Third Eye Blind - Bridges - Claremont, CA. April 19, 1998.
An Attempt at Meeting Third Eye Blind-
I really wanted to say hi. Ya know? Like, i really wanted to. They seemed very friendly and accessable to me. Well...i dunno if we were late or they were late. We showed up about 345. Bands usually show between 4 and 5. Now, there WAS a bus pulled up front, so it is possible we missed them. We sat around until 6 and we were so hungry we couldnt handle it..and i ...wearily...left. Heh, however..once the opening acts came on we realized that we had glared (cos they looked trendy and annoying) at both of the opening acts. They had walked around us the whole time we were out there. Ah well..
Our Seats-
Since the concert was held in the music auditorium of Nicky's school, all the good seats were reserved for students. I know this usually sucks..but since he goes there it doesnt :). This was the same place i saw Morrissey at..but i was 2nd row then. ANd it got swamped and i couldnt see. This time we were FRONT row. The seat next to me was dead center with Stephan's microphone. Woo! We were also closest to the stage because the way the barracade waved around the front..i could put my feet up on it..most people couldnt even reach it with their toes. The stage extended out farther than normal, and the opening acts speakers were pretty far back..i was hoping theyd scoot it out closer for 3eb.
I know you LOVE my drawing. hehe
Opening Acts-
The Big station out there is some 103.9 ive never heard of. I'd never really considered Claremont not "la" but i guess it isnt. Everyone was fans of that station..and not kROQ. ANd they all seemed to know the opening acts songs..i'm sitting there going "wuh?". Had NO IDEA who they were. Not to say they were bad. They were entertainining..borderlining good. His voice was a cross between Billie Joe Armstrongs and Gavin Rossdales. This is a good thing :) We had seen this band all day the most. The Cute guitar player that paced around the stage like he had to pee was reallly cute. Looked like Billie Joe.
The second opening act was the Dance Hall Crashers. I like them. I really wanted to stand and dance but i would've been alone doing it. You could tell that they were like pissed no one was up. They kept making comments like "people usually jump here..but we dont want you to be uncomfortable"..They were really cute. One of the singers (very alanis/gwen) had 3 braids on her head and she could swing them around, alternating the braids..kinda like the tassle trick.
Third Eye Blinds Stage Setup-
There were these 2 massive black curtains. We kinda knew they'd come down. All that was set up was stephans mic and like, 20 guitar pics lined up the mic. So the lights go down..i spring forward against the rail, and realize..just like at moz..people flocked behind us. Oh well. The curtains fall all dramatically and the strobe lights and smoke blind you and suddenly they appear and go straight into Losing a Whole Year. The set up was really cool. There were lots of amps adorned with random Robots and toys, and lots of beer. There was christmas type lights hung across the top, and a beam with like..reflecting material to catch the light. IT reminded me of an 80's fashion shoot. They were still set back kinda far. I had a big bouner standing DIRECTLY in front of me, so i could really only see Kevin and Stephan..but they are my two favorites, so thats okay! Kevin was dressed really hetero. He had on green pants..the type with buttons down the side so you can rip em off? Yeah, and a jacket that said IRELAND across the back..he musta been hot. Stephan was in jeans, rolled up ala moz fans..with a black t-shirt and a gold lame little..short sleeved jacket type thing. ANd he looked....yummy. He looked like..well, Scott Weiland. I was like..eyes bugging. He looked like him so much sometimes i thought i was watching Scott. He had on the eye liner ..thats probably a big reason why. Arian was looking really thin and he had on a blue shirt and vinyl black pants. So la la..i wish i had the set list.. i know it pretty well..just not in perfect order. They talked, quite a bit. (* means i know for sure it was in this spot)
Losing a Whole Year*
(kevin came right out to us, and put his leg out on the rail..and gave these two girls next to nick..this look like..you want me..and they like fondled his leg..and he just played guitar there... for a minute or so..he did it one other time later in the show. Same girls tho. Pooh. It was like 3 ppl away from me.)
Narcolepsy*
(For Narcolepsy, he had a reclining chair next to the drums where he sat, and kinda curled in a ball and slept...also the typical "we've never been to claremont..we werent sure what to expct [insert girl screaming here..so i cant hear the rest])
Jumper
(stephan:this is probably the saddest song on the album)
London
(stephan played guitar on about half the songs. He went through so many guitar picks..but he played them all. He also took apart the mic and sang with like, half of the metal rod hanging off of the mic a lot)
Burning Man
The Background
(one of my favorites. He began what became, a lot of climbing here. Up on the speakres..at one point he was on all fours singing and getting balanced..it was really cute..then he ran over closer to my side and sat in the corner of the speakrs with his knees drawn in and just...sang..i was all sad. heh. Theres a long like..not intro..but like at the end..of the song..and its just kevin on his guitar..and he played it standing right in front of me.)
