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Rating: 09/28/06: Only Italian date of the European tour of (+44), which for those who do not know yet is a new group formed by Mark Hoppus (former bassist of Blink 182) and Travis Barker (former drummer of Blink 182) with the participation of Shane Callagher as the first guitarist (formerly of The Nervous Return) and Craig Fairbaugh on rhythm guitar (notably, Tim Armstrong attempted to produce one of his CDs some time ago).
As a great admirer of the now-defunct Blink, I don't miss the opportunity to see this band even though the CD has yet to be released. The concert is held at the Rainbow Club in Milan, a really very small club. I'm 10 meters from the stage, and the turnout is very good, exceeding my expectations. After a short and comfortable wait, "The Jersey Line," a supporting band replacing "Vanilla Sky," open the show. Until that point unknown to me, this group proves to be good with very catchy sounds and a bass that stands out a lot despite technical audio problems. But it's the aftermath that interests me: seeing 2 members of Blink again after their last performance in Bologna in 2004 (I HOPE!!) intrigues me.
Finally, the Plus 44 come out... Mark takes center stage with the 2 guitarists by his side and Travis on drums in an elevated position. The concert goes as smoothly as silk for about an hour, despite not knowing almost any of the tracks, and I must say the result is very good. A pop-rock with evident electronic influences that really rocks hard, very energetic songs that make you jump from the first listen. Mark manages to hold the stage greatly, plays very well (he's much improved compared to before), and always keeps his streak of silliness by improvising a very amusing skit with Travis. The two guitarists are very precise and determined (the only flaw: it was clear they were nailed to the stage because they didn't move from that half meter they were in), and then there's him: guys, TRAVIS BARKER is a show! He has a formidable technique supported by speed and an innate grit in hitting the drumsticks on the drums; and then he has those moves that you have to see live to understand.
The only track I knew is "No it isn't" sung by the entire club at the top of their lungs, a very beautiful song that starts calm and then explodes at the end, talking quite explicitly about the end of working relationships and friendship with Tom DeLonge. I hope that the excellent impression I had at the concert is confirmed upon the release of the CD. One thing I certainly understood: you can't compare them with Tom's Angels and Airwaves, two completely different worlds (many things become clear from this).
Bye everyone and let go of your banal and monotonous insults to Blink 182!
P.S. I'm sorry if I can't tell you much else about the concert and the songs because I don't have the tracks in my head and I have no comparison with the studio recording versions; I just went based on impression...Bye!!
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