Twenty-two years and eight albums later, Third Eye Blind is back with a countrywide tour and a new album, Dopamine. Third Eye Blind, known for their songs, “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Jumper,” performed on June 26th at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island. There were many rain showers during the day but that didn’t stop loyal fans and music goers from seeing Third Eye Blind. The concert consisted of all the fan-favorites along with the band’s new music.

Third Eye Blind had two opening acts: Illinois-based rapper- and- producer, K. Flay, followed by the emo essential, Dashboard Confessional. K.Flay opened the show and captured the crowd’s attention with her unique and edgy voice. She had the look of a punk rocker that complimented that voice perfectly. K.Flay is the next new sound in music. Between producing, rapping, and her punk rock feel, she will definitely come out with some interestingly new and inventive tracks.

The second act to open for Third Eye Blind was Dashboard Confessional. Originating in Boca Raton, Florida, the band’s career originally began in 1999 with one man, Chris Carrabba. In 2010, the band decided that they wanted a break from the music industry to start their own lives. When asked to open for Third Eye Blind, they couldn’t say no and jumped straight back into music; which they told the crowd during their set. Though the band only played their older music, the fans still loved them and could be heard screaming the lyrics back to the band’s lead singer, Chris Carrabba. Dashboard Confessional is an Indie Rock band that also plays acoustically. The mixing of these two styles of music allow for the band to have its own sound within the music industry. The band was not only extremely passionate about their music. They were even more passionate about the city of Chicago and their fans. They repeatedly mentioned to the crowd their love for their fans and that without them they wouldn’t be back on stage. They went on to say that Chicago was their favorite place to perform and that the fans in this city are ones that not only sing back the lyrics to their songs, but scream them. Dashboard has a great stage presence that electrifies the crowd and the crowd was beaming with excitement even through the rain.

When Third Eye Blind came onto the stage the volume of the arena erupted into screams. This only escalated when the guitar intro to their song “Faster” began. Stephan Jenkins (Lead Vocals) began to sing one of their classic songs, “Graduate,” which made the crowd nostalgic. Third Eye Blind played songs from their newest album, Dopamine, along with their classic Top 40 songs. Third Eye Blind has a very definite sound in music. Being considered pop rock and alternative rock, they play as if they were still in the heart of the ’90s. Third Eye Blind creates a sense of not only nostalgia, but a sense of belonging. Between sets, the fans would converse with each other and, as the band was playing, they tried to interact with the crowd as much as they could though there was a barrier in the way. Towards the end of the set list, Brad Hargreaves (drummer), was left on the stage as the rest of the band member exited. Brad then was given a set amount of time (about 10 minutes) to perform a drum solo. Brad not only played his drum kit but also rocked out on the electronic drum pad, which was programmed with different sound effects. The set list ended with the band’s famous song, “Jumper,” which left the crowd wanting more. 

Thanks to the crowd’s enthusiasm, the band came back to perform their encore. It involved three songs: “Something In You,” “Semi-Charmed Life,” and “Bonfire Chant.” Although the day wasn’t perfect, due to the rain, the concert and the fans are what made the day better. Third Eye Blind came out with one objective, to have a party, and they delivered, leaving the crowd wanting more even after the encore.