Concert Review: The 11th Round with Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind front man - Stephen Jenkins

Throughout my concert attending career, I have seen no band more than Third Eye Blind. Their Orlando gig headlining the Mix Christmas show last week marked the 11th time I've caught Stephen Jenkins and company. As always, they put on a great show.


It's been a solid year for 3eb. The San Francisco based pop-alternative group released their 5th studio album earlier this year, entitled Dopamine. The record has received solid reviews and has been praised by fans who have long awaited new material from the band. I reviewed back to back Third Eye shows back in June just after the album came out. It was nice to see 3EB again after being more familiar with the material.

The show opened with Dopamine starter - 'Everything Is Easy.' In fact, Dopamine ended up being the most represented album on the night. Jenkins performed 5 tunes off the new record. (6 if you count the Beyonce cover of 'Mine' that is featured as a secret track on the album)

While this was technically a Christmas show put on by the local mix radio station, Jenkins acknowledged that Third Eye is probably the least Christmas-y band the station could have invited. He explained they have no holiday tunes, but would opt to play a cover that could be interpreted as a Christmas song. They then performed a Bon Iver cover, appropriately named..... 'Blood Bank.'

My personal favorite tune on the night was crowd favorite - 'Motorcycle Drive By.' I've now seen 11 Third Eye Blind shows through the years, and this is the only one that has been played live at every concert. The tune features a build-up and crowd sing-a-long second to none, showing off well the atmosphere of a Third Eye show.

The singles from Third Eye's career are always well received as well. You can't beat 'Jumper' and 'Semi-Charmed Life' to close the set. As the guys finished up, Jenkins remarked that although they've sold out House of Blues Orlando many times, he couldn't recall ever seeing it more packed. This was good to hear, reassuring that the Third Eye fan base is still strong, and that we should expecting many more shows for years to come.

Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars


*No videos could be found from Orlando. Above is a new tune off Dopamine, recorded in Vegas.


SETLIST:

1. Everything is Easy
2. Wounded
3. Dopamine
4. Never Let You Go
5. Back to Zero
6. Motorcycle Drive By
7. Rites of Passage
8. Mine (Beyonce cover)
9. Losing A Whole Year
10. Blood Bank (Bon Iver cover)
11. How's It Going to Be
12. Jumper

Encore:
13. Something In You
14. Semi-Charmed Life