Blink Together Again: Will They Succeed Again?

Big news at the Grammys, right? Including the upcoming reunion of Blink 182. It got me thinking a lot about trends in pop music, and what that means for reunion tours. It also got me reminiscing on my middle school and high school years.

When Blink 182 first entered all of our lives (think "What's My Age Again"), they were entering a scene filled by bands like Green Day, Nirvana, Oasis, Bush, the Smashing Pumpkins, etc. They were perfectly poised to start (although perhaps some would argue that Green Day started it) the pop-punk movement. Suburban white kids were listening to rock music. And along came a tattooed young band which played commercialized, easy to swallow, politically correct "punky" music. They made it big with the skater crowd and the former grunge kids who really didn't know what to do with Nirvana and Live fading out.

On the other hand, just getting into the punk scene myself, Blink 182 were "sell outs" and "not punk enough." While this may hurt some people's feelings, it's part of what drove them to their success.

Fast forward to 2009. What was the last rock-ish album, or especially punk album, to play in clubs or on top 40-ish radio stations? The current trend is toward Hip Hop. Rihanna, T-Pain, Kanye, etc. So what does this mean for Blink's future?

My guess is one of three things.

First, they could be wildly successful, and with that, turn the trends of popular music back toward rock and punk. I mean, they could create a big buzz and bring back their old following. I don't see this happening.

Second, they could totally change their style of music, add more production and studio work, and make their music more "danceable." Only time will tell whether this is the direction they'll go.

Finally, and most likely in my opinion, is they could fail. That's not to say that they won't create good music, or that some people won't listen. But it's been four years since their break up. It's been about a decade since they first got big. Times have changed. And as popular and trendy as they were for a bit, they're not one of those timeless bands, where everyone has been sitting around waiting 20 years for a reunion tour. The problem with being a pop artist or a pop group is that pop changes. Unless they've changed their influence and their music as well, they may not have what it takes to top the charts again.