After a year and a half of concert postponements due to Covid-19, Blue October finally made it back to southern California for a handful of rescheduled shows supporting their 2021 “This is What I Live For Tour.” Justin Furstenfeld and company delivered a “welcome-back” performance that challenged the mind and stirred the soul on a crisp winter’s night here in Orange County.
To be completely transparent, I was never a huge Blue October fan growing up. My brother Mark absolutely loved this band, but for some reason I just couldn’t get into them. He always told me, “You won’t get it until you see them in concert.” Lucky for me I took his advice, and immediately became a huge fan after witnessing my first live performance (and since have never looked back). Sunday’s show at the House of Blues was my first time seeing them in a few years and was excited to see if they were going to pickup up where they left off pre-Covid. Only time would tell.
Opening for Blue October was a Minneapolis based pop band called Yam Haus. I’d never heard of these guys before and the pessimistic devil on my shoulder kept chirping that I’d probably be underwhelmed (at best) by their performance. Boy, was I wrong.
This quartet, featuring Lars Pruitt (vocals/guitar), Jake Felstow (drums), Zach Beinlich (bass), and Seth Blum (guitar), hit the stage with fury and kept the energy high throughout an abbreviated set that I really wanted to continue. The chemistry between bandmates was palpable, and the crowd was digging every minute of their killer performance. I see great things over the horizon for Yam Haus and look forward to digging further into this up-and-coming band.
After a 30-minute intermission and stage change out, it was time for the night’s main attraction, Blue October. Kicking off the set with set with 2018’s “Daylight,” it was immediately clear that this show was going to be special.
For the next 90 minutes, lead vocalist Justin Furstenfeld along with Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/keys), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums), Matt Noveskey (bass), and Will Knaak (lead guitar), took over a near capacity House of Blues with a setlist rich with new tracks and beloved classics alike that spanned the bands 25+ year career. Fan favorites from Sunday’s show included “This Is What I Live For,” “Home,” and “18th Floor Balcony.” My personal favorites were “Hate Me” off 2006’s Foiled and a soon to be classic, “Moving On (So Long)” off their latest.
As the show came to an end, it was abundantly clear apparent Blue October did in fact pick up where they left off pre-Covid. In fact, I think they took it to a whole new level with a touching and heartfelt performance aimed solely at the thousands in attendance on Sunday evening. Throughout the set, Justin wanted nothing more than to proclaim his love for the fans and to thank them for their enduring support over the past few years.
From a fan’s point of view, they simply wanted to let Justin know how meaningful and life-altering Blue October’s music is to them. And from my perspective in the pit, the messages back and forth were acknowledged and well-received. It was the perfect way to end Blue October’s 2021 tour and a great stepping stone toward a happy and healthy 2022!
YAM HAUS
