(Review by Katie Coulter, photos by Mallory Golski)
On the evening of Friday, August 28, Ohio University was lucky enough to host Third Eye Blind in the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium. The night started off relatively calm with mainly older folks picking up their tickets and heading into the auditorium early to find their seats, but ended in a polar opposite way, which was with crazy college students jamming out to some throwback 90s rock.
The opening band seemed to be unknown to the crowd due to the fact that the audience felt empty and dull five minutes before they went on. Seryn is a band from Nashville, and they love Third Eye Blind just as much as the fans in attendance. Seryn surprised the audience with a great lead singer who could sing, dance, and rock a ukulele like no other rock band I have ever seen. This band, although unfamiliar, won over the crowd and managed to entertain not solely because of talent, but because of their obvious passion for music.
As Seryn exits the stage and Third Eye Blind’s crew begins to set up, the auditorium fills up completely. The excitement builds as the stage crew exits and the lights dim. One by one, members of Third Eye Blind enter the stage in darkness with the tune of “Semi- Charmed Life” playing softly. As each member enters, the anticipation builds, and roaring cheers erupt every time someone new appears. It was obvious at this point how many dedicated 3eb fans congregated in Athens for this concert. The applause seemed to echo the auditorium louder and louder as the night progressed.
Third Eye Blind played a mixture of songs from their new album and old classics. Some new songs included “Dopamine” and “Blade.” The lead singer, Stephan Jenkins, divulged to the audience of how tragically disorganized the band is, and that the name of the song “Blade,” was originally meant to be “Dream Sequence,” but was printed wrong on the label. Therefore, the name had to officially be changed. Of the classics played, the most popular were “Semi Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “How It’s Going to Be,” “Never Let You Go,” and “Motorcycle Drive By.” The classics were adored especially because even those who weren’t die-hard fans of the band could sing along. They also did a cover of Beyoncé’s “Mine,” which stunned the audience.
Since the band’s summer tour concluded, Stephan Jenkins had been vacationing in Indonesia and spending most of his time surfing. Since they had not played together in a month, Jenkins said that he had no idea what was going to happen. He said that their options were to “totally f*** this thing up or we could fly.” Regardless of the band’s lack of practice, they without a doubt put on an incredible show that mesmerized the crowd. Third Eye Blind will surely be welcomed back at Ohio University anytime they wish.