By Rich Funk
By no means would I refer to Third Eye Blind as a ‘nostalgia act’. They aren’t endlessly hitting the road, cashing in on just the hits to increasingly diminishing returns. They aren’t a band you go see ironically. And yet, there’s no way to view Third Eye Blind but as a nostalgic act. You cannot listen to a Third Eye Blind song and not think of 1997. It’s a proven fact and I won’t waste the time here with any kind of debate. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t even alive in 1997. That’s how strongly the two are associated with each other. When their self-titled debut album came out that summer, their singles were EVERYWHERE. Movie trailers. Shopping malls. All types of radio, from rock to alternative to top 40 had them on heavy rotation for most of the second half of the year. Their songs just sound like summer to a large portion of their fanbase.And that’s when the cold, uncaring march of time crashes through the wall like an alternate timeline version of the Kool-Aid man who’s a massive bummer to everyone (would his catch phrase be “OHHH NOOOOO”?) and you realize that summer of 1997 was 25 years ago. That’s how long I’ve been strumming Jumper on guitar absentmindedly. That’s how long I’ve been practicing saying ‘doingcrystalmethwillliftyouupuntilyoubreak’ as fast as Stephen Jenkins every time Semi-Charmed Life comes on the radio. TWENTY FIVE YEARS of wondering if I was gonna get my punk-ass off the street (NOTE: I did. I think?).
However you look at it or measure that amount of time, the truth of the matter is that we are all now collectively in a long-term relationship with Third Eye Blind. It might have happened so subtlety over so long that you didn’t notice, but all the signs were there: spikes in rotation on your top playlists. Increased use of the 3EB t-shirt you got when you saw them in 2008. Frequent calls between Third Eye Blind and your parents. Sharing a life insurance policy. You know, the usual stuff.
The clearest sign that Third Eye Blind and their fans are still going strong after all these years? Selling out Chicago’s brand-spankin’ new 3,600 capacity concert venue without needing a new album to tour behind. And this is all a good thing! The best relationships of all time are long-term ones. But like all long-term relationships, there’s work that needs to go into keeping things running on all cylinders. Quality time is a big part of that, which is why we got treated to an entire evening with the band, with no opener. How sweet of them. After all these years, still making us feel like the only fans in the world.
What’s interesting is seeing how some of these songs have aged since they came out 25 years ago in the context of the band performing them. To a young go-hard twenty something, doing crystal meth until you break sounds like a challenge, but looking back now it sounds like a stark warning. Being ‘the first to fight and way too loud’ probably sounded like good ideas at the time. With another two and a half decades of experiences to look back on, there’s perhaps even more reason than ever to put the past away. It’s not even ‘How’s It Going To Be’ anymore, it’s more like ‘How It Currently Is’. Shit, some of us have moved on to the early stages of ‘How It Was’.
But somehow it all still works. The intent might have changed under different conditions, but the messages in these songs still resonate. No matter what decade it is, there’s always going to be a time when you’re pretty sure you can’t take anymore before taking a swing, etc. The themes that Third Eye Blind songs dip heavily into – love, hard living, sharp memories (and not necessarily pleasant ones) – are timeless enough that they’ll always seem relevant, but delivered in a way that seems like it was written just for you specifically for the time you’re listening to it.
They also just plain rock and that’s something that will most likely always be in style.

Another sign of a long-term relationship? Repeating the same jokes over and over again. Jenkins said that they’d scheduled their spring 2023 tour with the intention of having a new album to promote, but he just didn’t write the lyrics and the album never happened. I caught Third Eye Blind during their 2012 tour and I’m 99% sure he used that same line back then. So either he likes the comfort of that familiar joke or he’s the George RR Martin of the music world.

Fortunately for us, Jenkins is the lone plank holding out almost three decades later, keeping the relationship (relationship?) between band and fans strong as ever.
It’s nice to see that he did indeed get his punk ass off the street.
Third Eye Blind’s North American tour runs through April 15.
Third Eye Blind Setlist – The Salt Shed, Chicago 4.1.23
Can You Take Me
1000 Julys
Graduate
Dust Storm
Company
Narcolepsy
The Kids Are Coming (To Take You Down)
Say It
Wounded
I Want You*
To The Sea*
Blinded (When I See You)*
Back To Zero*
Your Love (The Outfield cover)*
Tropic Scorpio*
Red Star*
The Background*
Motorcycle Drive By
Never Let You Go
Losing A Whole Year
The Dying Blood
Jumper
Crystal Baller
Semi-Charmed Life
Slow Motion
God of Wine
*acoustic