TVD Live Shots: Third Eye Blind, Silversun Pickups, and Ocean Park Standoff at Pier Six Pavilion, 6/18

As part of their “Summer Gods Tour,” Third Eye Blind played to a sold out crowd on June 18th at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. The show included opening performances by Ocean Park Standoff who got the evening going with a 30 minute set, followed by Silversun Pickups who effectively set the tone in preparation for the headliners.

According to Third Eye Blind front man Stephan Jenkins, the tour was given the name “Summer Gods” because it was intended to support an EP to be released this summer. However Jenkins joked, “…but this is Third Eye Blind, so we _____ it up!” Clearly the crowd was not disappointed as they sang in unison to hits from the band’s first album “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Graduate,” and “How’s It Going to Be.”

The band ended their main set with the second to last song from their debut, “Motorcycle Driveby.” Returning to the stage, Jenkins was wearing a “Summer Gods” tee and the band roared into their hit “Never Let You Go” from the band’s second album, Blue. This left the fans, including myself, wondering if they were going to play the final song from their first album.

When the first encore song concluded, the lights went down and Jenkins addressed the crowd, acknowledging that they left off one song from their album. He then took the time to thank the fans and mused, “Here’s the thing, I’m not one for looking back. I’m not nostalgic at all. And that’s the gift that you give to me. And it is one of the most precious and unexpected gifts I’ve ever received in my life. Somehow you’ve kept all of our music in the present tense, it speaks to your lives now. Thank you so much for loving us Baltimore.”

Then almost as if it were a gift to their fans, the band ended the night with “God of Wine,” a song Jenkins claimed would be the only appropriate way to conclude the evening. It was obvious that the audience was pleased with this decision, singing along as Jenkins poured a bottle of wine out on the stage, a symbolic gesture for the night’s end.