Tuesday, September 30, 1997
311 members gets audience dancing in the seats to mix of
reggae-influenced, funk-happy songs
MUSIC: Boundless energy, unique sound of band resonates through
Greek Theater, compelling even the hipper-than-thou crowd to sway
heads
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Even before the festivities began at 311’s show Thursday night
at the Greek Theater, you knew what kind of show it was going to
be.
Thousands of high school and college students packed into the
backyard amphitheater, decked out in their Airwalks, oversized
sweatshirts and backward caps. Little skaters with Hanson-style
hair climbed up the stairways, four steps ahead of their
unsuspecting mothers. Almost everyone had a cigarette in hand, and
about half substituted their Marlboros every now and then for pot.
People were even dancing to the opening act (the alterna-funk
Fishbone). The restless energy could be contained no more.
By the time 311 hit the stage (for the last time on this U.S.
tour) with its classic, "Freak Out," a marijuana cloud hung over
the nearly sold-out audience. Yet, the crowd was anything but dazed
and confused as they screamed and jumped in unison to 311’s
unbounded energy.
The members of 311, the Omaha, Neb., natives who have reached
Billboard stardom with such hits as "Down" and "All Mixed Up,"
played off the science fiction themes that highlight their new
album, "Transistor," in a visual and audio hurricane of lights,
crankin’ riffs and spacey rhythms. However, 311 relied on more of
their older, more funk-heavy material, which pumped up the already
hyperactive crowd unrestrained by the seat-friendly Greek
Theater.
And while the plethora of hard driving melodies dominated the
evening, 311’s unique sound allowed for other musical styles. Many
of the songs contained a pseudo-reggae bridge or two that gave the
crowd a breather here and there. At one point, the band drifted
into a mini-set of atmospheric, reggae-influenced daydream songs.
And 311 brought hip-hop flavor to their alt-rock sound thanks to
the extremely physical and energized vocalist, S.A. Martinez.
Martinez is a lot like your hyperactive kid cousin who just
cannot sit still. But the energy he gives off pleasantly counters
the virtually standstill performance of 311’s other vocalist, Nick
Hexum, who only swayed his arms every now and then. Hexum, who,
despite his limited vocal range has a clear-sounding voice that
travels, didn’t seem to have the live show adrenaline his more
aerobic counterpart did. And the crowd noticed this – when Martinez
rapped his very first notes, they screamed in delight.
Other standout performances included bassist P-Nut’s consistent,
ground-pulsing rhythms and Chad Sexton’s very rock ‘n’ roll drum
solo.
The band connected most with the audience when Martinez sang, or
when they played an old favorite. They played many songs from their
first album, "(311) Music" and their second, "Grassroots." Songs
like "Lucky," "Unity," "Who’s Got the Herb?" (as you could have
predicted, the crowd loved this particular song) and the
hair-band-reminiscent "Feels So Good" prompted the mosh pit up
front to erupt. Teenagers even crowd surfed in the section where
seats are bolted to the ground. Seeing the 6,000-ish member
audience jump up and down seems more appropriate for a Blur or
Oasis concert at the Palladium, but still felt right even at the
family-friendly Greek Theater.
This is not to say 311 ignored the hits. The crowd gave lukewarm
receptions to their current radio songs, "Transistor" (which
suffered from awkward tempo transitions) and "Prisoner." The exact
opposite occurred for rousing renditions of "All Mixed Up" and the
show highlight, "Down." During the encore, the crowd-friendly Hexum
served up "the happy slam dance song" known to 311 fans as "Do You
Right," their first alternative rock radio hit. Again, watching the
crowd was equally as entertaining as watching Hexum and Martinez
swap verses and choruses. Seventh-grade boys took off their shirts
and jumped up and down atop their seats. Even the
too-cool-for-movement stoner clique had to bob their heads back and
forth.
311, in essence, is an extremely entertaining and energetic band
in concert. Their live performance can be summed up as exciting, no
doubt. However, if 311 is to play with the big boys in the
amphitheater settings, they need to work on a few things. At a
couple of times, when the band delved into their lazy, space-age
rock, some sat down and looked like they were about to fall asleep,
especially in the rear of the complex.
While the less-than-sober set surely enjoyed drifting off,
especially with psychedelic-tinged lights and visuals abounding,
the show dragged during this particular segment. And if 311 is
going to dare to chart into big-rock-show waters, they should
probably feel more secure with their new material and play more of
it. 311 is too young to be a greatest-hits-band.
Yet even with their minor shortcomings, it’s hard to ruin a
good, strong vibe. And 311, with the in-your-face sound that seems
to will even the most sour-faced fan to bounce, creates that fun
vibe, whether it’s a chill, slow reggae-rock jam or some noisy,
funk-happy song. And, hey, that’s what the kids come for.
Capricorn
(L. to r.) Timothy J. Mahoney, Nicholas Hexum, Chad Sexton,
P-Nut and S. A. Martinez of 311 played the Greek Theater.