The day I became the luckiest Third Eye Blind fan

Last summer, my favorite band, Third Eye Blind, hosted a special reunion tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of its self-titled album. The band spent the summer traveling across the country for the Summer Gods Tour.

The post-grunge ’90s band made a promise to perform the complete lineup of its self-titled album. And since this was the album that turned me into a fan with songs like “Semi-Charmed Life,” “How’s It Going to Be” and “Jumper,” I knew I couldn’t miss it.

I had my tickets for multiple shows months in advance. And I was excited the band was stopping at Festival Pier on Christopher Columbus Boulevard, my favorite venue.

Aside from playing the complete album, another special part of the tour was that lead singer Stephan Jenkins promised to return to the stage wearing a tour T-shirt during the encore. At the very end of the show, Jenkins would take the shirt off and hand it to one lucky fan.

The day of the concert, my mom, youngest sister and I waited outside the venue for hours to make sure we could claim our spot in the front row. Thankfully our waiting paid off: We snagged a spot right at the barricade.

To show my love and support for Third Eye Blind, I wore my favorite T-shirt, which reads, “lol you’re not Stephan Jenkins.” Our positioning in the front of the stage made it the prime spot for Jenkins to notice us.

The sun started to set as Third Eye Blind finally came on stage. The band opened with a few songs from its other albums, like “We Are Drugs” and “Blue,” but stayed true to its promise to play the self-titled album in its entirety.

Jenkins also stayed true to his commitment to wear the band’s pink Summer Gods Tour shirt. Most of the other fans in the front row had been to multiple shows and were eagerly waiting for Jenkins to toss the shirt into the crowd.

Time seemed to slow down as he began to walk toward me and glanced down to read my shirt. I felt my mom and sister pulling on my shirt to make it easier for him to read. He laughed and then started to take off the T-shirt he was wearing.

I knew exactly what was happening, but it seemed too good to be true.

At last, he gave the tour shirt to me. I was shaking, holding on to my new favorite shirt, listening to the people around me cheering.

The Summer Gods Tour was really important to me and was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. Having such a unique and special memory just makes it so much better.

At the end of the show, Jenkins explained the significance of the last song on the self-titled album, “God of Wine,” and why he found it important to make sure the song was played last. The song was also one of my favorites on the album, so having it become the soundtrack to one of the coolest moments of my life was beautiful.

I still hold onto this shirt as a unique reminder of that magical night and a perfect symbol of my connection to the band.