Matty Healy Meets + Embraces Pop-Punk Hero at Lollapalooza

Concerts are a great opportunity for fans to meet their musical idols, and obviously, that applies to rock and metal artists who deeply admire other acts. Just ask The 1975 vocalist Matty Healy, who unexpectedly (and ecstatically) ran off stage to embrace a special concertgoer – Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge – during The 1975’s set at this weekend’s Lollapalooza.

This past Friday night (Aug. 4), The 1975 headlined the four-day event at Grant Park in Chicago, Ill. Halfway into their performance, they kicked off “Robbers” from their 2013 self-titled debut LP. As Healy was singing, he spotted DeLonge in the audience and – without hesitation – bolted down the stairs to hug him.

“I love you so much. I fucking love you so, so much,” Healy said to the revered pop-punk guitarist/vocalist as the two embraced. Once they finished “Robbers” – NME noted – Healy “told the crowd how he just got to meet one of his rock heroes.”

Healy added: “And the person who inspired me to talk about my dick as much as I do and I thank him for that forever.”

The singer’s appreciation for Blink-182 isn’t surprising given that he’s shown excitement for them before. Specifically – and as NME reported in October of 2022 – Healy posted an Instagram story celebrating the trio’s return: “Fuck blink 182 is original line up!! They’ve reformed!!! So we’re actually opening for Blink 182!!! Tom is back!! We made it!!!”

Of course, Healy was referring to the fact that The 1975 were supposed to open for Blink-182 at Lollapalooza’s South American festivals in Brazil, Argentina and Chilie. Unfortunately, Blink-182 canceled their appearances due to drummer Travis Barker’s injured finger.

Yesterday (Aug. 5), DeLonge shared a photo and a video of the meeting on Instagram (both of which you can see below).

The photo caption reads: “I guess myself ‘AND’ the @the1975 won’t be going to Malaysia - just a couple dudes kissing during their phenomenal set at #lollapalooza @trumanblack.”

The video caption reads: “@the1975 blew me away at Lollapalooza…. Great fucking band. @trumanblack even gave me a quick kiss as a first time hello.”

You can view other fan-captured clips and photos of the meeting below.

Last month, The 1975 were officially banned from playing Malaysia following Healy’s physical and verbal protests of the country’s anti-LGBTQIA+ laws.

As for DeLonge and Blink-182, Wolfgang Van Halen recently cited 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket as one of his 10 favorite albums when he was a teenager. Plus, DeLonge responded to the U.S. claiming to have found ‘nonhuman biologics” in a purported aircraft crash.

Naturally, The 1975 are still touring through the end of 2023. You can view the full list of upcoming dates here and purchase tickets here!