Stephan Jenkins and Third Eye Blind haven’t had a hit song in the charts since the turn of the century, but you’d never know it from the huge crowd at last week’s show at Merriweather Post Pavilion. “This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever played to at this venue” Jenkins told the audience, resulting in a great roar.
Despite lineup shuffles, label changes and the ongoing evolution of the music industry, Jenkins’ songs have stood the test of time and drawn in fans from across generations.
“Semi-Charmed Life,” their mega-hit from 1999 brought most of the crowd on this evening, but I’ve always loved the other singles from their debut, like “Graduate,” “Losing A Whole Year” and “How’s It Going to Be.”
Watch the official music video for “How It’s Going to Be” by Third Eye Blind on YouTube:
All of those tunes and more were in the set list on July 19 at Merriweather, including a surprise rendition of “God of Wine” as the last tune of the night after Jenkins saw a fan holding a sign asking for the song. The band included two covers, “Dust Storm” segued seamlessly into The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” The biggest surprise, and the highlight of the night in my opinion, was a spot-on cover of TV on the Radio’s indie classic “Wolf Like Me” that led into “Company of Strangers.” Of the newer material, the medley of “Weightless / Faster / Water Landing” got the biggest reception from the crowd.
This was the band’s fourth edition of their Summer Gods tour and no doubt having Yellowcard as openers helped bring in some of the younger fans in the audience. But Jenkins & Co. have been in the spotlight since the mid-90s and have stood the test of time.
Setlist:
Motorcycle Drive By
Dust Storm / Just Like Heaven
Never Let You Go
Narcolepsy
The Kids Are Coming (To Take You Down)
Wolf Like Me / Company of Strangers
Graduate
Wounded
Weightless / Faster / Water Landing
Losing a Whole Year
Shipboard Cook
The Background
Bonfire
Blinded (When I See You)
Slow Motion
Jumper
Semi-Charmed Life
How’s It Going to Be
God of Wine
Here are some photos of Third Eye Blind performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 19, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.
