It’s been a big week for blink-182. The pop-punk favorites announced the return of guitarist Tom DeLonge, revealed dates for a 2023 worldwide reunion tour (including the massive When We Were Young festival) and even released a new song, the catchy track “Edging,” which is from a forthcoming album.
And while fans reacted overwhelmingly positive to the news overload, there has still been the looming thought: What about Matt Skiba? The guitarist (also known for his work in Alkaline Trio) had filled the place of DeLonge since the latter had become estranged from blink-182 starting in 2015. Not only did Skiba perform live with blink, but he also contributed to the band’s last two studio LPs (2016’s California and 2019’s Nine),
Yet, when rumors of a possible OG band reunion started swirling over the summer, Skiba was even unsure of his fate in the project. After some fans prompted him about the rumor in the comment section of his Instagram post, he said, “Your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time w @blink182. We shall see…”
With this week’s news, the band officially sent Skiba packing – but in the nicest way possible. DeLonge wrote an open letter to Skiba on Instagram, which in part said, “To be honest, the band would not even be here today if it were not for your ability to jump in and save the day. So from my heart to yours, thank you for being a member of our band.”
And now Skiba has opened up about the reunion and his departure from blink-182, sharing his own message on the social media platform.
Skiba shared the blink-182 reunion photo and a snap of himself in front of some colorful fall trees and wrote, “CONGRATULATIONS to the homies @markhoppus @tomdelonge and @travisbarker on their triumphant @blink182 return/reunion and the release of their new single today‼️‼️ I’m sure there’s a joke in here about releases and happy endings I’m missing but I am truly grateful for my time with blink and I am truly happy you guys are a band and a family again. THANKS TO THE BAND AND ALL THE BLINK FANS FOR HAVING ME. You were delicious! ️M. #fromchicagowithlove.”
Among the top comments on the post was Mark Hoppus’ wife Skye who said, “Love you Matt!!!”
Though Skiba’s departure is bittersweet, one big silver lining is that perhaps Alkaline Trio will be even more active now. Since Skiba joined blink-182, the Chicago pop-punkers have only released one album, 2018’s Is This Thing Cursed?
Blink-182’s reunion tour kicks off March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico and heads to the U.S. May 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets go on sale Monday October 17 at 10 am local time – grab some here.
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