Third Eye Blind illuminates Jorgensen

Security was in full effect at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night for the SUBOG Fall concert featuring Third Eye Blind. Fans were asked to leave their umbrellas at the door (at their own risk) if they wanted to continue on their way toward the show.

But once they got through the double doors and into the theater, the atmosphere was electric.

Hot Chelle Rae kicked off the night. The opening band, from Nashville, was a cross between Head Automatica and Wolfmother with a touch of Dashboard Confessional. Traveling along with Third Eye Blind throughout the tour, band frontman and lead vocalist Ryan Follese said that the UConn crowd was their "best audience yet."

Follese was joined by lead guitarist and vocalist Nash Overstreet, bassist and vocalist Ian Keaggy and drummer Jamie Follese.

After a brief intermission, Third Eye Blind took the stage with a dramatic techno introduction. One by one, members of the band arrived on stage and the music grew louder. The crowd erupted when lead singer Stephan Jenkins walked onto the stage to join in the techno riffs.

The lights stayed dim through the first three songs, "Can You Take Me," "Losing a Whole Year" and "Faster."

Finally, the lighting illuminated the stage during "Wounded" - revealing Jenkins using a tambourine and the band in its entirety.

"Hello and good evening to you," Jenkins welcomed the Jorgensen audience. "Welcome to the very first month of the Ursa Major Tour."

Jenkins smiled at the crowd and applause filled the theater. "Right before we walked on stage it was pouring rain and I looked up and let the rain fall all over me," he said. "We have very little time together so let's use it ... We will go as deep, deep, deep as we can. Are you going to come with us?"

The crowd seemed to really respond positively to their '90s favorites, erupting when the band played "Never Let You Go" and the acoustic version of "Crystal Baller." The show was a combination of their older songs from self-titled 1998 debut album and their newest album "Ursa Major," which was released in August.

"I'm glad they did an even mix of songs," said Alyssa Mark, a 3rd-semester ACES major. "They didn't shut out all the old, but didn't shy away from the newer songs either."

Third Eye Blind added some flair to some of their best songs, playing a three-song acoustic set in the middle of the show. Pulling out a black couch with the word "URSA" stitched into the fabric, the band sat down, relaxed and gave the crowd a pure performance.

"The concert was absolutely amazing," said Michael Montalvo, a 7th-semester political science major. "I've been a Third Eye Blind fan since I was a kid ever since their song 'Jumper.' It's nice to see the band hasn't lost it at all even after six years."

The set for the show was adorned with strands of lights and a sky scene backdrop. With light bulbs throughout the stage representing stars, the theme accompanied the artwork for their new album. The projector showed different space scenes throughout the show, including planets, suns and moonscapes.

"They have come back with a fresh sound," said Montalvo. "And they still stay true to the style we've all grown to love them for."

"This is like the fourth time I have seen them," said Mark. "It still felt like the first to me because the show was so unreal."

The band closed with an encore of "Slow Motion," a song that has been extremely controversial for the band due to the graphic nature of the lyrics. Originally released as an instrumental version on their album "Blue," the band flaunted the lyrics at Saturday night's show singing: "Miss Jones taught me English/ but I think I just shot her son/ 'Cause he owed me money / with a bullet in the chest you cannot run," and the crowd enjoyed every minute of it.

Followed by "Don't Believe a Word" and crowd favorite "Semi-Charmed Life" mixed with Nelly's "Must Be The Money" to close out the show, Third Eye Blind demonstrated their inventive musical style.

"Over the last couple of years something happened with our band," Jenkins said. "We went from being us," Jenkins gestured, "to us," signaling toward the whole crowd.

"This is our first album in six years and the reason we were able to make it comes from you guys," he said.

"The show went better than I could have ever imagined," said Kat Solernou, chair of the SUBOG concert committee. "At the end of the night, the band and the crowd were happy, and that's all that matters. This was the first sell out we've had in a very long time, but I'm hoping it will only be the first of many this year."