Students experienced a blast from the past when Third Eye Blind took the stage Saturday night for the annual Student Union Board (SUB) spring concert at Stepan Center.
The band, in its third performance at Notre Dame, played several of its early hits to a sold-out crowd of nearly 2,000 students, SUB concert programmer Lauren Keating said.
"We sold all of the tickets the day they went on sale, which was great," Keating said. "If you were going to see a band like Third Eye Blind anywhere else, tickets would usually cost somewhere between $40 and $50. When you would usually pay that kind of money for a show like this, I think $15 is an incredibly reasonable price."
Keating said rapper Hoodie Allen's opening performance energized the crowd before Third Eye Blind took the stage.
"Hoodie Allen ... did a great job of engaging with the crowd. He performed a freestyle rap about Notre Dame, and incorporated everything from [men's basketball coach Mike] Brey to [Club] Fever, which was a definite crowd-pleaser," Keating said. "I've talked to several people who had never heard his music before the concert but left as new fans."
Keating said students were enthused by the selection of Third Eye Blind for the annual spring concert.
"I thought we we had a really positive response from students once we announced the band selection, and that definitely showed at the concert," she said. "A lot of people came to the show dressed in 90s clothes, and ... students seemed to really embrace the idea of making it an all-day event leading up to the concert."
Junior Kat Wilson said the band's performance of songs like "Jumper" and "Semi-Charmed Life" evoked nostalgic feelings.
"It brought me back to the good old days of Pokemon and 'All That,'" she said.
Junior Brynne Miller said she enjoyed hearing Third Eye Blind play its most popular songs, but she also appreciated its tributes to current popular artists.
"I really enjoyed it when [Third Eye Blind] did the Calvin Harris cover," Miller said.
Sophomore Bill Leigh said he thought the band gave a crowd-pleasing performance and he said he appreciated its extension of gratitude to the audience.
"I thought it was really good, and I especially like when bands thank their fan base," Leigh said. "They definitely did that and did a good job playing. My favorite song they performed was 'Never Let You Go.'"
Junior Betsy McGovern said she and her friends woke up at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to make the trek to LaFortune to purchase tickets.
"It was definitely worth waking up early for the tickets," she said. "The whole concert was really fun, but it was especially awesome when they played 'Jumper' and 'Semi-Charmed Life' because everyone went crazy."
Junior Eric Stumpf said Third Eye Blind's performance demonstrated the band's eagerness to perform for Notre Dame students.
"They did an exceptionally great job getting the crowd involved and creating a fun concert atmosphere," he said.
Stumpf, a longtime Third Eye Blind fan, said the band provided a broad sampling of their repertoire during the concert.
"I've wanted to see Third Eye Blind for a very long time and was so glad I got to before they stopped touring," he said. "I think they did a good job integrating their newer, less well-known songs with their bigger hits."
Though the concert was an enjoyable experience overall, Stumpf said he had one complaint about its venue.
"The only thing I can complain about is how ungodly awful the acoustics of Stepan are," he said. "If you didn't know the lyrics to the songs before the concert, you would have thought the singer was speaking gibberish."
Keating said SUB has worked with the same concert production company for roughly 15 years, but the company's owner told Keating this year's concert was the biggest production it has put on at Notre Dame.
"Everything, including the lights, speakers and even the stage, were bigger and more elaborate than in previous years, and all of that played into making the show such a success," Keating said.
