Third Eye Blind

One of my all time favorite bands is Third Eye Blind. They were my absolute favorite in high school, as I own every album and could pretty much sing each word from every song. Their debut is an instant classic; Blue has some of the best fan favorites from 3eb's discography; Out of Vein is my favorite breakup album of all time; and I even loved the mixed reviewed Ursa Major. It was the soundtrack to my fall of 2009 and is still a constant go-to in my usual listening.

Through the years I've seen Stephan Jenkins and company 10 times. They've played venues as large as 20,000 for Bamboozle Fest back in 2010, to as tiny as a smalltown live music weeknight fair in 2011. I've seen them everywhere from professional venues, casinos, an outdoor hockey rink to even Sea World. Every time has been amazing.

I'm clearly biased.

So when Third Eye announced plans for a new album, as well as a summer tour with Dashboard Confessional to accompany the new tunes, I obviously jumped on it. I bought tix to both House of Blues Orlando, and a pit seat for their St. Augustine gig at the Ampitheater two nights later.

Night 1 Review:

The Orlando show was the smallest venue Third Eye will play all summer long. They came on stage late (10:40) following an hour long set by Dashboard. Jenkins is no stranger to unusual stage antics, and this was the case in Orlando. He remained clocked in darkness for the first few songs. He sang using a hanging microphone from the back of the stage, only outlined by the flashing lights.

It seemed like is wasn't until the first few songs passed that you got a good look at the frontman. Stephan is beloved by 3EB fans for the effort and energy he provides at each show. Tonight was no different. The singer will turn 51 this year, but you would never know it. He bounces around stage and even proclaimed that he's never felt more alive in his entire life before this summer.

The setlist was very friendly for casual Third Eye fans. All the greatest hits were played, including radio hits 'Jumper,' 'Semi-Charmed Life,' 'How's it Gonna Be?' and 'Never Let You Go.' They also played setlist constants in 'Losing a Whole Year' and 'Graduate.'

For me though, the best part of a Third Eye show is the connection with the audience. That comes out best with fan favorites 'Motorcycle Drive By' and 'Slow Motion.' These songs get the most loyal fans singing along, uniting the room. The band seems to love it and it's always the lasting memory I have from 3eb shows. Most of these fans have been with Third a Eye for many years, and they show it here.

Overall, the Orlando crowd did it's job and it was a great show. I wouldn't expect anything less from Third Eye. Keep it up Steve!

Night 1 Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars

Round 2 Review:

I was back at it 2 nights later in St Augustine for a much larger venue show. The Ampitheater was close to capacity and the pit was bumping as Third Eye opened with the same tunes as the sun set. It was great to get back to St Augustine by the way. (first time since Mumford's Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Sep 2013)

It may have been due to the venue and acoustics, but right away I thought Steve sounded better on night 2. His voice was clear and he was rocking, stating early that he was in a mood to play all night long.

The setlist ended up being near identical to the Friday show, but I didn't mind. As mentioned prior, they played great tunes! This also gave me a chance to fully appreciate the new songs performed. Third Eye played 3 in total, including lead single for the new album - 'Everything is Easy.' This new tune proves Jenkins is still a capable songwriter and features a great hook.

The new album, entitled Dopamine, was just released a few weeks ago and I'm very excited to listen in detail. Even if 3eb never again reaches the peak they saw in the late 90's, it's clear they still have a great fan base that's satisfied to get some new music. Really proud of the guys for putting this out.

Some other highlights from Round 2 was a chilling version of 'Bonfire' and a crazy drum solo from Brad Hargreaves. Brad is the only other member from the original 3eb lineup when they were formed in 1993.

Overall, both great shows and I'll give the slight advantage to night #2. Stephan Jenkins sounded better for round 2 and you can't beat a full Ampitheater singing along with Third Eye's greatest hits. 3eb and Dashboard will continue touring together throughout the first half of the summer.

Night 2 Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars

If you are like me and hit middle school in the 00's, Third Eye Blind was probably your soundtrack to every road trip and every heartbreak. Most days, I can hardly get through all of “Out of the Vein” without breaking into a nostalgic episode—so you can imagine how I felt seeing them live during the summer of 2013, front row at Yankee Stadium. If you’ve ever heard a Third Eye Blind song, (and who has lived through the 90’s and hasn’t heard “Jumper”?) you know that Stephen Jenkins is a lyrical genius - and I guess the rest of their fans agree, because you could hardly hear the band over the crowd, who knew just about every word to every song. I swear the whole crowd went airborne with excitement during the chorus of “How’s It Going To Be,” another TEB classic.
Third Eye Blind falls into place somewhere between pop and post-grunge, and I’ve yet to see another band that combines the two genres so successfully. Splaying energy and passion onto the stage in the heart of the field at Yankee Stadium on a warm, intoxicated night, the band brought back teenage-hood for hundreds of fans, who, like me, will likely never forget the moment.

