Tom DeLonge Details Harrowing Heatstroke Experience: 'Everything Went Blurry'

22 March 2024 | 2:49 pm | Mary Varvaris

"Man, this was not something I’ve ever felt before. 95 Degrees at 11pm on stage."

Tom DeLonge

Tom DeLonge (Source: Supplied/Fender)

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Blink-182 bassist and co-vocalist Tom DeLonge has spoken out about his experience with heatstroke at a recent concert in Paraguay, explaining that it was something he’d never felt before.

The band were performing at Parque Olímpico, Luque in Paraguay, when, according to local reports, DeLonge departed during the 11th song, More Than You Know – from blink-182’s latest album, …One More Time.

Meanwhile, his bandmates, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, continued playing solos to make up the time. Hoppus and Barker then launched into Happy Holidays, You Bastard before playing it again when DeLonge returned (per Setlist.fm).

On Instagram, DeLonge discussed what happened when he left the stage, explaining that his knees buckled, his vision went blurry, and he had to throw up due to heatstroke.

“This was about 1 min before heat stroke hit,” DeLonge wrote in the caption, which accompanied an image of him drenched in sweat playing to an adoring audience. “Fell to my knees, everything went blurry, then wobbled to the side of the stage and vomited for a bit. Super fun.

“Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker made up for the lost time… man, this was not something I’ve ever felt before. 95 Degrees at 11pm on stage. But… I made it back and finished the show. Cause that’s what Navy Seals do…”

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Also, on Instagram, Hoppus commented that the band was prepared to stop the show and that paramedics would transport DeLonge to the hospital if he needed to (per Loudwire).

When he returned to the stage, blink-182 played another 16 songs.

Blink-182 performed in Australia last month. The first of 15 Australian shows was a raging success, with The Music reviewer Michael Hollick declaring in a live review, “blink-182’s performance was a time capsule, providing both longtime and newer fans a chance to relive the days when baggy jeans, chains, and dyed spikes were the epitome of cool. The band may have grown older, but their music remains forever young.”

You can read the review here.