What Festiva saw at the Third Eye Blind concert

If the multitude of cars parked along Bicentennial Drive and in the surrounding parking lots was any indication, then there had to be hundreds of people at the Third Eye Blind concert Sunday night at Metropolis in McAllen.

The place was packed and the first opener, Ram Danesse, hopped on stage and played a strong set of songs - some from the band's upcoming album Learning to Love. Ram's sound is less blues and more accessible rock/pop, which seemed to please most of the crowd.

Austin-based Whitman (with Rio Grande Valley born-and-bred lead singer Ram Vela) ran through a quick sound check and then blazed into its first song with enough energy to get the audience moving. Live, Whitman is kind of like a displaced Irish pub house band with sing-a-long choruses and chants. But the band had its more moody, indie-rock songs, too.

Finally, nearly an hour late, Third Eye Blind took the stage to thundering cheers from a crowd ready to relive the '90s. Well, not Third Eye Blind, exactly - more like Stephan Jenkins and friends. It was an acoustic performance for the Hot KISS 106.3 Listener Lounge series, which has featured Vertical Horizon and Better Than Ezra in the past.

Opening with "Jumper" was a great choice. The entire audience, save a handful of people who were just there for the beer, sang along. Any forgotten lyrics by Jenkins wouldn't have been noticed.

After the first song though, a slew of people left early. One noted, "This sucks. This isn't Third Eye Blind." So those looking for a full-on Third Eye Blind set were likely disappointed. They were few and far between though.

Jenkins continued, playing a few songs from the band's new album, Ursa Major, such as "Summer Town," "One in Ten," and "Bonfire." He also appeased those who loved the old sound like with the sleeper hit, "Motorcycle Drive By" that didn't get much radio play, but became a huge fan favorite.

Die-hard fans of Third Eye Blind got a much needed fix with this show, and those who were a bit disillusioned by the stripped-down performance, well, it was still a nice stroll down memory lane.