Blue October is out on the Help From My Friends Tour with Matt Nathanson and Switchfoot. It’s going to be a revolving lineup each night, which I hope the bands post on their social media. If not, it’s going to be very confusing for the fans to keep up with. Their stop in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 25, 2024 was at the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh. It was the second night of the tour and being that early in a tour, you never know what to expect. 

Each band gets a 60 minute set, so it had to be hard to come up with a setlist considering Blue October has a career of almost 30 years. They packed it tight and lead vocalist Justin Furstenfeld kept the talking to a minimum. The band opened with “The Kitchen Drawer” from Spinning The Truth Around (Part 1). The band featured a total of three songs from that album in their set. “Daylight” was next and then the band reached back a bit and played “Into The Ocean” and “Say It.” 

The music in this tight 60 minute set did focus more on the music that he and the band have created over the last decade. It was a fun set and at times emotional for quite a few of us in the crowd. If you’ve followed Blue October for a while you know that there is a distinct difference in the songwriting on Foiled and I Hope You’re Happy. Justin was in two different spots both emotionally and mentally when making those albums and it reflects in the music. He has been in a much better place for quite a few years now and it shows. The guy looks to be in great shape! 

Yes, they did play “Hate Me” and ended the show with “I Hope You’re Happy.” Fans in Raleigh, NC were witness to two very special moments on this night as Jon and Tim Foreman of Switchfoot joined them for the final song. Justin would return the favor later in the show and join Switchfoot for “Dare You To Move.” 

This was a great 60 minute set! The band looked great and they sounded amazing! There was a lot of happiness on that stage and it was infectious for us in the audience. I’m not sure if the setlist will be tweaked any as the tour moves along. That’s not a lot of time to squeeze a career of almost 30 years of music into. So, careful how much bitching you do online if they don’t play (insert song title). Some of the intimacy of a small venue/theater date tends to get lost when they play a big amphitheater like this. Hopefully they will return to Raleigh, NC to play a headline show at one of our other venues. 

Review & pix by I’m Music Magazine Owner/Editor Johnny Price