Whenever going to a concert for a band who hasn’t had a hit song in the last 15 years, one can’t help but wondering if it will be worth it. Many older bands sound, and even look, worn out and outdated, but Third Eye Blind made their old hits — “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper” and “How’s It Going to Be” — sound as new as they were on their release dates in the late 1990s. If it weren’t for the thousands of Snapchat videos, selfies and the lack of a thriving economy, the concert may have perfectly fooled the audience into thinking it was 1998.
The majority of the crowd raged on the first floor of The Jefferson in downtown Charlottesville, while the more timid sat and relaxed on the balcony. The performance, however, was inclusive to all, as the charm of lead singer Stephan Jenkins created the intimacy of the concert. In between songs, he gave interesting commentary on the ordeals of being on the road. He mentioned maintaining his sanity by keeping the show spontaneous — and it most certainly was. The popular hits were perfectly spread out between the band’s newer, more down-to-earth songs. He gave the advice to live life to its fullest and to not let others get in the way. He even went so far as to have the crowd introduce themselves to the strangers around them. The resulting effect of his anecdotes and crowd inclusion was a mood of warmth and energy both in the audience and on stage. The whole event felt very authentic.
In between their bigger hits, the band played several songs from their newest album “Dopamine” including “Everything is Easy” and the title track. The songs had a different sound than their famous hits. The songs were slow, catchy and had lyrics showcasing the genius of Jenkins. Stephan recommended listening to the album in any way possible. He said to purchase it, but if not, he’d be fine with people stealing it as long as they give the album a listen. The comment — likely unsettling to his manager — gave the message that Stephan is dedicated to his band and his art and will put money aside as long as his message gets out there.
Stephan wasn’t the only genius behind the concert, though. The band’s drummer, Brad Hargreaves, had a long, impressive drum solo on stage that showed off his skill and precision. The technical side of the performance deserves a shoutout as well. The lighting was extremely engaging and gorgeous, first outlining the band members in silhouette form before dramatically introducing them with bright lights from all directions. The technical aspects of the show were flawless apart from one instance where the sound went out. It happened during a song with only Stephan on acoustic guitar and Brad on drums. The outage was not a problem, though, as the energized crowd joined in to sing along with the song, making the technical difficulty seem intentional.
The concert was a delight, and the old songs offered a novel experience. No matter how many times one may hear a classic song, there’s still nothing quite like seeing the personality behind the music and the skill behind the performers.
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