blink-182 at Wherehouse Music on
Saturday.
“They are so cute and funny and I love their music,” said Harmony
Larsen, a 19-year-old Laguna Niguel resident who joined the line at 9
a.m. and was doing her homework during the wait. “I waited 11 hours
Monday to buy their CD and get a wristband so I could see them today.
It’s worth it.”
The first 500 people to buy the band’s new CD, “Take Off Your Pants
and Jacket,” at the Wherehouse Music store on Harbor Boulevard got
wristbands guaranteeing a place in line to meet Blink-182.
Toward the back of the wristbanded line, Evangelina Garibay, a
20-year-old Santa Ana resident, said she has every Blink-182 album.
“I’m willing to get sunburned from head to toe to see them,” she said,
squinting in the sun. “They are awesome, a great band. They are totally
crazy, and I just love them.’
Markelle Pellet, a 13-year-old Mission Viejo resident, arrived at the
store at 5 a.m. to be first in line. Pellet and her friends also waited
for 18 hours to be the first to buy the CD on Monday.
“Their style is not too loud, not too slow,” Pellet said. “My whole
room is covered with Blink-182 posters.”
Dennis Hicks, district manager for Wherehouse Music, said he was not
surprised that so many fans lined up so early.
“They love this band,” he said. “They connect on a personal, emotional
level with the band and they want to see them.”
The band -- consisting of guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus
and drummer Travis Barker -- is best known for hits like the Star
98.7-friendly “What’s My Age Again.”
Listening to Blink-182 music played on stereos and showing off their
gear, many fans talked about what they liked most about the band.
“They talk about real life,” said Natalie Burciaga, a 14-year-old
Costa Mesa resident. “They’re not like dumb Britney Spears. And they’re
the hottest people on Earth.”
Steven Torices, 15, of Downey, said the band has inspired him to take
bass lessons, among other things.
“They are unique and down to earth and they got me into punk music,”
he said. “They sing about teenagers’ problems, like loneliness, suicide,
dating, being a child with divorced parents -- all kinds of teenage
issues.”
Jason Lloyd, a 20-year-old Hacienda Heights resident, said he rushed
to the store from a funeral and had to find a ride because his car was
wrecked last week.
“I couldn’t miss it,” he said. “I like the band’s pop-punk style and
the music is also funny. I’ve liked them for years and years. They are
the first punk band I liked and, basically, my sense of humor and sense
of style have evolved from them.”
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