A Boisterous Disaster Zone of Punk Pop

Punk rock is an old tradition now, as much a fixture in popular music as the blues and heavy metal. Credit and blame for transforming the revolutionary into pop is partly shared by Green Day and Blink-182.

Both have endured criticism for recasting the ideas of punk pioneers into pop singles, but Green Day and Blink-182 are not footnotes to that punk lineage. They are part of it.

The underground remains a healthy breeding ground for new ideas with the likes of White Stripes. But Green Day has achieved what the Ramones themselves always wanted but never got: mainstream popularity.

At the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine on Saturday, both acts arrived as co-headliners of the Pop Disaster Tour, their first road trip together. The tour includes a stop Wednesday at the Forum in Inglewood.

In the past, Green Day and Blink have shared fans, producers and radio playlists, but in the first of two shows at Verizon, these California punk trios also revealed vast differences.

Some things never change. “Hey! No fighting,” Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong shouted early in his set, interrupting “Welcome to Paradise,” and pointing into the mosh pit. “Hey, bald guy--chill out! We’re here to have a good ... time.”

Before the band’s final comical, chaotic moments--with Mike Dirnt smashing his bass to pieces and Tre Cool tumbling forward over his drum kit--Green Day displayed a live polish and pacing that kept the set energetic and fun.

The band entered to the sound of air-raid sirens, in keeping with the Pop Disaster theme. But aside from the occasional burst of flames, cloud of confetti or lighting gimmick, Green Day leaned most heavily on the muscle of its material, which matched the tough riffing of “Brain Stew” with the Beatles-like pop of “Redundant.”

Armstrong made for a charismatic frontman, dressed in black threads, a white tie loose around his neck. He led the trio through a series of hits, dropping in bits of Metallica, Marilyn Manson and “Sweet Home Alabama” before performing the early Green Day song “The Disappearing Boy,” which sounded a lot like new Green Day.

Easily the night’s most memorable moment was when Armstrong pulled a pair of fans up from the crowd, taught them a few fast chords on guitar and bass, and let them play a song. Intentional or not, the stunt underlined one of the greatest traditions of punk rock, eliminating the divide between rock star and fan.

Blink-182 was not nearly as tight a musical unit, but in the past that’s only added to the band’s reckless charm, with lyrics at times deeply moving or happily sick and twisted. From the beginning of its set, the SoCal trio was rougher around the edges, launching with the uplifting “The Rock Show.”

Soon, singer-bassist Mark Hoppus was moved to declare, “We are wonderful this evening!” Singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge added, “If you want perfection, sleep with me.”

That brand of punk humor has long been a key spontaneous element of Blink’s live shows, a tradition already taken to vaudevillian perfection by NOFX. But on Saturday, Blink’s timing seemed a bit off.

In the night’s closing set, Blink was often less successful in connecting with the crowd, though at least some of that could be blamed on a sudden drop in temperature at the outdoor venue. “Maybe it’s past Orange County’s bedtime,” joked DeLonge.

Though much of the band’s set was clearly timed and choreographed to a variety of lighting effects and explosions, Blink often seemed like a band without a plan. The trio and crowd did come alive during their best-known songs, such as the suicide-themed “Adam’s Song.”

By the end of the night Travis Barker’s entire drum set-up was lifted from the stage and twirled upside-down during his own drum solo, metal style. Whether designed to be serious or ironic, the stunt at least suggested that punk rock isn’t the only genre worth raiding.

Despite vague categorization as “emo-core,” Pop Disaster support act Jimmy Eat World shares the same punk rock tradition, having already earned a gold record for its debut album with the catchy hit “The Middle,” along with such moodier rock songs as “Get It Faster.” Unfortunately, extensive security searches at the gate meant many fans missed the band’s 30-minute set.

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Blink-182, Green Day and Jimmy Eat World play Wednesday at the Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 7:30 p.m. $27.50-$35. (310) 419-3100.