Third Eye Blind, Yellowcard, & Arizona at Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, Missouri on June 29th, 2024.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Sevauna Photography
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre began to fill with exhilarated Third Eye Blind fans. This would be an unforgettable night filled with nostalgia for their generations of listeners.
ARIZONA
To open the night, New Jersey’s pop-rock trio, A R I Z O N A took the stage. Their catchy guitar and synths had frontman Ryan Key dancing along had the fans still filling the venue on their feet. They opened their quick set with “Cross My Mind” from their 2017 debut album, “Gallery”. They continued to take us through the journey of their discography, moving up from tracks on their 2019 album “Asylum”, as well as their most recent self-titled album from 2023. By the end of their set, the catchy melodies and dreamy vocals made it clear they left the stage with plenty of new fans.
ARIZONA Gallery
YELLOWCARD
As the sun began to set over the 10,000 fans, second on the bill was rock band Yellowcard and the crowd was buzzing. This set was special for the fans since the band had broken up back in 2016 after the release of their self-titled album. In September of 2022, Yellowcard decided to perform at Riot Fest. This continued into embarking on a 20th-anniversary tour for the biggest hit album “Ocean Avenue”. The band did not stop there, releasing their 2023 EP “Childhood Eyes”, their main focus for this tour. The band claims these two tours have been the most successful in their entire career.
They kicked off their set with some of their older well-known hits such as “Lights and Sounds” and “Cut Me, Mick”. Transitioning into tracks such as “Southern Air”, fans were reminded of what makes their sound so unique in the rock genre, the heavy violin from the exceptionally talented Sean Mackin. He was a hoot to photograph, dancing around the stage with the best facial expressions.
YELLOWCARD Gallery
Lead singer Ryan Key delivered a speech before going into their new EP on how grateful he is of their fans for sticking with the band through the breakup, coming back even bigger than they were before. They finished their set with the much-anticipated “Ocean Avenue”, their biggest hit to date. The crowd roared as Key announced they could not wait to return to St. Louis, “Time and time again”.
THIRD EYE BLIND
All seats were filled just in time for Third Eye Blind to take the stage. They dove into their 18-song set that would take the audience through the decades of their discography. Perfectly opening with a fan favorite “Motorcyle Dive By”, the audience was electric singing word for word, as they would continue to for the entire night. Their fan base is like no other, sticking with them for the plethora of releases throughout the years.
After playing a few hits from 1998’s “Blue” including “Never Let You Go”, lead singer Stephan Jenkins asked the crowd what song they wanted to hear next. “Crystal Baller” or “Losing A Whole Year”. Through the mess of fans cheering for one or the other, “Losing A Whole Year” from their self-titled album from 1997 easily won, and the fans were ecstatic to hear it.
Before they went into the largest hits from that album, the band unplugged and came together to the front stage for a few acoustic songs such as “The Background” and “Palm Reader”. This was the perfect intimate setting for the audience to enjoy everything broken down. Before plugging in for the rest of their set, Jenkins had a heartfelt speech. He explained how grateful they are that fans have stuck with them through it all, this tour being the most successful of their entire career.
THIRD EYE BLIND Gallery
Before we knew it, the band jumped into their biggest hits. Going into “Jumper” was a tear-jerker, as the fans took over several verses for themselves. Witnessing so many people like myself who have a deep connection with this song and what it portrays was like no other. This track has helped millions of fans for decades during the hardships of life. As the song neared its end, Drummer Brad Hargreaves had an exceptional drum solo.
The cheers grew louder as he continued to show off his skills, which inevitably transitioned into their biggest song of all time, “Semi-Charmed Life”. The crowd was still on their feet, clapping and singing along as Jenkins delivered two extra choruses for the fans to take over. As the lights rose and fans began to shuffle out, the ones that remained were in for a treat. An unforgettable encore of “How’s It Going To Be” gave the fans one last time to sing out each word with the band.
Third Eye Blind did not disappoint their St. Louisan fans. The show left an unforgettable mark, reminding us of the true power this band has to provoke a stir of emotions through their discography. They will continue to be a testament to the timeless nature that rock music can have.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Sevauna Photography in St. Louis, Missouri. ©2024.
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