Pop Punk Heroes

Revitalized Blink-182 revs up RodeoHouston crowd with pop-punk energy

San Diego’s Blink-182 rolled into NRG Stadium on Thursday night and brought a workmanlike attitude to their hour-long set of classic pop-punk tunes at RodeoHouston, a change of pace from the country-heavy lineup over the last few weeks. The band attracted one of the younger Rodeo audiences, comprised of a large number of attendees who grew up on the trio’s hits from the late '90s and early 2000s. Walking through the concourse before the show it was clear that fans had come out specifically to see their punk heroes as many of them were wearing official band T-shirts and hair colors every shade of hot neon.

Like Green Day, who played the Toyota Center a few weeks ago, Blink-182 is in the middle of a resurgence thanks to their best album in 15 years, California, which hit No. 1 last year. It’s one of seven Top 10 albums in the band’s career, contributing to over 50 million album sales worldwide.

The trio comprised of bassist-singer Mark Hoppus, newly acquired guitarist-singer Matt Skiba (formerly of Alkaline Trio), and drummer Travis Barker, stuck to their most popular albums — a strong showing for the aforementioned California, as well as familiar tunes from 1999’s Enema of the State, 2001's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, and songs from the 2003 self-titled set, neglecting anything from the darker Neighborhoods from 2011.

The band kicked things off with a sweet fireworks display, in front of a crowd of 65,567, with “Feeling This.” Unfortunately, it took a few songs to find a good mix in sound quality, the drums drowning out melodic guitar hooks in the cavernous acoustics of NRG. Enema of the State single “What’s My Age Again?” brought the biggest cheers early on, with Hoppus asking afterwards, “So, how are the Texans going to do this season?” to even louder applause. “Alright, we’ll see,” he shrugged, perhaps knowing full well this team is without a starting quarterback.

Barker got the girls screaming a few songs in when he took his shirt off to reveal a full set of tattoos, something one likely won’t see on any of the country-themed nights. A word about Barker: he’s a dynamo and simply one of the most exciting drummers to watch in any genre of music. Not that Hoppus and Skiba are slouches, it’s that Blink-182 wouldn’t be as successful or exciting without the innovative and expert timekeeping Barker brings to the table, elevating the band’s brand of adolescent flavored punk to level of mainstream respect. Throughout the night, his drum fills and solos were a joy to behold.

Crowd interaction was minimal throughout the evening, with only Hoppus leaving the confines of his spot on the stage during songs when he wasn’t responsible for vocals. The best performances came on tracks from California, which makes perfect sense, as it is the only album with this current lineup. Skiba recently replaced former guitarist-vocalist Tom DeLonge, who quit to write books about UFOs (no, really). Songs that DeLonge would normally take vocal lead on were the ones that suffered, Skiba not having the range.

Where the band did succeed was in playing the big hits, which got the crowd on its feet, singing along. Staples like “Rock Show,” “I Miss You,” and “All The Small Things” were met with thunderous applause. For a band that is known for its sophomoric humor, it refrained from any swearing, likely a contractual obligation of appearing at a family-oriented event like RodeoHouston. Hoppus even left out a key F-word during set closer “Dammit,” the audience more than happy to fill in the blank.

Despite middling sound quality, Blink-182 proved they belong at RodeoHouston alongside hit makers of other genres. Once again, the talent bookers deserve credit for taking chances with their programming, proving that catering to fans of all musical tastes throughout the three-week event is a recipe for success.

Setlist:
Feeling This
Rock Show
Cynical
Anthem Part 2
What’s My Age Again?
First Date
Bored To Death
Down
I Miss You
Dumpweed
She’s Out Of Her Mind
Violence
Sober
Carousel
Los Angeles
All The Small Things
Brohemian Rhapsody
Dammit

Blink-182 is in the middle of a resurgence thanks to their best album in 15 years, in California, which hit No. 1 last year.

Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Blink-182 is in the middle of a resurgence thanks to their best album in 15 years, in California, which hit No. 1 last year.

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Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

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