Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional heat up the St. Augustine Amphitheater !!

Saturday night, St. Augustines St. Augustine Amphitheater hosted an evening with Third Eye Blind, Florida natives Dashboard Confessional as well as Augustana .Third Eye Blind has made there way back to Florida area for the first time since 2013 for its co-headlining tour with Dashboard Confessional. Speaking of which, Chris Carrabba and his old bandmates reunited on stage after a six year hiatus from the Dashboard Confessional moniker. Unfortunately, also making an appearance was summer’s rainy season. Although summer doesn’t officially begin until June 21st, those in attendance would testify otherwise. Still, even Mother Nature’s wrath couldn’t dampen the spirits of those who have quite literally waited years to see one or both of these bands.

The opener for the show was Augustana, another band coming together again after a short time apart, they rejoined the tour after having to cancel the Miami show the night before do to the drummer Jake Owen was struck by lightning. Owen spent the night in the hospital and thankfully should be okay. 

Taking the stage immediately after Augustana, it was time for Dashboard Confessional to hit the Amphitheater stage in the hot summer afternoon., lead singer Chris Carrabba reminded the fans that they were florida natives and were use to the hot and clammy weather.. One DC started to play., the masses came forward and before long, a mass of dedicated fans were belting out emo hits like “Screaming Infidelities,” “Saints and Sailors,” and “Stolen.” in the pit area close to the stage.

For Carrabba, a Boca Raton native, it was a particular treat to be back in Florida. He was clearly jacked to be performing again in front of a crowd after a six year hiatus for DC.  Dashboard ended its set with “Hands Down,” a song about the best day ever – a sentiment many longtime fans, even in their soggy clothes, shared at that moment.

It was time for Third Eye Blind to come up next, The hot Florida beating sun finally had set behind the Amphitheater and all that was left to sit back and enjoy frontman Stephen Jenkins and company. Clad in opaque and elaborate lighting, Jenkins sang the opening two songs, including the 1998 hit single, “Graduate,” with his set up on bax at the far back of the stage in almost total darkness. It was around “Blinded (When I See You)” that he decided to come into the light of the front of the stage from the darkness of the back of the stage – much like his band has done in recent years. Specifically, the band has emerged from the shadows of the ’90’s alt-rock scene and solidified itself as a perennial draw wherever it performs. They owe their success to a clever combination of pleasing their fans and placating their own desires as musicians. While the peak of their career came during Third Eye Blind’s first three records, they continue to write and release new material. In fact the band will drop their fifth studio effort, Dopamine, on June 16th, a record that includes the single “Everything is Easy” and a cover of Beyoncé’s “Mine,” both of which they played Saturday night.

For a few hours, the fans remembered why they sometimes hate the same weather that allows us to go to the beach in December. But more importantly, they remembered why they love bands like Dashboard Confessional and Third Eye Blind: they move us from the inside out.