Blue October took fans back to 2006 on Friday (April 17) bringing their seminal album, Foiled, to fans homes across the globe via two truly special virtual performances on Stageit. Selling over five thousand tickets in the matter of just a few days with fans anxious for a live concert, well frontman Justin Furstenfeld gave them what they wanted and more, lifting spirits with the music that fans adore and can relate to.
“This album in 2006 was written during a dark period of my time but I think that right now in isolation everybody is doing the same and they are looking for something to just fill their time and to inspire them. I took a look at this album that was written in 2005 and I found that it was filled with all types of young nostalgia, romance, heartache, pain, anger, resentment, jealously, happiness, peace, serenity, colors and loneliness and I just love it,” Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld told fans before kicking off the acoustic performance of Foiled. “So I wanted to take the time to go back to 2006 to a different time, I was a complete different person too and I want to share this with you guys.”
Furstenfeld even brought back his signature eyeliner and suited up for this one-of-a-kind performance of their fourth studio album, Foiled, which includes their smash hit “Hate Me.” The raw emotion from Furstenfeld translates so well within his live performances and is a forced to be reckoned with during any Blue October show rather it be live band or Justin solo.
“I remember dressing in this every single night, I had like eight suits, I wore them every night and they’d get drench every friggin’ night and then I’d wear them again the next and the next day and then I’d get them dry cleaned and do it again,” Furstenfeld explained to fans while wearing his Foiled era attire. “It feels weird, feels kind of freaky but this album means a lot and I appreciate you guys spending time with me.”
Furstenfeld’s impressive vocals shined vibrantly with this solo performance, bringing the dark, emotion-filled tracks to a whole new life. We must note that the intimate, stripped down performance felt like a personal concert, as if he was singing and talking to you solely.
After performing “Overweight” Furstenfeld explained to fans, “It’s crazy to think back and think that I used to be in such a different place in life, Like wow I was talking about recovery back then in 2006, I had problems back then. This is crazy,” then picking it up a bit to perform “X-Amount Of Words.” Furstenfeld continued to elaborate to fans during the show telling them, “You guys have no idea how much you help me, I couldn’t do this without you.”
The performance featured a stunning showcase of the entire album from front to back with a few additional songs being added for an encore including a ghost track “It’s Just Me” from the record. The set included fan favorite songs like “Into The Ocean,” “Hate Me,” “Congratulations,” “18th Floor Balcony” from the Foiled album but he also threw in “Home” for the encore performance which definitely had us singing along from our couch. This 45-minute concert was an impressive showcase of why the band has had such the iconic career that they’ve had, putting all of their emotions into lyrics and not being afraid to show who they really are even beneath the scars and heartache.
“We are finishing the new album, right now working on the fourth addition of the book, the documentary,” Furstenfeld updated fans on what the band has been working on during the live performance before performing the encore song of the evening “Home,” which he dedicated to his children Blue, Sayde and Gunner.
The band is gearing up to release their tenth studio album, This Is What I Live For, which is due out later this year. The debut single “Oh My My” has already been unleashed and quickly dominated radio stations across the country, allowing the band to chart at 29 on Billboard’s Alternative Chart.
Blue October also is set to debut their heart-wrenching documentary, Get Back Up, originally set to release later this year on August 29 but in this livestream Furstenfeld updated fans saying “were gonna release it in May, so you guys can rent it at home and watch it.” The documentary details the band’s impressive history and arduous journey to where they are today.
The band will be returning to Stageit for another extra special performance of their third studio album, History For Sale, on May 1 at 7pm CDT and tickets are going fast. So if you want to hear songs like “Clumsy Card House,” “Chameleon Boy” and “Amazing,” make sure you grab one while you can HERE. Justin is set to return to Stageit every two weeks to perform a Blue October album in its entirety.
An exclusive ‘Foiled’ virtual tour t-shirt was also sold, which the proceeds of the tee will be made to MusiCares to help assist other artists in need during this COVID-19 crisis.
