After a string of ridiculous rap concerts, I was elated that Quinnipiac could bring in an act such as Third Eye Blind. Not only are they a band that I have always enjoyed, but they are a group that has a mass appeal amongst college students. I didn't really hear any complaints about them being chosen to play the Fall Concert; in fact there was actually quite a buzz surrounding their performance. Playing up at the TD Bank North Sports Center would certainly make for a lively atmosphere and a strong pregame up at the new Yorke Hill campus. When it was all said and done, the full experience was an eclectic mix of good, bad, and retarded.I got the festivities started with the "That's Amore" radio show at 5, where myself and co-host Bob Talbot (Talbot Talks Sports) discussed the upcoming NFL games while enjoying some Vodka heavy mix drinks. "That's Amore" soccer correspondent London Joe called in for a hilarious guest spot where he proceeded to call QU's soccer coach "a stupid wanker who must have sat on a fat one". After a condensed 45 minute show filled with irreverence, Bob and I hitched a ride from my parents over to Ray & Mike's to get a couple of boner-inducing steak & cheese subs. We needed to get a ride from my parents because the notoriously prickish QU security would not allow any non-Yorke Hill students to bring their cars up to the campus. (I think I speak for all of my fellow students when I say that all of QU Security can all fornicate themselves with an iron rod.) Once we arrived at Yorke Hill, we went to our friend Alyssa's room to pre-game while we waited for the rest of our friends arrived. I had acquired a copy of the show's setlist from a friend and passed it around the room. Reaction was mixed to say the least. While most of the classics were on there, the band was planning on playing a ton of new stuff, and the QU favorite "Crystal Baller" was nowhere to be found. Despite some minor disappointment at the time, the excitement remained high for everybody. Some more familiar faces entered into the room as I threw back some man-sized swigs of Jack Daniels. After some more drinks and bullshitting over sing-a-long background music, we decided to make the short trek over to the arena.
Once inside, I settled into a good location on the floor with a group of my friends. Unfortunately we had to endure the last few songs of the shitty emo band that opened, but with the buzz I had going it didn't seem like too long of a wait. Finally, after about a half hour set change, the lights went out and 3eb was ready to come on. They began with a crazy techno instrumental song complete with strobe lights and glow sticks. The dancing silhouette at the top of the stage chucked the sticks into the crowd, and I was able to wrestle one away from the person in front of me thanks to my drunken will power. With the crowd energy hitting a peak, the band launched into "Can You Take Me", the opener on their new album Ursa Major. It worked well as a quick uptempo number to get people into the show, even if a lot of them had no idea what they were hearing. After the rapturous applause for the opener, the band went right into the classic "Losing A Whole Year". Always a favorite of mine, myself and many others screamed out the lyrics to this rager with pure joy. Two more great older songs followed, "Faster" and "Wounded", and it was evident that the show was rolling along very nicely. After the stellar new song "Sharp Knife", the crowd pleasing "Never Let You Go" made an appearance, much to the delight of my buddy, QU soccer star Kevin Nunes. The next four songs saw the two best new songs, "Bonfire" and "Water Landing", and two of the best old songs, "Motorcycle Drive-By" and "Jumper". "Jumper" particularly was a highlight if only to see the whole arena singing in unison to the amazingly catchy chorus.
Up to this point the show and experience were stellar. However, things would slow down considerably in the middle of the show. The road crew rolled out a couch for a small acoustic set and the band began the set with arguably their worst song, the new "One in Ten". They then followed it up with the little known "Palm Reader" from 2003's Out of the Vein, which coincidentally was one of the weaker songs on that album as well. The acoustic break ended on a high not with the popular "How's it Going to Be" from the self titled album in 1997. Despite everybody knowing the last acoustic song, I began to sense that the crowd around me was losing interest in the show. I assumed getting back to the electric sound for the rest of the show would bring everybody back into it. However, 3 of the next 4 songs were new tunes, and it certainly made some of the crowd a little restless. Perhaps it had something to do with everybody's buzz wearing off by this time, but it's also not fun for people when you don't know the songs being played. "Graduate" was wedged into the run of new songs and it featured a kick ass drum solo sandwiched in the middle of it. The restless crowd exploded when the band finally launched into their most well known song "Semi-Charmed Life" as the last song before the encore. It was a great performance and even featured a small tease of "Ride Wit Me" by Nelly, which was quite bad ass. That song finished a strong, if not slightly predictable and uneven main set.
By the time the band came out for the encore a good deal of the crowd had poured out of the arena. They came back out to the same encore I've seen them play every time I've been to one of their shows. It began with the lyrically haunting "Slow Motion" and finished with the beautiful "God of Wine". Unfortunately both of these songs are slower and most people around me didn't know them well, so there was some palpable dissatisfaction from some people at the end of the show. It was compounded even more by the fact that our fervent "Crystal Baller" chants were left unanswered. As a side note, it was clearly evident at this concert that lead singer Stephan Jenkins epitomizes the height of douchery. He said some of the most ridiculously corny things I've ever heard from a band at a concert. "We're going deep tonight guys!!!" Please, Stephan spare me the bullshit and just play music. Despite his lameness, I thought it was a very good show. Nothing I hadn't seen before, but a good time on a Saturday night nonetheless. I would've loved to have heard some more old tunes such as "Blinded", "Thanks A Lot", "Wake For Young Souls", "Crystal Baller", or "An Ode to Maybe", but I can't complain about a $15 ticket to see a band that I've always loved.
We capped off the night at Dick's in Hamden with a mix of Jameson shots, Irish Car Bombs, and a whole lot of beer. As I reflected on the night later on at home in my inebriated state, I was reminded why college is such a great time. You just can't beat a weekend night where everybody comes together to share a bunch of drinks and listen to some great music together. In the end, it was all really about the social scene and hanging out with your good friends for a night. Third Eye Blind was more or less in the background.
