Spreading bonfire

They took the ‘90s by storm with their singles "Semi-Charmed Life," "Jumper" and "How's it Going to Be," they have been around the world and played concerts for three studio recorded albums and last night they brought the best of their musical abilities to The Omni in honor of their latest album, "Ursa Major."

The band opened with the song "Faster," one of Third Eye Blind's many songs about chemical romances. Lead singer and guitarist Stephan Jenkins paraded around the stage dressed entirely in black, donning a fedora-styled top hat and a robe-like garment.

In a generation of multiple rock n' roll genres, Third Eye Blind may be the closest thing to "classic rock" the past twenty years has generated. Bands come and bands go, but Third Eye Blind is still recognized for their beloved singles and their fan base continues to grow with the release of their latest LP and EP. Jenkins, a graduate of the University of California, Berkley, with a B.A. in English Literature, is one of the most noted songwriters and lyricists on the airwaves today.

Jenkins also directed the music video for "Bonfire," a single from "Ursa Major." The music video is in the essence of a familial, countryside party where the band and hundreds of fans crowd around a massive bonfire. In the video, Jenkins acts like the ringleader, or a magician of sorts, to this seemingly enlightened group of people.

His performance was no different last night at The Omni. Between swinging guitars, grabbing microphones, crowd surfing and tossing out glow sticks, Jenkins' energy was spent bouncing around the stage and cheering fans.

He told the audience of the inspiration that the fresh, spring weather brought him.

"That's why we do music," he said. "We look for the one thing that makes us inspired and we try to share it with everyone.

The band primarily played songs from their new album, but pleased fans with their classic hits as well. From "Water Landing" to "Motorcycle Drive By," Third Eye Blind gave the crowd everything they wanted and more.

About an hour after the beginning of the performance, Jenkins said goodnight to the fans and walked offstage with the band. However, as it seemed to be a part of the set, he returned to the stage after a moment of silence, picked up his acoustic guitar and played "Slow Motion" to a room full of singing fans.

"Miss Jones taught me English, but I think I just shot her son," he sang. "‘Cause he owed me money; with a bullet in your chest you cannot run."

Jenkins' has a knack for song writing and he has been one of the sole literary voices in music; his tone often pulls from traditional literature with many references to novels and short stories. After taking a six-year break from releasing records, Third Eye Blind came back with their own record label and created what Jenkins believes to be their most connective album.

"It was kind of this combination of things," he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "Where the country is going the last two years has left me dumbfounded, so I didn't have some connection to my lyrics. I had to get a hold of the verses inside of me."

After "Slow Motion," the rest of the band revealed themselves and backed Jenkins, playing more of their popular songs.

During "Jumper," the entire band, aside from the drummer Brad Hargreaves, left the stage while Hargreaves amazed the audience with a tenacious drum solo. Finally, the band returned and finished the rest of the song.

During the recording of "Bonfire" Jenkins let out a howling "Whoa" repeatedly as an accompaniment to the chorus. So to finish his set, Jenkins played an acoustic version of this track—only playing the chorus and one verse. Nearly the entire crowd howled back every "Whoa" and clapped along with the beat. Jenkins then graciously bowed and exited the stage.