Third Eye Blind’s Summer Gods Tour in Franklin, TN
Words & Photos By: Zach Birdsong
Music fans got a taste of nostalgia when Third Eye Blind brought its Summer Gods Tourto FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin on Sunday evening.
Though the crowd was treated to a plethora of 90s and early 2000 hits from the headliner, newcomers ARIZONA got the crowd warmed up. Despite being named after the state, lead singer Zach Hannah made sure to point out that “We are just a bunch of kids from Jersey, getting to open for legends.” That fun, loving attitude summed up ARIZONA’s whole set, as the band was clearly having a blast with their 40-minute set. That enjoyment was contagious as several crowd members and a couple of security guards danced along as the performance continued.
Emo favorites Yellowcard took the stage next, performing nearly an hour-long set. Much like ARIZONA, the group clearly was having fun on stage. In some regards, though, it felt like a hometown performance for Yellowcard as lead singer Ryan Key lives in the Franklin area.
During their time on stage, the group performed tracks from the group’s entire discography, a much different set than the last time they visited Music City. In 2023, Yellowcard celebrated the anniversary of its debut album “Ocean Avenue,” performing the album in its entirety. The change in performance had Key thanking fans for listening to the setlist that the band created.
“Thank you, very, very, very, very much for letting us have some fun with the setlist tonight,” Key said. “I promise that we will be back, and we will play all of the songs that you fine people have been screaming in my face for the last 30 minutes instead of the ones we chose to play.”
Before exiting the stage, Key promised that the band has exciting news coming fans way later this year. A little hint may have come earlier in the setlist, as the Yellowcard singer told the crowd that the group has been working on new music, even performing a new track titled “Childhood Eyes.”
As smoke poured onto the stage, Third Eye Blind jumped straight into their set as group members gathered at the back of the stage for the opening track “Motorcycle Drive By.” As the performance unfolded, individual band members walked closer to the audience until lead singer Stephan Jenkins jumped from the high riser down on stage closer to the fans. That’s where the show’s pace picked up as fans were cheering wildly throughout the group’s nearly two-hour set.
In their fourth year of the Summer Gods Tour, seeing how the group added twists to their performance was fun as they played all the crowd favorites. It was the tiny additions that made the set come to life. Early into the show, the group added an interpolation of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” Then, just a few songs later, the group covered TV On The Radio’s “Wolf Like Me,” which led to Third Eye Blind performing its tune “Company Of Strangers.”
Those added flairs just made the performance that much more complete. The group also mixed in several of its biggest hits throughout the performance, which made for a fun mix for the audience. As the set dwindled down, the crowd knew what songs were coming. Third Eye Blind closed things with “Jumper” before following that with “Semi-Charmed Life.” The group did return for an encore, as it closed out the evening with another favorite, “How’s It Going To Be,” which received quite the applause from the audience.
As fans left the venue, some wondered if the group would return for another year of the Summer Gods Tour and, if so, who would they bring with them. Time will tell on that answer, but hopefully, a fifth summer tour is in the future for Third Eye Blind.
