Tonight at Irving Plaza was not just a night of music, it was a night of true unity, the kind that 311 always portrays live. They started the night off, "flowing and rocking the hardest of the crowds,” with "Homebrew", the first song off of their second major release, Grassroots. They got the crowd moving within the first few notes of this song, but even more so when SA Martinez started rapping. They then introduced the heavy dance song called "Hive,” taken from their self titled disc.

After getting the crowd's blood flowing a little bit, they continued with "Freeze Time,” the first track off of their brand new album, Soundsystem. With the scratches from Count SA’s turntables being audible for a change, the song was amazing. Tim also got the crowd cheering with his guitar solo after the hardcore/melodic "Visit.”

For a change of pace, the band started into "Beautiful Disaster," which calmed the audience to an extent. Following with a beautiful rendition of "8:16 AM,” which showed the more melodic side of 311, the music couldn't have made these kids any more stoned then they already were.

Things really started to pick up, however, when the group kicked into "Applied Science," as everyone applauded Chad Sexton's three minute long drum solo.

After a long string of new tracks and unexperimented material, 311 finished off the show with several older songs. Keeping their roots intact, they kicked into "Unity," during which Nick jumped into the crowd.

After finishing up with "Feels So Good," 311 left the stage, the audience begging for more. Their encore, which included "Do You Right,” managed to satisfy the crowd’s desire and got them moving all over the place. 311 ended the night with the heaviest song in their repertoire, titled "Fuck the Bullshit,” which tore the crowd apart.

If you ever get a chance to go see 311 live, do so! Their shows are not only pleasant experiences, but also demonstrations of their positivity and unity that they exhibit onstage.

311

Irving Plaza

(New York, NY)

review by Mike ASOB

photo by j bloomrosen