The recordings were captured by Le Mobile, a California-based mobile recording unit. The album was titled after the band's 2000 worldwide tour, while the subtitle alludes to both Enema of the State and the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back. These shows-a part of the band's first arena outing, the Loserkids Tour-took place on November 4, 1999, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, and November 5, 1999, at Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. The content of The Mark, Tom and Travis Show was recorded at two concerts in California. We were playing awards shows with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera when we were used to hanging with bands like the Vandals, Unwritten Law, and 7 Seconds." Ī panorama of Universal Amphitheatre in 2007Ĭapturing the band's stage show with a live album was designed to satisfy fans between new studio albums. I felt like a success story." Drummer Travis Barker, in his memoir Can I Say, recalled his newfound stardom: " album took us all over the world, for months at a time. Bassist Mark Hoppus recalled that "we had gone from playing small clubs and sleeping on people's floors to headlining amphitheaters and staying in five-star hotels." Guitarist Tom DeLonge, in a band biography, recalled that touring arenas "was amazing, because it was the first time we'd ever done anything that big. At the beginning of the album's promotional cycle, the trio were driving from show to show in a van with a trailer attached for merchandise and equipment by its end, they were traveling by double-decker bus and flying on private jets.
It became a time of transition for the group, who performed worldwide in larger venues than before, including amphitheaters, arenas, and stadiums. The LP proved enormously successful, shifting over five million units domestically, and three times that number worldwide. In recent years, the album has seen sporadic availability on digital platforms.īlink-182 broke into the mainstream with its 1999 album Enema of the State-a fast, glossy pop-punk record with multiple hit singles. The album proved influential for future pop punk acts, including Man Overboard and All Time Low. " Man Overboard"-a bonus studio single recorded to promote its release-reached number two on Billboard 's Modern Rock Tracks chart. During that time, the album sold over 500,000 copies in the US, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Marketed as a limited edition release, The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show was initially available for only two months at retail.
Jerry Finn, the band's frequent collaborator, produced and mixed the album. The album's sleeve was designed by artist Glen Hanson, who received an award for his work on it. Guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus trade juvenile jokes in-between songs, while drummer Travis Barker performs with virtuosity. The set list includes singles such as " All the Small Things", " What's My Age Again?", and " Dammit". The album contains energetic, high-speed renditions of the band's catalogue up to that point in their career. The album was recorded over two nights at performances in their native California, on the group's inaugural arena tour. Capturing the band's stage show-known for its irreverent humor-with a live release was designed to satisfy fans between new studio albums. Blink-182 had risen to fame at the turn of the millennium on the strength of its third album, Enema of the State, which went multiplatinum. The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) is a live album by American rock band Blink-182.