WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – The release of rock band Third Eye Blind's infectious 1997 hit single Semi-Charmed Life quickly solidified the song as staple among 90s anthems.
To this day, the simple refrain, "Doo doo doo / Doo doo doo doo doo" is practically ingrained into the minds of anyone who even occasionally listened to the radio at the time.
Of course, the band had a number of other successful songs. To name a few, their introspective, but catchy Jumper and energetic Never Let You Go propelled to the top of music charts where they reigned.
Such hits, as classic as they may be considered now by some, made it all too easy for critics to unfairly lump the band into a generic "pop rock" category without ever looking back. After the band's first two albums garnered certified platinum statuses by the Recording Industry Association of America, their mainstream pull seemed to taper off.
A four-year-gap exists between 1999's successful Blue and 2003's Out Of The Vein, which received little to no airplay on the radio.
But one group of fans in particular never let Third Eye Blind go: children who grew up in the 90s, who are now young adults in college.
After the band released their most recent album, Ursa Major, in 2009, they began touring again and soon witnessed a resurgence of sold-out shows at college campuses across the US.
Fast forward to 2012, and it's the same story.
The moment that employees opened Wilmington's Brooklyn Arts Center's doors Tuesday night, a swarm of eager college kids flocked to be at the front of the stage, hoping to be as close as possible to the band that created such a lasting impression on their childhoods.
Most of them agreed after the show that they got much more of an experience than they paid for.
The moment the lights went out and front man Stephan Jenkins walked onto the stage, clad in dark jeans, a black hoodie and sneakers, the screams emitted by the crowed were deafening.
The band started the night off with their slow, but steady song Thanks A Lot from their first album in 1997. After that, things got pretty energetic.
Jenkins pranced around the stage for guitar-heavy anthems like Crystal Baller, Wounded and Can You Take Me, along with the punkish Graduate, feeding off of the crowd's head-nodding high spirits as fans sang along to every single word.
At various points, Jenkins would jump up and down to the rhythm of the music, zipping up his hoodie, shaking a tambourine and keeping all those present engaged by often directing his mic at the crowd. It was rare when Jenkins didn't have a grin on his face, a clear sign that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
The highlight of the concert was when Jenkins departed the stage for a few minutes and the rest of the band dished out an unexpected, explosive dubstep song with an intense Travis Barker-like drum solo that had the entire venue shaking.
Green glow sticks were passed around during this segment, and the crowd went wild with excitement.
One of the show's most mesmerizing aspects throughout the evening was the alternating display of colored lights on stage that flashed along in sync to the chorus of each song.
For those who don't know, the Brooklyn Arts Center is actually an elegant church that was recently refurbished with stunning cathedral ceilings and stained glass windows.
Hence, it's safe to say that witnessing Third Eye Blind rock out in a church was an unusual, but eerily awesome experience.
Third Eye Blind saved the best for last: their more well-known songs like Jumper and Motorcycle Drive By were played closer to the end of their set list, which didn't seem to last long enough.
The band "ended" with God of Wine, a romantic ballad that starts out like a slow acoustic song but picks up speed and ends with emphasized drums and electric guitar rhythms before the band exited the stage.
But after a strong crowd-induced encore, they returned played a few last songs, one of which was finally Semi-Charmed Life.
The concert was headed by North Carolina-based Progressive Music Group and Wilmington's own Pipeline Event Management.
To some, Third Eye Blind may still be a lost and forgotten has-been product of the 90s. But Wilmington's sold-out show proved that hundreds of college students, at least, still want something else to get them through their semi-charmed kind of lives.
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Third Eye Blind performed Tuesday at Wilmington's Brooklyn Arts Center. (Source: Abby Dunkin)
(Source: Abby Dunkin)
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