236 / 237 / 238 -- Ra Ra Riot / Jimmy Eat World / Third Eye Blind -- Thursday, July 11, 2019 -- Jones Beach Theater -- Wantagh, NY

Ra Ra Riot / Jimmy Eat World:

There’s no sugarcoating it: the first part of the night was a disaster.  My mom spent months before the concert listening to the bands’ albums to prepare.  Two girls we met from Singapore flew 18 hours for the experience.

And then…Ra Ra Riot did not play a note.  Jimmy Eat World also started 45 minutes early and finished a minute before they were supposed to begin.  The pit was ~90% empty, the daylight felt like a hangover, and we literally heard five songs.  The fact that the songs were some of their best tracks somehow felt worse.  Hearing something that’s usually great with no buildup, atmosphere, or community feels hollow.  I was able to bounce, but never leap.  The crowd went through the motions, but no seemed truly moved.  Action, after all, needs an audience…

   

In Jimmy Eat World’s defense, the decisions to radically shift the schedule seemed out of their control, and I’m sure they felt bad about it too.  I assume one factor no one mentioned was they were scheduled to go on first.  If the rain became full-on lightning, they had to ensure Third Eye Blind had time to play too.  Third Eye Blind was able to play (a lot) longer because there was no one whose time they’d be eating into.  

To me, the one inexcusable move was the amount of time between bands.  Maybe fans deserve some blame for not getting there at 7, but changing equipment between sets cannot take that long.  Fans also can’t be expected to know a set will start 45 minutes early and end before it’s supposed to begin.  I might be wrong and changing the setup takes a full half-hour in all circumstances.  It seems, though, like that could have been adjusted and allowed more time. 

Unfortunate as what happened was for all involved, I’m confident the future will be better.  I’ve loved the six other Jimmy shows I’ve been to, and I’m still beaming from their reaction to Richmond.  https://twitter.com/mcverb/status/1016894567541628928 As far as the Jones Beach performance, I liked the extended guitar riff in their new single, “Love Never,” and Adkins’ joke about rocking out to “Hear You Me.”  Considering this, when there’s a tour in the fall for the new album, count me in.

Grade: D+

Third Eye Blind

The end of the night was the opposite of the beginning: everything worked.  I came in feeling negative about Third Eye Blind as well – thinking they would sound as weak as they did at Merriweather Post Pavilion last time. 

This time, I stopped caring that frontman Stephan Jenkins is more of a shouter than a singer…and I loved it.  Pretty sure my mom, Kevin, the girls we met from Singapore, and Tom Marron did too.  

I had forgotten how varied and strong Third Eye Blind’s songs are.  It’s perhaps my favorite Greatest Hits album ever, and they totally sold those hits live.  Jenkins all but married the crowd with his commentary, and they gave it right back to him.  Here are some live notes of moments we were all able to share.

   

--- Cool visual at the start: the band members silhouetted behind a thin black screen.

--- “Never Let You Go” was satisfying because it had such an easy melody.

--- Awesome slow-burn speech about the crowd’s dedication to show up despite the rain and threat of cancellation!!!  It was the first meaningful moment in a wreck of a night. 

--- “Back to Zero” had a cool aura thanks to the speech before it.

--- “Graduate”!!  The electric solo makes the song.  Jenkins also really knows how to whip us up.

--- “Wounded” was smart to follow up with -- total mood shift.

--- Some meh acoustic number.

--- “Slow Motion” is awkward insanity?!?!?!  As Andressa Carter could tell you, the lyrics, rhythm, and structure of the song are all brilliant.  Credit where credit is due: Jenkins’ vocal was spot on as well.  Kevin and I found it *odd,* though, to hear hundreds of people bellowing the most disturbing images on this side of A Clockwork Orange.  Guess it wasn’t boring – I’ll give it that…  

--- Jenkins told us that the record company didn’t want “Motorcycle Drive By” on the album.  The company was clearly wrong, and the pacing is amazing.  Best of the night!!!

--- My mom’s comment right after the song: “Thank you for inviting me.”  Awww, NCV.

--- “Jumper”!!!!!  The concert moment of the summer.  The song was exciting enough, and then this random girl started dancing with my mom…and continued to dance with her the rest of the song?!  Thanks, Kevin, for documenting it! 

--- After that, the band sailed through “How’s It Going Be,” “Waze,” “Losing A Whole Year,” and, to Kevin’s delight, “Semi-Charmed Life.”  Jenkins insisted he was going to create a party in their basement, a campfire singalong, and play until the venue cut the power.  And that’s just what he did. :)

Grade: A