Third Eye Blind Gets Three Cheers

By Jenna Nichols
October 4, 2008

Burruss Hall rocked Oct. 3, as Third Eye Blind helped kick off homecoming week.

The voices of 3,000 fans filled the auditorium, enjoying the celebration.  The concert opened with a spotlight solo by guitarist Tony Fredianelli; from there it only got better.

The band continued with fan favorites including "Semi-Charmed Life." Fans sang along, danced around and swayed as the music blared and the lights created a vibrant atmosphere.

They introduced fans to some new material such as the songs "Deep Inside of You" and Nondairy Creamer." After asking fans if they liked "shiny new things," Stephan Jenkins' next words caused the audience to erupt. 

"I mean,this is Virginia Tech. You guys invent new shit everyday," Jenkins said. That single statement set the mood for the remainder of the night. The rest of the concert proceeded to be loud, exciting and full of Hokie spirit. At one point, Jenkins had to stop speaking as the crowd over powered him yelling the traditional football chant "Let's Go Hokies!"

Jenkins also had a request for the fans. Seeing as how he had just recently celebrated his birthday, one of his wishes was that everyone would vote. He did not publicly proclaim who to vote for but he did imply that voters had made mistakes in the past. Jenkins said, "Please, this time, let's vote for the smart guy."

If that statement, combined with the flood of Barack Obama workers outside of the building, did not give you an idea of whom Third Eye Blind was endorsing, a quick wardrobe change removed all doubt.

After about three minutes of non-stop cheering, Third Eye Blind came back on stage for an encore. During the time offstage, Jenkins traded his plain t-shirt and jacket to rock a maroon and orange Obama shirt. Does not really leave much room for wondering now does it?

The only down point of the night was the distracting power of authority figures some students describe as "camera Nazis." Students are not generally allowed to bring cameras into concerts on campus. But generally, they can find a way around it.

This concert was different. Not only did door workers look in purses, they attacked them. They rummaged through the personal items that are used to cover cameras exposing them and sending fans back to their cars.

The thoroughness of these workers did not stop at the front door, either.  Concertgoers who managed to get their cameras inside were promptly found and prevented from using them.  The sentinels patrolled the aisles and stayed close to those identified as having brought their cameras inside.

While the concert did not last long, it was a fun filled night. Old favorites, new melodies and pink panties thrown on stage created the perfect start for a week full of activities.