Tom DeLonge Moved to Tears as 43,000 Padres Fans Sing Blink-182 Hit
Tom DeLonge had tears in his eyes as more than 43,000 San Diego Padres fans sang Blink-182's "All the Small Things" back to him at Petco Park on Oct. 6.
The guitarist and singer was in the stands for Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the best-of-five playoff round, between the Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers. San Diego led 4-3 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, which triggered a favourite Petco Park ritual. The club plays "All the Small Things" when it leads at that point in a home game, according to Billboard.
Fox Sports cameras found DeLonge as the crowd sang in unison. He looked misty-eyed, then joined in. He spun a yellow rally towel above his head, shouted the song's "Work sucks! I know" line into the FS1 camera and threw up a metal hand sign.
It was a full-circle moment for a San Diego musician. DeLonge is from the city, and Blink-182 formed in nearby Poway, California, in 1992. "All the Small Things" reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, the US singles chart.
DeLonge has a long connection with the Padres. He has led singalongs to the song at the ballpark before, thrown out first pitches and released Padres merchandise with his To the Stars brand.
On the field, the song brought luck. San Diego held on for a 4-3 win and avoided a series sweep by Milwaukee. Game 4 was scheduled for Oct. 7 back at Petco Park.
What makes this stand out is scale. A ballpark singalong happens most nights, but a playoff crowd of that size singing to the writer in the room is rare. For fans, this means the eighth-inning routine now has its defining image.
