# Pop Disaster Tour

The Pop Disaster Tour was a concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Blink-182 and Green Day. The two groups, with supporting acts Jimmy Eat World, Kut U Up, Saves the Day, and Simple Plan toured for two months across the United States, as well as one in Canada, mostly in outdoor amphitheatres.

## Background

The tour was conceived by Blink-182 to echo the famous Monsters of Rock tours; the idea was to have, effectively, a Monsters of Punk tour. The tour, from the band's point of view, had been put together as a show of unity in the face of consistent accusations of rivalry between the two bands, especially in Europe. Instead, Green Day's Tré Cool acknowledged in a Kerrang! interview that they committed to the tour as an opportunity to regain their status at the top of the tree, as their spotlight had faded over the years. "We set out to reclaim our throne as the most incredible live punk band from you know who", said Cool. Cool contended that "we heard they were going to quit the tour because they were getting smoked so badly […] We didn't want them to quit the tour. They're good for filling up the seats up front."

## Riding in Vans with Boys

The 2003 film Riding in Vans with Boys follows the Pop Disaster Tour throughout the U.S from Kut U Up's perspective. DeLonge and Hoppus had the idea for the film, and enlisted Matt Beauchesne, who also worked on their documentary The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder, to direct. It was designed to be "a social experiment that shows exactly what would happen if an average Joe band spent two months with two of the biggest groups in rock."

## Tour dates

List of 2002 concerts :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| April 17, 2002 | Bakersfield | United States | Centennial Garden |
| April 19, 2002 | Phoenix | United States | America West Arena |
| April 20, 2002 | Irvine | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre |
| April 21, 2002 | Irvine | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre |
| April 23, 2002 | Las Vegas | United States | MGM Grand Garden Arena |
| April 24, 2002 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| April 25, 2002 | Chula Vista | United States | Coors Amphitheater |
| April 27, 2002 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre |
| April 28, 2002 | Sacramento | United States | AutoWest Amphitheater |
| April 29, 2002 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Arena |
| May 1, 2002 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome |
| May 3, 2002 | West Valley City | United States | E Center |
| May 4, 2002 | Greenwood Village | United States | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre |
| May 6, 2002 | Maryland Heights | United States | Riverport Amphitheater |
| May 7, 2002 | Bonner Springs | United States | Sandstone Amphitheater |
| May 9, 2002 | Dallas | United States | Smirnoff Music Center |
| May 10, 2002 | Selma | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphiteheatre |
| May 11, 2002 | The Woodlands | United States | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion |
| May 13, 2002 | Pelham | United States | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre |
| May 14, 2002 | Tampa | United States | Ice Palace |
| May 15, 2002 | West Palm Beach | United States | Mars Music Amphitheatre |
| May 16, 2002 | Orlando | United States | TD Waterhouse Centre |
| May 18, 2002 | Atlanta | United States | HiFi Buys Amphitheatre |
| May 19, 2002 | Raleigh | United States | Alltell Pavilion |
| May 20, 2002 | Charlotte | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte |
| May 22, 2002 | Virginia Beach | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Virginia Beach |
| May 23, 2002 | Hershey | United States | Hershey Park Pavilion |
| May 24, 2002 | Holmdel | United States | PNC Bank Arts Center |
| May 25, 2002 | Burgettstown | United States | Post-Gazette Pavilion |
| May 27, 2002 | Hartford | United States | New England Dodge Music Center |
| May 28, 2002 | Camden | United States | Tweeter Center at the Waterfront |
| May 30, 2002 | Wantagh | United States | Jones Beach Theater |
| May 31, 2002 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| June 1, 2002 | Darien | United States | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center |
| June 2, 2002 | Mansfield | United States | Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts |
| June 4, 2002 | Saratoga Springs | United States | Saratoga Performing Arts Center |
| June 5, 2002 | Washington, D.C. | United States | MCI Center |
| June 7, 2002 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| June 8, 2002 | Grand Rapids | United States | Van Andel Arena |
| June 9, 2002 | Columbus | United States | Jerome Schottenstein Center |
| June 11, 2002 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| June 12, 2002 | Cuyahoga Falls | United States | Blossom Music Center |
| June 14, 2002 | Noblesville | United States | Verizon Wireless Music Center |
| June 15, 2002 | Tinley Park | United States | Tweeter Center |
| June 16, 2002 | Milwaukee | United States | Marcus Amphitheater |
| June 17, 2002 | Minneapolis | United States | Target Center |

## Reception

Many reviewers were unimpressed with Blink-182's headlining set following Green Day. "Sometimes playing last at a rock show is more a curse than a privilege […] Pity the headliner, for instance, that gets blown off the stage by the band before it. Blink-182 endured that indignity Saturday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre", a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in 2002.
The Pop Disaster Tour as a whole grossed nearly $20 million from 45 shows.