 "Photo: Michael J. Clarke and Patrick Camacho")
Students living a "semi-charmed life" got that "something else" to get them through as Third Eye Blind took the stage in Conte Forum Thursday night. Performing to a crowd of over 3,000, the band headlined the Undergraduate Government of Boston College's Spring Concert, playing 16 songs that took many BC students on a trip down memory lane.
"Third Eye Blind is never going away," said Ryan McHaffie, director of UGBC programming and CSOM '07. "They're a solid rock band, and I'm sure a lot of students busted out their CDs when they heard they were coming."
Indeed, with a band whose popularity reached its peak in the mid to late 1990s, the show afforded many students a chance to relive some of their favorite songs from years past. "I'm not one to book nostalgia bands," said McHaffie, "but Third Eye Blind had been receiving good reviews for their performances elsewhere."
Students sang and danced along to the band's most popular hit songs like "Jumper," "Never Let You Go," and, of course, "Semi-Charmed Life." The band, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this March, also performed two new songs from its latest album to be released later this year.
"It brought back memories from fifth grade and the 1990s," said Robbie Stein, A&S '10. "I only knew about three or four of their songs, but the atmosphere in Conte changed when they came on. You could tell that during those big songs all the students were singing and into it. You don't hear them on the radio too much anymore, but everyone I know had fun anyway."
Ticket sales, in fact, exceeded expectations, said McHaffie, as over 2,000 went within the first two days that they were on sale. "That's faster than Kanye tickets sold," he said. Compared to the $20 cost of Kanye West concert tickets of last year, tickets for Thursday's concert sold for $15 each.
The more modest price for tickets is reflective of the concert overall: Third Eye Blind cost the UGBC $60,000 - a far cry from Kanye's hefty price tag of $150,000 last year. The Academy Is…, which opened for Third Eye Blind, cost an additional $25,000.
"I was surprised to see the number of people who came for The Academy Is…," said McHaffie, who cited the long time gap between the two acts as the one main complication during the concert.
The UGBC had discussed the possibility of having several other acts headline the concert, including John Mayer, The Killers, and Fall Out Boy, before settling on Third Eye Blind. "In the end, those other acts didn't come through," said McHaffie.
But the student response to Third Eye Blind on the whole proved positive. "To the kid who said Kanye was cooler than Christmas, Third Eye Blind makes Kanye look like Arbor Day," said David Van Der Beek, a fan whose brother attends BC. Van Der Beek had also seen the band perform at Babson College on Saturday as part of its New England college tour.
Acknowledging that the act was "definitely not as big as Kanye," McHaffie said security issues were minimal.
Thirteen students were ejected from the concert, including three who were arrested, and several other incidences of confiscated alcohol and substances also occurred.
Despite discouragement from the Boston College Police Department (BCPD), a group of about 30 to 40 students congregated around the band's trailer after the concert to get autographs. Approximately 12 female students from that group were invited onto the trailer by the band manager after Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer, asked for them to come in. Four of them left after an hour at their own discretion.
For those who attended the concert, the night proved enjoyable and evocative of memories. "I think there are some things I would change," said Matt Ferrarella, A&S '10.
"I would have liked it more if students were allowed to stand in the general admission area around the stage, rather than sit, but I understand why they don't want that. I thought it was great - two quality bands. It was a fun atmosphere, and everyone was pumped to be there."
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