Tom DeLonge Gets Emotional as 43,000 Padres Fans Sing Blink-182 Hit

Tom DeLonge has spent decades hearing crowds sing his songs back to him. But Tuesday night at Petco Park was different.

The Blink-182 frontman wasn't standing onstage with a microphone in his hand. He was in the stands, wearing a blue San Diego Padres T-shirt and a backward baseball cap, watching his hometown team battle the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Then the eighth inning arrived.

With the Padres leading, more than 43,000 fans launched into Blink-182's 1999 hit "All the Small Things," a song that has become a beloved part of the ballpark's late-game atmosphere.

🎸 @blink182's @tomdelonge in attendance tonight as Petco Park sings "All The Small Things" during Game 3 🎶 pic.twitter.com/d5sOPKJVws
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 7, 2026

And there, surrounded by thousands of people singing a song he helped create, DeLonge appeared to get choked up.

Cameras caught the 50-year-old musician taking in the scene, visibly moved as the crowd sang around him. Moments later, he was joining the celebration himself, waving a rally towel and singing along.

For one of San Diego's most famous musicians, it was quite a homecoming.

Tom DeLonge Gets Emotional During Padres Playoff Game

The moment unfolded Tuesday, Oct. 6, as the Padres hosted Milwaukee in front of a packed Petco Park.

San Diego fans have made "All the Small Things" a regular eighth-inning tradition whenever the team holds a lead. The song has been part of Blink-182's catalog for more than 25 years, but hearing it performed by an entire stadium, with one of its creators sitting among the crowd, gave the familiar singalong a new dimension.

FOX Sports cameras found DeLonge during the performance, capturing his reaction as he appeared to hold back tears.

He soon broke into a smile, waved his towel and enthusiastically joined in as the crowd reached the song's famous refrain.

FOX Sports shared the footage on X, writing, "@blink182's @tomdelonge in attendance tonight as Petco Park sings 'All The Small Things' during Game 3."

The broadcast team recognized the significance of the moment, too.

"What a cool moment here in San Diego," one announcer said, noting how remarkable it must be to hear tens of thousands of people singing one of your biggest hits.

For DeLonge, the connection runs deeper than simply having a popular song played at a sporting event.

He grew up in Poway, California, roughly 20 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, and has remained a longtime Padres supporter. Blink-182 itself was formed in the San Diego area, making the band's music part of the city's identity long before "All the Small Things" became a ballpark anthem.

On Tuesday, those two pieces of DeLonge's life came together in front of a postseason crowd.

The Padres gave their fans another reason to celebrate, defeating Milwaukee 4-3 to win Game 3 of the NLDS.

Blink-182's 'All the Small Things' Has Become a Padres Tradition

This wasn't the first time DeLonge had witnessed the Padres faithful embrace his band's music.

During San Diego's 2023 postseason run, he spoke about the experience of hearing "All the Small Things" echo through Petco Park, describing the tradition as an honor.

"It's pretty magical," DeLonge said about it.

He also joked that the Padres might want to consider some of Blink-182's louder material for future games.

"We've got more aggressive songs. We've got better songs than that one," he said, suggesting the ballpark could use something a little louder to energize the crowd.

The comments reflected the playful personality fans have come to associate with the singer, but Tuesday's reaction showed just how much the tradition means to him.

Released in 1999, "All the Small Things" became one of Blink-182's signature songs and helped introduce the band to a much wider audience. DeLonge co-wrote the track with bandmate Mark Hoppus, while Travis Barker completes the trio.

After leaving the band for seven years, DeLonge reunited with Hoppus and Barker for Blink-182's 2023 album "One More Time...," marking a major chapter in the group's history.

More than two decades after the song first became a hit, it continues to find new audiences, including tens of thousands of Padres fans who have made it their own.

DeLonge has performed "All the Small Things" in arenas and stadiums around the world. On Tuesday, he got to experience it from the other side.

And judging by his reaction, hearing his hometown sing it back to him still means an awful lot.

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