Seattle Loves Third Eye Blind – New Album or Not

I’ve been listening to Third Eye Blind since their self-titled album came out when I was seven years old. My mom and I would listen to it together on repeat while we drove around town, singing all the lyrics we knew, and making up words for the lyrics we didn’t.

No matter how many times I’ve heard their tracks, they still give me chills. Stephan Jenkins’ brilliant lyrics and sublime voice carry me away to my happy place without fail. So, you can imagine my elation when Third Eye Blind, known lovingly as 3EB by their fans, announced they were coming back to Seattle for the first time since Bumbershoot 2016. And with Jimmy Eat World, no less? Someone pinch me.

WaMu Theater was already half full by the time Ra Ra Riot came on to open the show at 7pm with their catchy and sunny sound. No one wanted to miss a thing.

When Jimmy Eat World came on 45 minutes later, the place was pretty packed. We all sang along at the top of our lungs to our favorite hits from yesteryear. If you haven’t seen Jimmy Eat World I highly recommend it – they put on a killer show.

We waited in giddy anticipation during the final set change. It seemed as though the show would never start. All we could see were three mic stands in front of a huge black cloth. Where was the other equipment?

To our surprise, the show seemed to be starting with a nearly empty set. A massive white light exploded out from behind the black curtain, revealing the silhouettes of the band members, grouping up on stage for one last hype-up. The crowd went wild.

The guys took their places for their opening number, “Screamer.” This track is from their new album, which this Summer Gods tour was created to promote, but is not out quite yet.

According to Jenkins, the album missed its estimated release date because “we are Third Eye Blind…and we tend to fuck things up.” The band promised to release their new album sometime this summer.

Jenkins and the band moved seamlessly between heavy-hitters like “Jumper” and “London,” to acoustic versions of “Slow Motion” and “Motorcycle Drive By”. They even surprised us with a guest appearance by Julia Shapiro, the lead singer of Chastity Belt. Together they performed the song “Joke,” from 3EB’s album Thanks for Everything, consisting of seven cover songs released in 2018. The song was originally released by Chastity Belt on their 2015 album Time to Go Home. We loved it all, and the stadium echoed with our collective voices as we sang along to our favorite tunes.

3EB did not disappoint during their encore, spoiling us with four extra songs, including one off their new album, which he didn’t name. But trust me when I say their new album is going to slay. They closed with “God of Wine,” bringing Rebecca Zeller from Ra Ra Riot out on stage to fill out the sound with her killer violin skills. Their entire set took about two hours, but it went by in a flash. I sensed we could have stayed there all night, rocking out. And I very much hope they will be back again soon.

Review by Kelsea Hoover