Blink-182 Gives Behind-the-Scenes Details On Why Lil Wayne Considered Leaving Co-Headlining Tour
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Many were psyched to see Blink-182 and Lil Wayne announce a summer 2019 co-headlining tour. But the trek didn't always go as planned. Wayne missed a handful of shows and mulled quitting the Live Nation promoted tour after a July 11 set in Virginia was greeted by a muted reception. In a recent interview, the Blink members came to bat for Weezy, offering insight on this summer's trials and tribulations.
Asked, “How much of a nightmare was Lil Wayne?” on KROQ's Kevin & Bean Show, Mark Hoppus insisted, "zero nightmare."
The bassist explained: "We left in middle of June and came back in the end of September. There were three issues on the whole tour. One of them was [because] he could not even get to the venue, one he left because the cops were after him, and the one where he walked offstage because of a storm."
The last instance appears to be a reference to the July 11 show at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristol, VA, where Weezy ended his set after 20 minutes, remarked about the crowd's lack of enthusiasm, and announced he was considering dropping off the tour. Hoppus stressed what was largely overlooked in national coverage of the story: that a violent storm nearly canceled the show and left thousands of fans stranded outside the venue during Wayne's opening set.
Drummer Travis Barker added, "Sometimes he would hit me and he'd be like, 'Hey I'm about to let everyone else know I can't make it to the show — this, this, and that's going on.' But it's usually to protect himself and his freedom. If you're in a state and the cops start tailing you everywhere and you're gonna get pinched for smoking weed, it's just not worth it."
Blink's steadfast support of Wayne certainly appeared to go both ways throughout the tour. Wayne sometimes came out to collaborate with the band (which included being gifted a joint on a silver platter for his birthday) and even while remarking about the Virginia crowd onstage he was sure to highlight his friendship with Blink.
For now, neither act has any future tour dates lined up; Blink released its studio album Nine on Sept. 20 and Weezy's most recent studio full-length was 2018's long-awaited Tha Carter V.
Watch the full interview below.
