Third Eye Blind marks start of Performing Art and Concert series with nearly sold out show.
After one month of not playing together, Third Eye Blind had a confession to make.
“I have no idea what’s going to happen tonight, no idea whatsoever,” Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer, said. “It’s a really exciting thing because we could totally f--k this night up or we could fly.”
Following the opening act Seryn, Third Eye Blind had the crowd on its feet and singing almost louder than the sound system at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
The show nearly sold out with a crowd of about 1,700 people, Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said.
The five-man band began with “Graduate” from the group’s debut album and the crowd was quick to scream, dance and throw the rock ‘n’ roll symbol up in the air.
While there was a mix of old hits, such as “Never Let You Go” and “Wounded,” and new tracks from the band’s latest album Dopamine, the crowd didn’t sit for a second.
When the band broke out into “Mine” by Beyoncé a few concert-goers began playing air guitars while the rest continued to sing along.
Jenkins compared MemAud to a “basement party” and expressed his excitement about being able to hear and see everyone in the crowd.
As the song concluded, Jenkins was left alone on stage and took the time to play a few stripped down songs for the crowd. He promised to play only hits after a dark song called “Blade” off of Dopamine .
As promised, Jenkins began singing “How’s it Gonna Be.” When the rest of the band re-joined the stage, the song took a turn from a chill vibe and left the crowd roaring with excitement.
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During “Jumper,” the last song before the encore, Jenkins introduced the rest of the band, and the audience members became rowdier than before while they screamed every lyric.
The band returned on stage with “Semi-Charmed Life” and Jenkins took a moment to acknowledge how it felt to play at a college.
“College for me was that first time I started to wake up to everything and feel the possibility of everything … and when we play, I get that feeling from you guys," he said.
The band members held up their hands, bowed their heads and thanked the crowd for coming before disappearing off stage.
Lindsey and Morgan Snader decided to take a road trip from Raleigh, North Carolina to see the show.
“My favorite thing to do is just meet the people who come to the shows. … They have the very best, most welcoming people ever at a show,” Lindsey said. “You go and feel at home and everything’s good.”
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Morgan said after falling in love with the band after hearing the newest album, she was excited to hear all the new hits live.
Diana Wahl, a senior studying marketing and sports administration, was thrilled with the performance because she was able to hear some of the band's old hits she’s never heard live before.
“I’ve seen them a couple times, but honestly, every time they show an interest in the crowd, and they make everyone love them no matter what song they are playing,” she said.
Holzaepfel said the audience was one of the strangest, most diverse crowds to ever be in MemAud with people of all ages and from all different places.
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