Third Eye Blind ready to bring 20 years of alternative rock to Neon Desert stage in El Paso

Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of Third Eye Blind, is generally not one to wax nostalgic.

But when your band is celebrating 20 years of rocking, you have to mark the milestone in a special way.

The alternative rock group, which is set to perform Saturday at the Neon Desert Music Festival, recorded a special live album, "Summer Gods Tour Live Album," and produced a special limited-edition tour book set. It was released in September.

More:Win Neon Desert tickets during El Paso Times Facebook Live talk on Monday

"Well, I was the deciding factor for doing it and the reason is my band is just so good and this kind of moment — we had been on tour for a long time and developed such an empathy for each other — I wanted to get a hold of that and mark the time," he said during a telephone interview from San Francisco.

He added, "I really made it a piece that in a way is a keepsake for me," he said.

The band will perform on the first night of the festival, on the Franklin Mountains Stage. The festival continues through Sunday, around San Jacinto Park and Cleveland Square.

More:Neon Desert Music Festival 2018 lineup, daily schedule in El Paso

More:At the Drive-In's Cedric Bixler-Zavala reflects on Neon Desert, band reunion, fatherhood

Jenkins is especially proud of the live recording at a time when many bands are relying heavily on technology. The recording included renditions of such hits as "Jumper" and "Semi-Charmed Life."

"A lot of bands are playing along on their tracks, almost doing a karaoke of themselves. That's just not us," he said. "It was just the five of us making this moment happen night by night."

Jenkins said it was about creating this connection that extended from the songs to the musicians and traveled to the audience.

"We recorded on several different nights from the tour and in different places," he said. "We're really about reaching people with our music. We all take this sense of identity, of ownership of what we do."

Jenkins said he also likes to make sure he's looking ahead. He has been working on new music, which he expects to share with El Paso fans at the festival.

More:Neon Desert Music Festival 2018 lineup, daily schedule in El Paso

"Our audience ranges from the very young to 29. And we will bring absolutely everything we have to that moment," he said. "We know there's going to be a whole bunch of people who have waited in line and went through a lot to be in the front — and people who have never seen us before. And so, there's this introduction to what we're about and to connect and find themselves — I love that. By the end of the show, they will be a part of Third Eye Blind."

Jenkins has a special connection to the area. The band came to El Paso in 2010 for StreetFest. And he remembers recording at the impressive Sonic Ranch recording studio in Tornillo.

"It was in the middle of a pecan orchard and was just amazing. That is where we recorded "Dopamine" and "We Are Drugs."

María Cortés González may be reached at 546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @EPTMaria on Twitter.

Tickets for Neon Desert

Single-day general admission passes are $79 at NeonDesert.com

Weekend general admission passes to the two-day event are $119, along with J&K weekend VIP passes for $275 and J&K Platinum weekend VIP passes for $550.

J&K VIP ticket holders will receive a variety of perks: a dedicated VIP-only entrance, complimentary drinks and dinner, official Neon Desert merch, El Paso Electric charging stations, access to a free barber and more.

J&K Platinum VIP passes, which sold out in their debut last year, offer the most elevated experience available to ticket buyers, including exclusive access to the main stage viewing deck.