Jimmy Eat World’s Zach Lind: Suns are special in ‘The Middle’ of playoff ride

The Phoenix Suns are in the middle of a playoff ride coming off a 122-105 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

And after Mesa-based band Jimmy Eat World performed at halftime on Monday night at Phoenix Suns Arena, the musicians will be the first to tell you that “everything will be alright.”

The six-minute performance marked the first time the band had performed in front of a live crowd since December 2019.

Jimmy Eat World played two of its most popular songs in “The Middle” and “Sweetness,” the latter of which was captured by our own Kellan Olson.

Jimmy Eat World! pic.twitter.com/YfX8BlHvtL

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) June 8, 2021

“It was really fun. I hope we could have played more,” drummer Zach Lind told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday.

“But it was just awesome to me to be part of the environment with the team, the fans. Obviously both of those groups brought it and we just wanted to fit somewhere in there.”

The sellout crowd was treated to a Suns win that featured five players in double figures, four of which scored 20 or more points.

“That’s amazing,” Lind said. “That’s everyone just contributing and I think that’s something about this team that everybody can relate to. … I think there’s something special about this team and they’re just so much fun to watch.”

The drummer said that the band has been asked to perform for other teams at their respective halftimes, but the hometown Suns being at their best is what finally convinced Jimmy Eat World to say yes.

“Even though my bandmates aren’t super dialed into sports, growing up in Phoenix, when the Suns are firing on all cylinders, this becomes a Suns town like no other in comparison to the other organizations in town,” Lind said.

“There’s just something about it that lights the city on fire. And so we knew we wanted to just be a part of it and we were super honored to be asked to be a part of it.”

As a musician, Lind understands the importance of what live sports and music can do for people’s mental health, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic forced so many games and concerts to be postponed or canceled.

“I actually think we need these things to kind of help balance out our communities because otherwise we just hate each other because we don’t have these outlets to have this connection or this feeling of a communal experience for better or worse,” he said.

“Sports and live music are the opportunities for communities to come together and identify each other as music fans or Suns fans, and they don’t see all the other things that divide us.”

The Suns host the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. Catch all the action live on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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