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I'm typically not interested in talking about live albums seeing as they are oftentimes more novelty than artistic endeavour (there are exceptions of course). But I wanted to take a quick detour to talk about blink-182's sole live album for one reason in particular. The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show includes a significant amount of material pre-Enema and with the inclusion of Travis Barker, the zany energy, and the dynamic performances due to the live setting, a lot of that early material translates so much better than the studio recordings. In many cases, these are my favourite versions of those songs. Dick Lips, which I thought was a pretty mediocre cut from Dude Ranch, benefits from the bump in tempo and Travis' insane marching snare skills. I feel like this track finally has the power and emotion to help DeLonge convey his troubled past. The band totally stops the show right before the bass solo in Voyeur to help Mark Hoppus 'prepare'. You would think that delaying the song's climax for a cheap joke is a little annoying, but believe me when I say that hearing that crisp bass, Barker's powerful drum hits, and DeLonge's aggressive count-in, I can't think of a more electrifying moment during the set. Pathetic sees huge improvements as well. Not only does Barker absolutely go off with all the lightning quick rolls and rhythm switch-ups, but the vocals from both Hoppus and DeLonge sound so much stronger and passionate. I also love how they repeat 'belong' after the chorus together in perfect harmony. They also capture my heart with a rendition of Peggy Sue, one of Cheshire Cat's strongest songs. Even in this live setting, all the instrumentation is punchier and way more impactful. I love the extended bass and drum breakdown where Barker is given the floor to riff expertly with some tightly packed hi-hat rolls. When DeLonge sets the band off into the song's climax, Barker goes flailing making sure to keep every cymbal moving while also keeping up the militant crack on the snare.
Yes, when it comes to the older material, there's no debating which one I would rather listen to. It has to be these live versions. In the case of the Enema of the State material though, it's hard to improve on perfection. What I can say though, is that many of those album tracks can feel more lively thanks to the ramped up tempos, the improvised lyrics, and instrumental performances. Don't Leave Me for example, is already a fast song, but here it's played at an even more accelerated pace. It certainly doesn't phase Barker, who uses it as an excuse to play harder and even more out of control. Well not out of control, more like controlled chaos. I'm sure you understand what I mean. The queerbait-y line switch-ups on Aliens Exist are kind of comical, and hearing Barker flow in an improvised manner at the beginning of Going Away to College is a nice added treat.
Another large component to this record, for better or worse, is the banter. Either Hoppus or DeLonge once stated that on this tour, the two would try to one up each other on who could say the most disgusting or offensive thing and this record certainly documents that. At the rarest of times the jokes are humorous, most of the time they are embarrassingly bad, and occasionally the jokes are incredibly problematic. If there's any redeeming quality, it's that the repulsive duo do display a little bit of self-awareness. "Hey, why does every joke have to be about fucking, sex, masturbation, incest, or anything gross like that," DeLonge asks his fellow bandmate at some point during the eleven minute suite of horribly distasteful jokes. I say for better or worse because I commend the band for trying to give fans an authentic live experience and because hearing the band essentially bomb comedically is somewhat entertaining in and of itself. We do get a live rendition of Family Reunion, a promotional single for Enema of the State that of course couldn't be played on the radio as it is a riff on George Carlin's 'seven words.' Tracks like these - comparatively - are just mindless, harmless fun.
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show perfectly captures a night of debauchery with blink-182. You don't have to like the jokes but you can't deny that these live versions either enhance past material or provide a different perspective to the band's newer material. On top of that, the collection includes the Enema outtake Man Overboard, a song about the band's unwillingness to deal with a friend's self-destructive behaviour (supposedly written about previous blink drummer Scott Raynor). This track is one of the best in blink's discography and just one of the many examples of the band relegating their best tunes to b-side status. I guess the last thing I can say is that, even though I don't subscribe to the humour these days, listening to this record is like opening a time capsule. It takes me back to a care-free time where I was just flying by the seat of my pants. With everything that's going on today, it's really hard to get back to that feeling. Therefore, simply by that virtue, The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show is a significant album.