Photos and Review by: Stephanie Cincinnati
Edited by: Morgan Kohler


Starting in Spokane, WA, Third Eye Blind brings Yellowcard along with opener Arizona on a 37 city tour, with Merriweather Post Pavilion being past midway on their list. The tour will end in Woodlands, TX on August 3rd, and anyone who hasn’t seen their show yet is definitely in for a great time and thrilling production from all three sets.
Arizona opened things up with “Cross My Mind,” appropriately named “Summer Days,” and “What She Wants.” Shown as A R I Z O N A, they’re an American pop rock and electropop band from New Jersey currently signed to Atlantic Records. They’ve got some upbeat and catchy rock tunes, but also some low-key, summer vibe songs perfect for a day on the beach or a get-together. I had never heard of them or seen them live, but I found myself quickly nodding my head and moving around as they were jamming out on stage during their set. They’ve also opened for Panic! At the Disco and have been part of festivals like South by Southwest, Firefly, Governors Ball and Lollapalooza.


Next came longtime favorites Yellowcard as they opened with “Lights and Sounds,” “Cut Me, Mick,” and “Only One.” Last year, they celebrated 20 years of Ocean Avenue as they toured with This Wild Life, Story of the Year, Anberlin and Mayday Parade. During their set, Ryan talked about how honored they are to be touring with the Third Eye Blind camp, and reminisced about venues in Maryland they had played at earlier in their career. On the list of nostalgia for them was playing in venues like the original 930 Club and opening for bands like Less Than Jake. They thanked the fans for the continued support during the hiatus they took as the continuance of the band came into question. Ryan went on to say that because of the fans showing up for last year’s tour, they knew they’d made the right decision to keep going.




Within the last year, they collaborated with ambient post-rock duo Hammock to release “A Hopeful Sign.” The EP consists of nine unforgettable and notable songs from multiple YC albums that were revamped into neo-classical, ambient tracks. They’re definitely one band I will never tire of seeing or photographing if they come to the DMV area.




Third Eye Blind began their set by standing all together, playing on the risers with the drummer during “Motorcycle Drive By,” “Dust Storm” and just a snippet of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”). One by one, the band began making their way down to the main part of the stage during the beginning of “Never Let You Go,” and the crowd cheered because they knew they were in for a good night.





Midway through their set, they slowed things down. All members came down to the front and sat on some risers as they did a five song acoustic set consisting of “Background,” “Bonfire,” “Blinded,” “Slow Motion” and “Jumper.” Before moving onto the finale of the setlist, Stephen Jenkins talked about how the next album was slated to be finished pre-tour, but he hadn’t finished writing the lyrics yet. The crowd laughed and clapped as he assured us it would be done as soon as possible because he writes so many songs. He also thanked the fans for coming out and supporting him and the band throughout the years as they continued their journey.

As soon as the “Do Do Do” emerged in the beginning of “Semi-Charmed Life,” the crowd went wild, and it was probably one of the loudest cheering crowds I’d ever heard at an open area venue. As I was walking along the soundboard area of the venue taking wide photos, it was amazing to hear how loud everyone was singing along. It gave me goosebumps as I was singing with them. They closed out strong, following “Semi-Charmed Life” with “How’s It Going to Be” and “God of Wine.”

As always, a portion of the proceeds for the Summer Gods Tour will benefit SeaTrees. Third Eye Blind has been on a mission to restore the kelp ecosystems of the entire California coastline and sequester carbon. Since 2017, Third Eye Blind has sought to mitigate the touring industry’s carbon impact and also banned plastic water bottles backstage, saving an estimated 17,000 bottles per tour. “We have a beautiful, bright future,” with climate action in the center of it. “That’s what I want people to know,” says Jenkins on CBS Mornings.