Initial ticket sales for Blink 182's upcoming fall/winter tour are stronger than expected, according to House of Blues Concerts. The tour is the first to take flight under the HOB Concerts banner since the restaurant and nightclub chain bought the Universal Concerts promotions firm.

''We knew ticket sales would be strong, but these on-sales are beyond our expectations,'' Melissa Miller of HOB Concerts said in a prepared statement.

All tickets to Blink 182's shows in Los Angeles and nearby Orange County were sold out in 10 minutes, and a New York show sold out in a day, HOB reports. A show scheduled for the band's hometown of San Diego is also expected to sell out.

Blink 182's tour will consist of about 50 dates, including 16 theater and arena shows this fall and 34 amphitheatre stops in the spring and summer of 2000. The tour, in support of the recently-released Universal/MCA album ''Enema of the State,'' gets underway Oct. 29 in Irvine, Calif.

Silverchair [ tickets ] and FENIXtx will open on most dates this fall. Unwritten Law [ tickets ] will open the Orange County show, and Lit [ tickets ] will open in Montreal.

HOB.com, House of Blues' official website, will present Blink 182 as a November Artist of the Month, which will include Internet Pay Per View broadcast, artist interviews, and interactive chat. HOB Internet Radio will also feature ''Blink 182 Radio,'' an interactive 60-minute collection of the band's hits.

HOB bought Universal Concerts from Seagram earlier this year in a $190 million deal that included an agreement to feature artists on Universal Music Group's labels in House of Blues venues. The agreement also established marketing ties between HOB and the artists who record for UMG.