Sway Tour
Blue October
Zeale
Sokol Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska
December 11th, 2014
Nebraska loves Blue October. Band founder and vocalist Justin Furstenfeld has said several times that while born, raised and residing in Texas, Nebraska also feels like home. Omaha was one of the first places outside of the group’s native Texas that first embraced the band.
Blue October has always been great at introducing their fans to new musicians while on your. Whether its People In Planes, Yellowcard or Shiny Toy Guns, the band chooses to tour with acts that compliment their style of music. Austin, Texas rapper Zeale was no exception. Touring in support of his FRNZ & FNGZ release, Zeale isn’t your typical rap artist. Backed by a drummer and keyboardist/guitarist, Zeale’s vocal style easily combined the rap element of his music with a definate rock vibe.
While it took a few songs to really get the crowd bouncing, once Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld walked on stage and joined the band for Invisible Prisons, all of Sokol Auditorium was jumping around. More than a few fans were even singing along. As the song ended, and Furstenfeld hugged Zeale before walking off the stage, Zeale made it a point to tell the crowd, “That’s my Boss. He’s so nice.”
The energy that Zeale had whipped up thus far into his set continued through Radio. While it’s not unusual for a rock band like Blue October to tour with a rap artist, it was something special to see several hundred people really getting into the music of a new artist.
While the crew were setting up the stage for Blue October’s set, fans found the time to make their way to the merch tables for a few souvenirs. As the night progessed, I noticed more and more people were wearing Blue October t-shirts. They’d hit up merch to buy a shirt, and just wear over what they walked in with.
Tonight would be my 12th time seeing the band live since 2004, but I wasn’t the only one who’d seen the band multiple times. I spoke with several fans who’d made the drive from as far as Texas for tonight’s show. Blue October has some of the most dedicated fans, and tonight’s nearly sold out show proved that.
By the time the house lights went out and the bands into music started, the fans were getting restless. The crowd burst to life as soon as the stage lights burst to life and bathed Sokol Auditorium in somber shades of purple. From the first chords of Sway, through She’s My Ride and into Independently Happy, the fans bounced along and sang every word. As I made my way through the crowd during Into The Ocean, there were several times that a few thousand united voices nearly drown out Furstenfeld’s.
Blue October’s music affects their fans in different ways. The band’s music, for the most part, is crafted through mental illness. While the subject isn’t as taboo or damning as it was ten years ago, it’s because of bands like Blue October and their music that mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and dealing with thoughts of suicide are easier to talk about. They’ve raised social awareness and made it ok to talk about how you’re honestly feeling.
That band’s music also helps with deal with those feelings of depression. After hammering the crowd with Fear and Debris, Furstenfeld grabbed his mic and stepped to the front of the stage. “Live your lives,” he told the crowd. “Just be happy. If you’ve got one of those leaches in your life, let them go. Life gets so much more simple when they’re gone.” Once again a few thousand voices raised to sing along with The Getting Over It Part.
“This is the last time I will say it,” Furstenfeld screamed into his mic, releasing once again years of anger and frustration.
“No I’m not bitter,” Furstenfeld told the crowd. “I’m at peace.”
The stage lights then turned to a deep red for Bleed Out. “Close your eyes and breath in,” Furstenfeld whipser into his mic as he hopped off the stage and leaned into the crowd for another sing along.
The crowd continued to match tone and pace with the band for Hate Me and X Amount of Words. Already 14 songs into their set, it was already an emotional rollercoaster. When the band walked off the stage after X Amont Of Words, no one expected that to be their last song. The band gave us a few minutes to recover our selves, then closed the evening with a for song encore.
While the mixture of their 8 song set was great, I was bummed that nothing off of History For Sale was played. The band’s 3rd full length release was the album that introduced so many of us to the band, and it was a slight jab for the band to have not played anything off of that release.
Overall, Blue October knows how to put on a live show. While the band’s music obviously sets the tone, it’s their energy that grafts the music into their live set. After so many years of touring, it was great to see that these 5 men still possess the energy level to keep the crowd bouncing for an hour and a half each night they play.
After 20 years as a band, Blue October continues to inflence thier fans.
Setlist:
Sway
She’s My Ride Home
Independently Happy
Say It
Light You Up
Congratulations
Into The Ocean
Should Be Loved
Fear
Debris
The Getting Over It Part
Bleed Out
Hate Me
X Amount of Words
Encore:
The Feel Again (Stay)
The Worry List
My Never
Things We Do At Night
