Blink-182 Is Raw Energy, Harmless Fun

With a penchant for juvenile humor, self-ridicule and Green Day-style power pop, Blink-182 isn’t the deepest band around. But the recipe has made the San Diego trio a big hit with the rush-craving skate- and surf-punk crowd. Fast-paced and knuckleheaded, its sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday scored high on sheer, hyperkinetic energy alone.

The singers--bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge--pogoed, cracked ridiculous, self-deprecating jokes about bodily functions and--in one unfortunate, unfunny gag--encouraged fans to throw their bras onstage for a size competition. But the focus of the set was Blink-182’s fast and thrashy music. It’s sometimes too firmly rooted in Green Day’s brat-pop aesthetic, but the outfit’s sheer enthusiasm came close to wiping out real reservations about the lack of innovation.

All the enthusiasm in the world, however, couldn’t hide the single-minded focus of the band’s songs, most of which were from its 1997 album “Dude Ranch.” From “Pathetic” to its minor hit “Dammit,” Blink-182 clung to the theme of being dumped and almost deserving it. But to inspect this music too closely is to misunderstand the group, which is simply about the adrenaline-pumped music that had the Palladium mosh pit moving at whirlpool speed. All in all, the band dished out nice, fizzy and mostly harmless fun, and nothing much to think about.