Prior to recording Blink-182's fourth studio album,
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the group recorded
demos at DML Studios, a small practice studio in
Escondido, California, where the band had written
Dude Ranch and
Enema of the State. Hoppus went home and wrote "The Rock Show" in ten minutes, and DeLonge similarly wrote "
First Date", which became the most successful singles from the record and future live staples. Hoppus wrote the song based on his memories of the
San Diego club
Soma. In their early days, Blink-182 performed dozens of concerts at the venue, mainly at the 5305 Metro Street location. "It was covered with graffiti, it stunk, it was made of concrete and metal so the sound sucked and the toilets were always over-flowing. It was the best, we loved it," he recalled.
Travis Barker remembered that the song's arrangement was worked in the
Famous Stars and Straps warehouse in San Diego. The band felt the song captured "the spirit of the
Ramones and
Screeching Weasel," and "[it was] definitely influenced by bands like the
Descendents." The band members expanded upon this in a 2001 interview with
BBC Music: Although it only peaked at number 71 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and number 33 on the
Mainstream Top 40 chart, it reached number two on
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. ==Reception==