Blue October does not disappoint on their final tour stop in Knoxville
It might be a chilly November, but Blue October rocked the Mill & Mine stage on November 17. Blue October stopped in Knoxville for the last night of their I Will Follow You tour with opening band Longwave.
Longwave kicked off the show with a 30 minute set that included some of their songs such as “Tidal Wave,” “If We Ever Live Forever,” and “No Direction.”
Towards the end of their set, Blue October joined Longwave on stage; and, together they performed “I Know It’s Coming Someday.” Blue October was dressed in wrestling masks and black capes as they came out on stage.
After a stage change, the lights went dark blue and the air filled with fog. Rock instrumental filled the air and Blue October stepped on stage within a few minutes. The crowd went crazy. The show started off with “Coal Makes Diamonds.”
Blue October is a Texas based alternative rock band that currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Justin Furstenfeld, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, violinist Ryan Delahoussaye, bassist Matt Noveskey, and guitarist Will Knaak. The group formed in 1995 in Houston, Texas.
The I Will Follow You tour was to promote the band's newest album I Hope You’re Happy.
“We’re super proud of this album,” J. Furstenfeld said. “It’s my favorite album we’ve ever made.”
Celebrating being a band for over 20 years, Blue October performed a couple of songs they used to play on the side of the road – one being “A Quiet Mind” and “Ugly Side.”
“We’ve been all over the country and I have to say, Knoxville has a lot of fine looking people,”
Throughout their energetic set, J. Furstenfeld would tell the crowd he loved them and get everyone amped up for the next song. He even commented on how good looking some people were – he pointed out a man’s beard at one point during a song.
“We’ve been all over the country and I have to say, Knoxville has a lot of fine looking people,” J. Furstenfeld said.
The majority of songs performed over the course of the show were from their new album. But, they also threw in a couple of older songs like “Into The Ocean,” “Home,” “Calling You,” and “Say It.”
J. Furstenfeld constantly interacted with fans. At one point, he asked if he could slow dance with someone towards the front. While the song played (still singing) he slowed danced briefly with someone in the crowd. And, again, he repeated how much he loved everyone in Knoxville.
They did not take long breaks between songs nor did their energy level seem low. The group kept the crowd going for their entire set – which lasted over an hour.
Towards the end, J. Furstenfeld asked if it was too late and past everyone’s bedtime. He then said they needed to wake everyone up and sprayed a water bottle all over the front row of people as a fast paced song started.
Blue October closed out their show by playing a four song encore that consisted of “PRN,” “I Will Follow You,” “Fear,” and of course, “I Hope You’re Happy.”
While the I Will Follow You tour has come to an end, Blue October has a couple more shows before the end of the year. One in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 29, and then one in San Antonio, Texas, on December 14.
The band’s music can be live streamed on Spotify and also be found on their YouTube channel. If you missed out on purchasing merchandise at the show, they have a variety of items available on their website.
Keep up to date by following the band’s Instagram and Facebook.