Photography + Review: Third Eye Blind, Taking Back Sunday, and Hockey Dad
Posted: by The Editor
25 years as an active band is no small feat. Traveling the globe to perform for two and a half decades is bound to have bumps in the road but Third Eye Blind has always prevailed. Their annual “Summer Gods” tour is back for the first time since lockdown, fans are excited to be back watching them perform.
Opening this run were Australian based rockers Hockey Dad. By the end of their 30 minute set, they had the crowd cheering for more. Up next were emo trailblazers Taking Back Sunday, who drew many fans on their own. Frontman Adam Lazzara was on stage swinging his microphone like a weapon in no time. While just a couple years shy of the 25 years Third Eye Blind are celebrating, Taking Back Sunday took their hour on stage and gave fans a set spanning the last 22 years of the band providing something for everyone. After closing out their set with their two biggest tracks “Cute Without the E” and “MakeDamnSure,” it was time for Third Eye Blind to take the stage.
The uniqueness about Third Eye Blind’s live shows is that the setlist varies every night – it’s a testament to the band’s musicianship. Saturday night’s set embraced the summer atmosphere and kicked off with “Thanks A Lot.” Moving through the first part of the set we heard “Anything,” “Faster,” “Crystal Baller,” and “Never Let You Go” back to back. As the band started to move down from the risers and greet the crowd in the front, frontman Stephan Jenkins took the time to get everyone in the crowd to look at the person next to them and say “Thank you for being here.” After kicking off the set with heavy hitters, they ventured into their latest releases with “The Dying Blood,” “The Kids Are Coming,” and their latest Joy Division cover. While we only briefly saw the Screamer tour on the road in 2019, we were excited to see Our Band Aparte tracks live. Halfway through the set Third Eye Blind dug deeper into fan favorites and gave us “Narcolepsy,” Palm Reader,” “Can’t Get Away,” “Graduate,” and “Wounded” before transitioning into a solo acoustic break featuring Stephan. While there’s typically an acoustic interlude from Stephan every night, the songs switch up each time and the crowd was more than excited to hear that “Red Star” was one of the songs featured tonight. While still manning the acoustic guitar, the rest of the band rejoined Stephan for “Box of Bones” before diving into the final stretch of the set. “Motorcycle Drive-By” never fails to get the crowd out of their seats and on their feet even after a 90 minute set and tonight was no different. With one final push, the band rocked the stage with “Blinded” which featured Brad playing an extended outro on drums to close out the massive track. With little time left, the band ended their set with “Jumper,” “Semi Charmed Life” and “How’s It Going To Be.” While “God of Wine” was on the set list, curfew limits forced the band to cut the set. Even with the final song being cut, Third Eye Blind proved that after 25 years, they can still deliver a set that satisfies both new and lifelong fans.
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Kyle Musser//@godvfwine