Third Eye Blind’s Energy Revs, but Emotion Lags

The relentless brooding of groups like Nirvana and Pearl Jam might have seemed gratuitous at times, but it was the genuine power of those feelings that gave the bands’ music its continuing appeal.

In the wake of grunge, a bevy of bands has sprung up sporting the superficial stylings of the music, but packing little of its emotional impact. Among the most popular: Third Eye Blind, which played the Palace on Thursday night.

Led by singer Stephan Jenkins, the group’s energetic performance moved along at a snappy pace. Jenkins’ genial banter--peppered with just enough emphatic expletives to give it a saucy edge--charmed the capacity crowd and the San Francisco quartet mustered some solid ensemble playing.

Individually, though, none of the musicians demonstrated any particularly outstanding skills, which is why their enthusiastic delivery didn’t actually add much to the songs--a phenomenon illustrated most pointedly during the encore when the band tackled the Smiths’ “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.”

Launching into the tune with grunge-lite gusto, Third Eye Blind stripped it of the subtle ironic lilt and emotional nuances that give the Smiths’ rendering its allure.

All told, though, the set went down as smoothly as a cold bottle of brew on a hot day, so it was appropriate that the evening ultimately conveyed all the substance of a protracted beer commercial.