Why Travis Barker Skipped the MTV VMAs Despite Blink-182’s Nomination

Travis Barker was busy at the rock show!

Travis, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge (Blink-182) were nominated at Tuesday’s 2023 MTV VMAs in the Best Alternative Video category for their song, “EDGING,” but were noticeably absent from the ceremony.

The reason was simple — they were performing in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the European leg of their tour. On Tuesday, Barker shared a video from a friend on his Instagram Story that shows him rocking out on the drums during the band’s show.

Blink-182 didn’t win the award, which went to Lana Del Rey’s “Candy Necklace” featuring Jon Batiste.

Travis returned to the road with his band over the weekend, after previously leaving the tour to be home with his pregnant wife, Kourtney Kardashian, who had to get urgent fetal surgery.

The 47-year-old drummer shared pictures from his stop in Cologne, Germany, where the trio put on an epic performance at the Lanxess Arena for a packed crowd. Kourtney’s man wasn’t far from her mind as Travis shared a picture of the roses she sent to his hotel room.

“My wife is the best @kourtneykardash,” he captioned the pic.

On Sept. 1, Blink-182 announced that Travis had to rush home “due to an urgent family matter,” postponing the Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin tour dates. 

Shortly after, Travis was seen leaving Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center with Kourtney. She later shared that she had to undergo “urgent fetal surgery” to save the life of her unborn child. 

“I will be forever grateful to my incredible doctors for saving our baby’s life. I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock. And to my mom, thank you for holding my hand through this,” she wrote in a post at the time. 

Following her time in the hospital, a source told ET that Kourtney was doing better and that her husband’s main priority was taking care of her.

“Kourtney is doing better and back at home. Kourtney is Travis’ main priority, especially throughout her pregnancy, and he would drop anything for her,” the source said. “They are true partners and always make sure to be there for each other. She was grateful to have him by her side during this time.”

Kourtney and Travis — who tied the knot in 2022 — announced they were expecting their first child together in June. They later shared that they were expecting a “little drummer boy.” 

Blink-182 is expected to continue touring through April 2024. The European leg of the tour is set to wrap in mid-October and will be followed by two dates in Las Vegas, Nevada. After that, the group will take a break until February, presumably for Travis to enjoy time with his newborn son. 

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