Blink-182 Honor DJ AM In Concert
Blink-182 played a concert in Hartford, CN last night one day after their dear friend Adam DJ AM Goldstein was found dead in his NYC apartment. As most of you are well aware, Blink drummer Travis Barker survived a deadly plane crash with DJ AM last year … an event that bonded the men in a way that is unimaginable to most people. During their show last night, the band paid tribute to AM in tearful song. Here are photos from last night’s Blink-182 show and some deets on what went down:
Having expressed his sadness earlier in the day via Twitter about the loss of his friend DJ AM, Travis Barker had to face the music – and the crowd – at a Blink-182 concert Saturday night in Hartford, Conn. “This night is really hard for us on stage,” bassist Mark Hoppus said from the stage. “We lost a dear friend yesterday. His name was Adam Goldstein. You probably know him as DJ AM. He was an innovator and a genius and he loved music more than anything else. Above all he was a dear friend.” Before the show – as Barker’s son Landon, 5, stood on stage drumming against the wall with a pair of drumsticks – crewmembers tossed TRV$ DJ-AM CDs into the audience. The CD features a collaboration between Barker and Goldstein. During the concert, the trio asked the crowd for a moment of silence to honor their “dear friend Adam.” As the lights dimmed, audience members raised their lighters above their heads in a show of respect. Fans also yelled out, “I love you guys,” as members of the group began to cry. A song in Goldstein’s honor followed. “This song is called ‘Down.’ and it goes something like this,” said Hoppus. As guitarist Tom DeLonge delivered the lyric “I need you so bad,” tears rolled down the cheeks of all three members of Blink-182. “We are doing our very best to get through this show,” said Hoppus, “but right now it’s very hard.” At the song’s conclusion, Barker – who had been Goldstein’s fellow survivor in a September 2008 plane crash – rubbed his eyes and held his head in his hands. Despite jokes from his bandmates about sex, drugs and drinking, Barker remained silent and did not smile or laugh. He also did not interact with the crowd, and left the stage before DeLonge finished the song. Once the concert ended, Hoppus returned to the stage and told the crowd, “Thank you very much. Although today is one of the hardest days in our entire lives, we wouldn’t want to spend it anywhere else. Thank you for all of your support.”
I cannot even begin to imagine the toll this has to be taking on Travis Barker. The thought that the two men were the sole survivors of such a horribly traumatic experience not too long ago and now Barker has to grieve all over again for the lost of his friend is just … heartbreaking. It’s encouraging that Travis is throwing himself into his work and talking about his pain … he posted a few messages in tribute to his friend on his official Twitter account yesterday … here they are:
Don’t know how i am gonna play 2night but i am for AM. My brother is gone.i love u and miss u, i’ll never forget all the good times we had … I’ll never forget everything we’ve been thru and every time i play the drums i’ll think of you. U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being … Rest In Peace my brother, this really fucks me up.
After the jump, if you are so inclined, you can watch video from last night’s Blink-182 concert and hear the tribute to AM that was played by the band in full …
I have to say that I am personally spent on all the death that has been in our lives lately. This year has been especially rough and I sincerely hope that we will get a break from all the sad news. Take the time today to love as much as you can and revel in life.
[Photo credit: Splash News; Source, Source]
Tags: 'Down', Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, Blink-182, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker
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August 30th, 2009 at 9:38 am
these poor dudes. i seriously can’t imagine trying to entertain people so soon after losing someone. they’re brave and amazing. i love them. later, dj am. <3
August 30th, 2009 at 10:06 am
T.T that made me get teary eyed. I saw Travis’ posts on twitter, that must have been very hard for all of them(more so Travis) to play a long set and put all their heart into it, when their hearts were mourning the lost of a friend.
Though it bugged me when the ‘moment of silence’ some people were yelling. >.< Ugh people at shows like this, always yell and scream. It makes the show not enjoyable( but reading the comments on that video- I guess it was only the people on the lawn that were screaming)
Kudos for them for going out and playing. Along with this tribute. T.T
August 30th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Ughh, this sucks. :(
August 30th, 2009 at 10:24 am
@Ama — Re: moment of silence … not that it’s an excuse but kids don’t usually know what is appropriate sometimes, at a concert especially. asking a room full of people/kids at a concert to be silent is an impossibility, no matter the circumstance.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:58 am
That just broke my heart. You could hear the sorrow in their voices. That must have been so hard for them to get thru.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
ugh this made me cry, it was so sad to hear his voice cracking when he talked about Adam. RIP AM.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
This was actually so hard to watch..
I saw these guys in Edmonton and he sand this song perfectly..
You can really tell he’s struggling.
I have great respect for these guys for playing..
August 30th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
This kills me to watch. I saw them last week and they were so full of life. Loosing a friend is very hard. I give these guys a lot of respect for getting up on the stage and playing. I personally wouldn’t have been able to do it. R.I.P. Adam. You touched a lot of hearts.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Maybe he shouldnt of done the drugs..hellloooo..its his own fault!
August 30th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Wow was that hard to watch. I would imagine that both DJ AM and Travis would have suffered some ’survivors guilt’ and now im sure that has just intensified to Travis. That would be so hard on him, and of course his friends and family. RIP DJ. We’re all thinkin of you.
August 30th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
It breaks my heart that this talented and passionate person who was loved and respected by many, and who had overcome so much and had the best of intentions – felt such grief and despair that he couldn’t reach out but instead turned inward and succumbed to his demons…it’s such a tragedy in that way. And how terrible all his close friends and family must feel in that they couldn’t do or say anything that was enough to ultimately save him from himself. This is a terrible loss…may he rest in peace and may those who loved him find peace as well.
August 30th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
It *is* good that Travis is Twittering about his feelings during what must be a very tough time for him….it also leaves him less time to air his dirty laundry with Shanna on Twitter!
August 30th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
hey everybody, look at me- i’m a MORON!
August 30th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
@ Annette- Indeed :)
Trent – That’s true :) At least some people were quiet during the respected time that was asked of them.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Annette,
Why do you find it necessary to keep spamming the post that Trent makes about Adam? We know that you think he was a moron, THANK YOU for giving us your opinion. Now move on, get a life and stop being an asshole. If your mom died from drugs I don’t think you’d like it very much if I kept saying “WOW Annette, your mom was such a dumbass..she deserved to die..because she’s so stupid.” Now would you? Show a little respect for his family and friends.
August 30th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
@Faith
that last “I’m a moron” post was actually me calling attention to the fact that annette is a moron, just so you know ;)