Hows it going to be
(lotsa screaming, the girl behind me is a really drunk "oohh its a show im stylish to be here" kinda girl. She screams a lot of "AYAYAYAYA" really loud RIGHT in my ear. She did it ALL THROUGH the background because it was quiet. Ner. Anytime he'd talk..im like "la! can't hear him")
london
(lots of jumping around and stuff)
Horror Show
(he's like..this is a bside...la la)
semi-charmed life*
(this one was really fun. They started it..with the typical "you're all horny little perverts cos you know all the words.." and the music started..and he held the mic out..and the crowd basically sang the entire first verse. It was fun. Nick was apalled that so many ppl knew all the words. He was standing right in front of me for this. He made lovely motions for the "she goes down on me" part.. Then right at the end where it mellows out and goes "i want something else.." they like went really soft so that the audience sang it and trailed off confused..and he gave this huge as...probably 2 or 3 minute speech about "what do you want?" "when i sing words i want to feel them..dont just sing along if you dont mean them.." yada yada..hes right in front of me again. yay. he moves around the stage all dramatic like pointing at people "what do you want..what do you want?" he did it over 10 times and ended with ..."someone asked me what i want..and i said...i dont fucking know" [or something]. It was really fun though...oh! And then with the whole "goodbye..." he let us sing a lot of it..and he's like mouthing "goodbye" and making these cute pout lips and waving 'buh bye'..it was sooooooo cute. Even nick was like "awww!")
thanks a lot
Oh yeah..i think this is when he said "you know how we said we'd never been to claremont..well we like it..." i wonder if they say that everynight.
motorcycle driveby
(this is my FAVORITE. My big favorite. So i was all into it. It was all sad...he spent a lot of it on the amps..and he reminded me of moz when he would lay across the speakres in front of his mic...and like....you could see his hip bones and stuff. Oh yeah, by this point...im like "YOu jerk make eye contact with me JUST ONCE PLEASSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" it became my goal of the evening.)
graduate*
graduate*
(kevin speaks! He says "wheres the girl with the lighter...come up here and sing graduate with me..., my doctor says i cant do it anymore.." [he yells the CAN I GRADUATE part.] anyhow, he like has a short convo with her and she like..won't go up..he goes back to his mic 'i dont blame her..but i need someone to..' meanwhile that whole time that annoying "AYAYAYAYA im drunk" bitch was like "someone give me a lighter" so he's all..."okay you"...so like...he reaches his hand down between me and nick and like pulls her up..and im like "ohhhhhhhh hes leaned over really close to me..yay!" and as much as i hated her..it was really cool. She like danced around on the stage, ignored him and flicked her lighter. When he told her to yell it she grabbed the mic which bent it down and made a lot of noise and offkey, off beat yelled it..finally he would tell her when to do it each time and sing it with her. But he like...kissed her and stuff. When they all left the stage kevin ran by the front and slapped everyones hands..i have short arms so i was only able to, heh, scratch him.)
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I want you*
(stephan came out alone and sang this with his acoustic guitar. It was really pretty, however...the girl who went up on stage managed to squish up next to me..and felt she had this like..RIGHT to go backstage now. She spent the whole trying to talk the bodyguard into letting her backstage...and i was really distracted and it was hard to hear. Yeah, she's that loud.)
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i will follow*
(i THINK thats the song. I know it was a cover and 3EB boards say theyve played it recently so...the girl next to me kept screaming "STEPHEN STEPHAN!" and stephan was right in front of us singing..i didnt understand why she was yelling at him..he totally ignored her on stage..then ir ealized she thought kevin was stephan. I took great joy in pointing this out to her. She got all embarassed. And this is when it happend...i made EYE CONTACT with stephan! YAY! it only took the whole damn fucking show. It was for like 10 seconds too. Oh yeah! and he like..sat down right in front of me..and did that thing where you like get on your side and spin around on you arm..i guess like breakdancing..and then spun around on his butt...and sat up facing the band and made like "GO ME!" arms. It was cool tho..cos when he was laid down completley his head was like practically touchable.)
god of wine*
(i'm pretty sure he said something here but i dont remember ..this is my other favorite song [ i love three! ] on the album..he got all dramatic and held up a wine bottle then..*symbolically* poured the whole bottle on the stage. and it was over.
I havent been that satisfied from a show in a long time. it was..FUN..i wasnt pushed or cramped, or THAT annoyed...and i got to sing along cos everyone was. IT was so good.
I wanted a set list but i actually think there werent any. Nick almost had a drumstick but some girl we met grabbed it...and as everyone left i yelled for set lists and got thrown one of Stephans white picks. I know it was one he used to..cos he switched them like..3 times a song. They're really cool.
They have 3eb printed on the front, and the signature of whos it was....then they threw one that nick caught for it..and it happened to be kevins! so i have guitar pics from my two favorites. Hee. yay! So like, two thumbs up. I know on TV they sound like theyre off key, and i was expectng that..but they just get nervous i suppose,. They were real good!