One time Polar Bear Club played a show with Third Eye Blind....

...and it makes for an incredibly dull and dissapointing story.....

Not that long ago I still had a pretty big chip on my shoulder. Trevor thought himself to be "too punk" for certain bands. It's not like I was running around with a tri hawk and an Aus Rotten back patch but, you know, too cool for school. Unbeknownst to me at the time was that fact I wasn't too cool for shit.

The first time I ever roadied for Marathon one of the dudes put Third Eye Blind's self titled record on the stereo. I didn't really know the dudes in the band too well so I just sat there dumbfounded and silently judged. I recall thinking "What the fuck? I thought this was a punk band! This isn't punk rock, this is music for sorority girls!" Turns out that train of thought is riddled with irony considering I don't listen to punk music. I've heard on Black Flag song in my life, hated it, and never listened to them again. Get over it. Side note, I think Nate at the time was pledging a sorority but that's neither here nor there. That day I believe we were headed towards Philadelphia for a show with No Trigger, The Break, and Wasteland that took place under a bridge. None of that matters though. What does matter is by the end of that van drive, I was in love with Third Eye Blind and I had a hard on for Stephan Jenkins. (and Licky)

Fast forward some years to either 2007 or 2008, I can't quite remember. Marathon was long gone, along with my bountiful head of hair/self esteem, and Polar Bear Club was starting to tour more and more. Thanks to our friend Justin from Fire When Ready and other bands I haven't kept up on, PBC was given the opportunity to open up for 3EB at Oswego University. The show was to take place in an arena type setting where hockey games and other large events were held. There would be literally thousands of people in attendance basking in Goose's inner and outer beauty. (Quick! PBC dudes, Goose was in the band then, right!?) Everyone in PBC was a fan of the band at that time which added to the overall excitement of the offer. In fact, around the same time, PBC had been playing a Third Eye Blind cover at a couple of local shows. So it goes without saying that PBC enthusiastically accepted the show offer to rub elbows with Jenkins and their fruity looking guitar player. The day of the show the previously mentioned enthusiasm began to wane.

As I mentioned before, the show took place at a large venue at Oswego University, the exact college where I spent the best ten years of my life pursuing my Bachelor Of Arts in Fucking Up. Cue the Tommy Boy quote -

Tommy: Did you hear I finally graduated?
Richard Hayden: Yeah, and just a shade under a decade too, all right.
Tommy: You know a lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard Hayden: I know, they're called doctors.

I knew I wasn't going to know any students but I was looking forward to being the oldest person on campus not named professor. As expected, the show was a pretty big production involving trailers worth equipment and one specific 18 wheeler designed to house the guitar player of Third Eye Blind's ego. Hired to load and unload all of the musical gear were a pack of surly failed musicians doubling as stage hands and roadies who made it a point to shit on all of us right in front of our faces.

We're all professionals so the lot of us showed up pretty early in order to feel the situation out since an event this size was new to all of us. Around this time, a more than likely coked up stage hand "greeted" us and figured we were one of the opening bands since we all wore skinny jeans. Um, ok. "Sorry, sir. I know you're used to a bunch of 40 year old dudes who wear rings on their fingers, are out of touch with any type of reality and probably think overalls, Skidz, eye brow rings, and Zack Morris are the new hip thing. Afterall, Stephan Jenkins actually wears a top hat while on stage. Cool as James Dean." Sure, not a complete slap in the face but this is the same stage hand that would later yell at PBC, telling them to "get their shit together as if this were some battle of the bands. (Side note, if it were, PBC would have lost, 3EB rulz!)

It wasn't all bad though, I have to admit it was pretty sweet to have our own dressing room filled with up with a bunch of food, that certainly was a perk. Of course our area was completely on the other side of the building, tucked away from Third Eye Blind, ensuring they wouldn't interact with the common folk. But sometimes fate steps in and two artists, two visionaries are brought together. Well, almost. The second best event of the evening took place backstage when Goose was on the hunt for some sort of glazed ham or sandwich, not sure which. The legend goes that Goose walked by the guitarist of Third Eye Blind who felt the need to put his hand to his face in order to shield his celebrity from superfan Goose. "Please, sir. Goose wasn't even alive when Semi Charmed Life was on the radio, he's not going to blow you. It's not like you're the lead singer of New Found Glory. And if you were, well, Goose would have a better tale to tell."

Oh, right. I guess Polar Bear Club played a set that night in front of thousands of kids. I felt warm and fuzzy inside while on side of the stage thinking about the first time I heard 3EB and how that day Nate played under a bridge to about ten people. All these years later. Still Nate. Still Third Eye Blind. Still no one caring. Even better than that though was the actual best event of the evening. Watching and seeing Chris Browne pump his fist, urging a crowd of non believers to "Sing it!!" No, wait. It was definitely walking by the previously mentioned hateful stagehand and hearing him desperately scream into his walkie talkie - "We lost the top hat! We may have left the top hat on the stage!" It was either Stephan's or Jimmy's.