As reaction to blink-182‘s first show back with guitarist-vocalist Tom DeLonge at Coachella 2023 (April 14) starts to settle, many are noticing how robotic DeLonge’s vocals sounded at times during the show, leading them to believe he used autotune.
Fan-captured video from blink-182’s set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, particularly a clip from their performance of the 2001 hit “First Date,” indeed sounds as if DeLonge’s singing is being somehow augmented by automatic pitch correction.
See the video and reactions further down this post.
Tom DeLonge’s Autotuned Live Vocals?
“I’m sorry, but is Tom using Autotune?” one Twitter user remarked as the show went down. “The amount of autotune on Tom DeLonge’s voice during that Blink performance at Coachella should be illegal,” another added after the band’s set was completed.
“Watched some of the blink-182 reunion,” yet another said, “and the amount of autotune on Tom DeLonge’s vocal was hilarious. Dude sounded like an AI version of himself. But all was forgiven thanks to the multiple Dalai Lama kissing booth jokes. Welcome back, bud.”
READ MORE: Blink Coachella 2023 Setlist + Video
As longtime blink fans are undoubtedly aware, the band’s live performances have never been based on extreme technical proficiency. One could say that DeLonge’s past vocals, while perhaps not always exactly on key, lent a certain charm to their early gigs.
The History of Autotune Vocals
The brand Auto-Tune is software tech originally developed in 1997 by Antares Audio Technologies as a tool for pitch correction in vocal recordings. It works by analyzing the pitch of a recorded vocal performance and adjusting it to the nearest correct pitch.
It was first used in pop music in the late ’90s, and its use became more prevalent by the early 2000s. One of the earliest and most notable examples of autotune in pop music was the pop singer Cher‘s 1998 hit “Believe,” which featured a heavily autotune lead vocal.
The widespread adoption of autotune in pop and rock can be attributed to a several factors. First, it allows singers to achieve a more polished and consistent vocal performance, even if they may not have perfect pitch or are unable to sing in tune consistently. Second, it can be used creatively to achieve a specific sound or effect, such as the robotic vocal style popularized by hip-hop artists like T-Pain.
As autotune became more accessible and the technology evolved, it was more widely available in digital audio workstations and plug-ins, thereby allowing it to be used live in concert in real-time.
See blink-182 dates under the clip and further fan reactions. Get blink-182 tickets here.
blink-182, “First Date” (Live at Coachella)
Reactions to Tom DeLonge’s Coachella Vocals
blink-182 Tour Dates
May 4, 2023 – St. Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Ctr
May 6, 2023 – Chicago, Ill. @ United Ctr
May 9, 2023 – Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
May 11, 2023 – Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
May 12, 2023 – Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Ctr
May 16, 2023 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Rocket Fieldhouse
May 17, 2023 – Pittsburgh, Penn. @ PPG Arena
May 19, 2023 – New York, N.Y. @ MSG
May 20, 2023 – Belmont Park, N.Y. @ UBS Arena
May 21, 2023 – Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
May 23, 2023 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
May 24, 2023 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Ctr
May 26, 2023 – Baltimore, Md. @ Baltimore Arena
May 27, 2023 – Hershey, Penn. @ Hersheypark Stadium
Jun 14, 2023 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Footprint Ctr
Jun 16, 2023 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Banc of Calif.
Jun 20, 2023 – San Diego, Calif. @ Pechanga Arena
Jun 22, 2023 – San Jose, Calif. @ SAP Ctr
Jun 23, 2023 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Ctr
Jun 25, 2023 – Seattle, Wash. @ Climate Pledge Arena
Jun 27, 2023 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena
Jun 29, 2023 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place
Jun 30, 2023 – Calgary, Alberta @ Saddledome
July 3, 2023 – Denver, Colo. @ Ball Arena
July 5, 2023 – Dallas, Texas @ American Ctr
July 7, 2023 – Austin, Texas @ Moody Ctr
July 8, 2023 – Houston, Texas @ Toyota Ctr
July 10, 2023 – Tampa, Fla. @ Amalie Arena
July 11, 2023 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ FLA Live
July 13, 2023 – Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena
July 14, 2023 – Charlotte, N.C. @ Spectrum Center
July 16, 2023 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 2, 2023 – Glasgow, U.K. @ OVO Hydro
Sept. 4, 2023 – Belfast, U.K. @ SSE Arena
Sept. 5, 2023 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
Sept. 8, 2023 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis
Sept. 9, 2023 – Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
Sept. 12, 2023 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
Sept. 13, 2023 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
Sept. 14, 2023 – Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum
Sept. 16, 2023 – Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes Arena
Sept. 17, 2023 – Hamburg, Germany @ Barclays Arena
Sept. 19, 2023 – Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena
Sept. 20, 2023 – Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle
Oct. 2, 2023– Lisbon, Portugal @ Altice Arena
Oct. 3, 2023 – Madrid, Spain @ Wizink Centre
Oct. 4, 2023 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
Oct. 6, 2023 – Bologna, Italy @ Unipol Arena
Oct. 8, 2023 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
Oct. 9, 2023 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
Oct. 11, 2023 – London, U.K. @ The O2
Oct. 14, 2023 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Utilita Arena
Oct. 15, 2023 – Manchester, U.K. @ AO Arena
Oct. 21, 2023 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ When We Were Young
Feb. 9, 2024 – Perth, Western Australia @ RAC Arena
Feb. 11, 2024 – Adelaide, South Australia @ Ent. Ctr
Feb. 13, 2024 – Melbourne, Victoria @ Rod Laver Arena
Feb. 16, 2024 – Sydney, New S. Wales @ Qudos Arena
Feb. 19, 2024 – Brisbane, Queensland @ Ent. Ctr
Feb. 23, 2024 – Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
Feb. 26, 2024 – Christchurch, New Zealand @ Arena
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