Last night was surreal. I know I talk about this all time but is going to a concert just an excuse for that feeling of nostalgia? Last night was the feeling of nostalgia times 100.
The line-up alone was enough to transport you back to the early 2000’s. With every picture I posted on Facebook from the show came a snarky, “What year is it there?!” comment. So let’s just get this out of the way now: Yes, these bands are still touring. No, the ticket did not come with a free razorblade. Yes, I seriously went to this on my own free-will. No, I am not deaf (yet). Yes, I paid a pretty penny for this ticket. No, I don’t regret a thing.
Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional, and Augustana. I love all three of these bands but let’s be honest, none of them have been relevant for the past 5+ years.
The show was held outside on the West Bank of Minneapolis. Of course, it was pouring down rain when I left the house… why wouldn’t it be. Dashboard Confessional is the definition of emo music so, of course, the sky was crying since they were in town. My roommate gave me that look of death while driving.. you know, the one that says, “What have you gotten me into?!”. I kind of felt like the mailman when we were driving. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow….. however it goes…. nothing is keeping me from a concert!
By the time we found parking and walked the 82 miles to the venue (okay, maybe it wasn’t THAT bad but Minneapolis needs to step up their parking game) it had finally stopped raining and had changed to the worst, muggiest heat you could hope for for an outdoor show.
The heat and the mugginess didn’t stop the crowd from enjoying songs from their childhood. The crowd was a mixed bag of old and young people. It didn’t matter what age you were or who you came to see, the show was fun, the atmosphere was great, and the people watching was prime. You could watch the young people sing along to every word of Dashboard Confessional. You could watch the older crowd get way too drunk too fast before Third Eye Blind even came on and you could watch everyone else just watching everyone else.
Third Eye Blind is known for the pop-rock radio anthems. Almost every song has a “do do do do do” part that you can sing along to. The best part? There is one part in one of their songs where there’s this guitar part that everyone and their brother will sing “do do do’s” to even though it’s just instrumental in the song. During this part at the show, the band fell out and left the crowd to their own devices. It’s funny how everyone knew the part and sang along to the words that weren’t there. It’s the kind of stuff you do in your car with the windows rolled up so no one can hear you. It’s not until you’re surrounded by thousands of people doing the same thing that you realize, you’re not the only one who does it.
I can finally cross Third Eye Blind off of my bucket list. Last night was a good night.
Line Up:
Venue: Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
Sausage Fest Meter- 2 out of 10
Crowd Surfers- None
Broken Bones- None
Drunkards Taken Out By Security- None but the cops were having a fun time kicking people out of the plaza
Found in the Pit- No Pit
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