Third Eye Blind at Ilani Casino

Third Eye Blind may be poised for a comeback with a new album set to release very soon. A trip to the new event venue at Ilani casino to see them live, however, begs the question “Have they really ever been gone?”

We recently got the opportunity to catch Third Eye Blind out on tour and although the songs took us down a well traveled memory lane, the band seemed excited to give us all something new, yet distinctly, Third Eye Blind. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins made promises that new Third Eye Blind music would finally be released this year, news that was quite well received by the nearly sold-out audience at the Ilani casino. Such lip service has been delivered before, however. Only time will tell.

At Ilani, new music or not, the crowd was completely immersed; standing, dancing, screaming for the duration of the performance. The volume of the audience became a deafening roar when favorites “Deep Inside Of You”, “Jumper”, and of course “Semi-Charmed Life” were played. Stephan did a familiar schtick, claiming that the band isn’t sticking to a preordained set list, instead, soliciting song suggestions from the crowd. Nonetheless, everyone in attendance ate it up. The set was about 15 songs, ending with a single encore, “How’s It Going To Be.”

The venue was clean and still had that “new car” smell. Huge monitors on either side of the stage gave audience members in the back a great view of the performance. Unfortunately, the Cowlitz Ballroom at Ilani serves as a multi-purpose venue. This means that the floor is flat and since the stage wasn’t very high, views from the back were limited to the side-stage monitors almost exclusively. Lighting and sound were incredible however.

Third Eye Blind are out on tour for most of the summer. If you’re close to any of their upcoming shows, and you’re feeling nostalgic, or just really love a great rock show, go out and see ’em. You deserve it.