ACL Day 3: Third Eye Blind

Watch out, Austin! “The Kids are Coming” to ACL for Third Eye Blind’s stellar set! 

At 6 o’clock, the Honda stage was graced by the presence of the San Francisco rockers. Starting their set with their new single “Screamer,” the band was met with an ear-splitting roar of applause and jubilation.  

It was apparent from the start that fans came to sing along, with screams of ‘Can I graduate’ making the heads of passerby festival-goers turn and stop in curiosity. 

The tone got more somber during “Motorcycle Drive-By,” a  song about realizing a relationship you want could never work out. 

The magic and enduring success of Third Eye Blind is greatly due to their honesty and reliability. The subject matter of the songs, though often personal, is universal in terms of love, loss, and feelings of displacement so familiar to those coming of age. Although the band’s greatest hits were in the 90s, the crowd in attendance was highly diverse in age and appearance. 

They all reacted the same during the first notes of “Jumper;” a quick gasp of recognition followed by the omission of words all knew by heart. Guitarist Kryz Reid took center stage for the iconic guitar solo, embellished for the live performance to a point that drove the crowd into a frenzy.

The band played for 30 minutes more, seeming unphased in their all-black outfits under the hot Texas sun. The set concluded with mega-hit “Semi-Charmed Life.” Frontman Stephen Jenkins kept the energy going, turning the mic to the audience while they sang the signature ‘do do do – do do do do.’  

Third Eye Blind is a musical staple of our generation. If you missed them this past weekend, I suggest you buy Weekend 2 tickets here ASAP.