In the wake of recent disputes about Tom DeLonge‘s autotuned vocals during a performance at Coachella, the Blink-182 frontman has stirred the pot again. This time, he’s taken to social media to assert that the band is so skilled they don’t even require a soundcheck.
In a new video posted on Instagram, DeLonge and Mark Hoppus let fans in on their casual pre-show conversation. This peek behind the curtain showed the duo, along with their stage crew, preparing for their performance. However, according to the band members, their prep work doesn’t involve much. DeLonge and Hoppus shared with their followers that they see no need for a soundcheck — a bold claim, suggesting that their prowess on stage is such that they can skip this common practice.
Hoppus went on to reminisce about previous concerts where they had stumbled a bit. Specifically, he mentioned three songs from their past shows, including ‘Happy Holidays’, where things hadn’t gone as planned. But, in true Blink-182 fashion, they’d found an easy solution: turning on all the lights. Hoppus explained that this simple fix made everything fall into place, and they were able to execute the song flawlessly. In agreement with Hoppus, DeLonge added that these experiences prove they’re more than capable of delivering great performances, soundcheck or not.
Here is what Tom DeLonge said:
“I guess we’re going to skip soundcheck today because we don’t want to f*cking do it.”
Mark Hoppus chimed in:
“We’re that good. We don’t need it.”
DeLonge added:
“We don’t need to check our sound.”
Hoppus then recalled:
“Yeah, we only messed up three songs the other night. ‘Man Overboard,’ ‘Happy Holidays.'”
DeLonge said:
“In ‘Happy Holidays,’ all we had to do was turn the lights on, and we played it perfectly.”
Hoppus agreed, saying:
“I just had to have all the lights turned on. I had to turn and look directly at Travis, and then we knocked it out of the park.”
DeLonge then stated:
“See? We don’t need that sh*t; we’re f*cking great.”
After the recent autotune controversy, it’s clear that DeLonge isn’t letting it shake his confidence. He’s come out to assert that Blink-182 is so good they can forgo soundchecks altogether. Whether this claim holds up in their upcoming performances, fans will have to wait and see.
