Matt Skiba is “truly happy” that Blink-182 have reunited with Tom DeLonge

Last week, after months of speculation, Blink-182 officially announced their reunion with Tom DeLonge, and dropped Edging, their first song as a trio in 10 years.

Shortly after the announcement, DeLonge penned a statement on social media thanking Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba for playing guitar with Blink in his absence.

“I wanted to take a minute and say thank you for all that you have done to keep the band alive and thriving in my absence,” he wrote. “I think you are enormously talented (I still love to listen to your band to this day).

“You have always been so kind to me, not only in the press, but also to others. I really noticed.”

He continued: “Emotions between the three of us in Blink have always been complicated, but Mark’s cancer really put things in perspective. But 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 it seems there’s no animosity from Skiba’s side, either. In a new statement on social media, the guitarist congratulates his “homies” Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker on their “triumphant” reunion.

“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.”

Matt Skiba played with Blink-182 for seven years since 2015 when DeLonge departed due to contention within the band, and recorded two albums with Hoppus and Barker: California (2016) and Nine (2019).

But despite the conflict they once shared, DeLonge reached out last year when Hoppus was diagnosed with cancer. 

“When he came out with cancer, it was like nothing else mattered,” he told Guitar World. “I just wanted to be there, human-to-human.”

“I just wanted to be there as a friend, honestly, like a brother. Yeah, we’ve argued over the years and stuff, but right now who the fuck cares about any of that? All I want to do is ask him, ‘What do you need and how can I help your journey right now?’”

Blink-182’s forthcoming global tour will commence in March 2023 and run until February 2024, with legs in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Support will come from Turnstile, Rise Against, The Story So Far and Wallows.

The band will also release a new album next year, though its title and release date are yet to be confirmed.