Next to the Smashing Pumpkins, Third Eye Blind is my favorite band. I first heard them on the radio in late 1996, on the San Francisco radio station, Live 105, with the song, "Tattoo of the Sun." Later, I heard "Semi-Charmed Life." I thought they were a cool band, but i began to really get into them about a month before the album came out, when I had Miss hargreaves for a substitute in Science class.

I had had her as a sub all through out junior high, but my real appreciation for her came that day. At the beginning of class, she asked our class if any of us listened to Live105. A couple friends and i told her we did. She asked us if we had heard of Third Eye Blind and I told her I had and she told me that her son was the drummer. I thought that was the coolest thing since her other son Stew also works at the school too as the copmuter lab person.

In the spring, actualy March, my English class was assigned a huge paper and we had to conduct an interview. When Ms. Hargreaves was our English sub, I asked her if i could interview Brad for my paper.

She was delighted that I had asked, and on March 19, i got to meet Brad. He was such a nice guy and i got to see the album booklet three weeks before the album came out. When the album did come out I rushed to get it, hoping that it would be good. The first time listening through it, i was so happy, it had to be one of the greatest albums ever.

I go to the same high school as Brad did, and i no longer go to the middle school where his mom and brother taught. I've talked to Brad on the phone since March and i saw Third Eye Blind at the Filmore in November and again at the Warfield on January 31st.

After the show I went searching for a guy who supposedly had a backstage pass for me. After looking for a while, I finally found him and he said that he was just kidding, and that he didn't want to give up his pass for me. I was really pissed, but I went out to the lobby with all my friends, hoping that he would come up and let me have it. After a bit of waiting, Smash Mouth quickly walked through and I got Steve to give me an autograph, and that was really cool, but once again, I went back to waiting by the backstage entrance with my friends. The Warfield staff began to tell people that we had to leave, and that if we didn't have an after show pass, we would have to leave, when I turned around and saw Mrs. Hargreaves. (If you don't remember from my last post, I know Brad and his mom and brother, so this was a very good thing.)

I had talked to her the night before when I called Brad, (he was in Bakersfield at another show) and I told her that I would be there. She didn't tell me that she would have a pass for me, but she did! I was so happy and I thanked her and ran down all the stairs and joined the party.

First I said hello to Stew (Brad's brother) and then progressed to the back of the room, where I could see Brad. I said hello and he said "Hey Renee, you found my mom?" I told him yeah, and he shook my hand and gave me a hug. I told him how great they were and asked him for an autograph for my friend. He gladly signed it, and I told him I would talk to him later. Next, I found Arion and got an autograph from him. He didn't say much, but seemed nice. After that, I went through the crowd and found Kevin. I had to wait a while while he talked to some friends, but eventually, I got his autograph too. I told him he was amazing and he said "thanks" and gave me an autograph.

I then saw one of my friends who I was with (I don't know how she got a pass), and she talked to Kevin, too. I went back up to lobby so I could give the pass to my other friend so she could go down too. When my two friends came back they had talked to Stephan and he had told one of my friends that she was really cute and should be a model. I thought that was really cool, and I took the passes from them, and went down with my younger brother. We saw Stephan and waited while he talked to his friends, and I told him that they were great and he said thanks, but didn't want to sign autographs. I took my brother back to Brad (who he had met once before) and he got an autograph too.

After all this, I saw Mrs. Hargreaves, and thanked her and thanked her, and she pointed out that my sixth grade teacher was there. So I said hello to her (she's really cool) and I asked her why she was there. She said that she had dated Brad in high school and he got her passes to the show. That was really cool, and I talked to her for a minute before turning back to Mrs. Hargreaves and telling her that I was leaving. She tapped Brad on the shoulder and said "Renee's leaving," and Brad said goodbye and gave me a hug. I was very happy and went back up to the street.

I gave one of the passes to a fan who I sort of knew because her friends were inside and she wanted to join them, and I gave the other pass to my mom so she could go down. The people at the door said that it wasn't valid and so my mom said that it was OK and that she had been backstage at concerts before, and we left, really ecstatic.

So, in brief, I went to a kick ass show, and I got to go back stage and meet the band and get autographs from everyone but Stephan. This had to be one of the beset nights of my life.

I am very sorry for the length of this, but I think my joy needed to be shared.

Links to other Third Eye Blind Sites

Third Eye Blind
The Official Third Eye Blind Page
The Background
Hal's Third Eye Blind Page
Third Eye Blind-Home
Third Eye Blind Guitar Tabs

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© 1997 johnson2@ix.netcom.com