San Francisco rock group Third Eye Blind have had a varied career when it has come to commerciality yet one thing that has remained consistent is the passion and energy they invest into their live performance. They have been together as a group for over two decades and although there have been several lineup changes, the group stands as one onstage and all the musicians have a great rapport and in turn are very switched on to each other's instruments.

The crowd completely loves this interaction between the musicians and the devoted fans huddled towards the barrier have their hands in the air throughout to try and grab the attention of lead singer Stephan Jenkins. He thrusts the mic in their direction for 'Jumper' which they sing back in force. The angsty pop rock has good pace and never allows the audience's attention to drop off, as the band launches itself around the stage you cannot help but feel equally excited. The whole crowd are awarding the group with deafening applause as they take their final bows looking exhausted yet content.

Hard to believe it took from 1997 (the release of their self titled album) to last night for me to see TEB live. I was a fan of their catchy, well written songs and played that first album a lot.
I'm more hard rock/metal in preference, but listen to a wide variety of rock.
For whatever reason, they were at a resort at South Lake Tahoe and I decided to attend. They put on a great show, playing most their old hits and of course songs from their new album Dopamine. Their act was fast, professional, energetic and had the crowd of about 1500 jumping. They explained that they were on the last couple dates of this tour (they are from San Francisco) and made the comment that compared to the rest of the tour, this show felt like they were playing in a bar.
Opening for them as Dashboard Confessional. I had downloaded their albums to gain familiarity with them but their live show was nothing close to their recordings... very energetic band with quite a following.
Overall a great show, and TEB is back in my rotation.

Despite being a generation away from Third Eye Blind’s peak era, I nonetheless played Semi Charmed Life’ on a constant loop in my bedroom whilst I danced and sung along in my pyjamas, completely innocent as to the brilliantly dark lyrics. If I had been old enough to own a car, then it would have certainly been featured in my road trip playlist. The tune is, after all, an indie and cult classic. It raised Third Eye Blind to fame and cemented their position as indie gods. When the chords were struck for ‘Semi Charmed Life’, the whole crowd, most of whom were a few years older than me and clearly old fans of the band, went absolutely berserk. The band had the same incredible energy and passion that had set them apart back in their hay day. They were jumping up and down on stage and mustering the audience into a frenzy, getting everyone pumped and excited. During ‘Jumper’, the mic as held out to the audience for everyone to sing along to the much beloved lyrics.

This was my second time seeing TEB. First in 2017 up in Cleveland for their Summer Gods 2017 tour. This time here in my hometown of Kansas City. For a second time I was blown away by their energy and enthusiasm. They really get the crowd pumped up and give the perfect amount of interaction with their audience. The setlist of course was great, included a blend of older material and new songs that will be on their unreleased upcoming album.
For me, my favorite TEB song is Motorcycle Drive By and they nailed it perfectly even after all these years. Their wasn't a moment of their time onstage though that I was not dancing, singing, and smiling. I highly recommend seeing this band. Very talented and kind hearted individuals, wel worth the money. Can't wait till they come around next time, I'll be there.

Probably the most fun I have had in years. I wasn't listening to music I was feeling it. In every. Single. Song. I loved the set list starting out with Graduate fits perfectly for a show in San Francisco. Where it all began. Any fan knows why. Although for a lot of the self titled album songs Kevin Cadogan was missed on the guitar similarly Arion Salazar's unique style would've been a nice touch the show did not fail to exceed any expectation of greatness. Every new song rushed through the crowd and every old song felt like a warm heart pounding reunion. I love this band and couldn't have had a better time. Brad Hargreaves is made of lions!!!

Absolutely fantastic show! I've loved Third Eye Blind for awhile now, and this was my first time seeing their show. IT WAS FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! My love for their music burns brighter than ever before. They played straight for 1.5 hours, hit most of my all-time favorites, and seemed just as pumped to be there as I was. These tickets were a little more expensive than most of the shows I see at this venue, but it was worth every penny. I will definitely be seeing them again!

The VIP Meet-and-greet ticket was all I thought it would be and more. Not only did I get to meet the band for pictures and autographs, I got to sit through their whole sound check!!! It was like going to two concerts.

The whole performance, from all three bands (Augustana, Dashboard Confessional, and TEB), was on point.

The venue PNC Pavillion provided an ideal place for a show; however, the food/drink prices were a bit high.

Overall it was a win in my book!

Went to concert last night in Durham. The lead was recovering from a cold, vocals sucked really bad, should have cancelled and rescheduled the concert. The band is still super talented and the musicians are incredible with the instruments. Any who, something was really off, nice attempt but should have let the man recover properly. I am not rich, I used 1/3rd of my monthly spending money for this concert and was disappointed. Still and always will love this band!!!!