Mark Hoppus Returns to Stage For First Time in 2 Years During Surprise Club Appearance

Gil Kaufman
·2 min read
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Mark Hoppus was back in his happy place this week when he hopped on stage with pop punkers Beauty School Dropout to perform their joint single “Almost Famous.” The spirited collab marked the first time he Blink-182 singer/bassist had performed live since Jan. 2020. The song appears on the band’s debut album, We Made Plans & God Laughed, which is out now.

The surprise cameo was a happy milestone for Hoppus, who revealed last June that he was diagnosed with stage 4-A diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and, after a “brutal” regimen of chemotherapy, said he was cancer-free in Sept. In a video of the “Almost Famous” performance Hoppus bounces onto the stage to the screams of elated fans and lays down some of his signature pop punk vocals, seamlessly blending into the BSD vibe and clearly having a blast playing in front of an audience again after a long lay-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his health emergency.

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Blink fans got some potentially exciting news this week when Hoppus spoke to People magazine about his cancer journey and how it rekindled his longtime friendship with former Blink singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge, who left the group in 2015. “It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in, like, five years,” Hoppus, 50, said of a visit he had with Blink drummer Travis Barker and DeLonge before he chemo. “It’s actually better than it used to be. There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.”

After replacing founding member DeLonge with Alkaline Trio singer-guitarist Matt Skiba, Hoppus said that his rekindled friendship with DeLonge was a “panacea” during his treatments. “Everybody’s in a really great place now,” he said of their current relationship, which has led to whispers of a possible reunion of the band’s most successful, longest lived lineup.

“I keep writing music, and I’m open to whatever the next phase of Blink is,” Hoppus said without directly addressing any potential announcement. “I’m hopeful for the future. I’m just d–n glad to be here.”

Check out video of the surprise appearance below.

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