Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Richard Marks/Greyhound Third Eye Blind performed a long 14-track set on Saturday in Reitz Arena. They sang favorites such as "Semi-Charmed Life" and "Motorcycle Driveby."

A decade has passed since Third Eye Blind released their highly acclaimed self-titled album which ripped through the air waves in 1997. Since then their music has adapted and band members have changed, leaving only two from the original line-up. This begs the question then, does Third Eye Blind still have that inherent quality that they began with? Lead singer Stephan Jenkins may spend a little too much time making cryptic statements on togetherness during the show, but there seems to be a genuine smile on his face, one that doesn't come from money or drugs, but a true desire to be in the moment. That passion held throughout their sold out performance of a 14-track set and two encores.

With studio quality rarity, Third Eye Blind, like a blitzkrieg, inundated the audience with major selections from their classic repertoire. Jenkins opened their set with the title song of their album "Losing a Whole Year" and moved onto other fan favorites such as "Graduate," "Jumper," "Semi-Charmed Life," and "How's It Gonna Be." The performance, however, was far from a regurgitation of their popular catalog. Memorable moments such as an acoustic "Deep Inside of You" followed by "Motorcycle Driveby" reminded the audience that within the aging pop rock band lays a real and lasting musical talent. Well, maybe I'm bias to those two songs, but there is no doubt that during "Jumper," Tony Fredianelli's guitar solo and Brad Hargreaves drum solo displayed unbridled skill. For a true 3eb aficionado, the meat of the performance rested in the more-somber-than-expected, encore. The graphic murder ballad "Slow Motion" pacified the crowd and ignited lighters while the closing track "God of Wine" was the angst of a warm goodbye.

Despite the girl behind me that was making such comments as-"play something I know (despite the fact that the only song she did know was "Semi-Charmed Life") and "stop talking and play," the crowd was energetic and responsive even when they played a new track on their up and coming album. At times though maybe the crowd became over zealous, or maybe they were just drunk. I have been to a lot of shows and if anyone ever bet me that a mosh pit would open up during a Third Eye Blind concert, my legs would probably be broken from lack of payment. Second only to the mosh pit was the crowd surfing that looked more like rag dolls thrashing in the air. Not going unnoticed Jenkins, a Grinch smile creeping across his face, addressed the audience: "crowd surfing is for chicks," poking fun at the uncanny amount of dudes passing over head, before launching back into another song.

Continued...

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