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311 Rocks a Historic, Monumental Venue
By Wil Fisher on August 24th, 2012
My column begins on a powerful and positive note here with a concert review from August 19, 2012.
Why not, since I will be sharing my thoughts on the world of music, write first about something I love? Well, I love the band 311, and they put on some spectacular performances this summer, the paramount taking place at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado.
311′s fan base is largely composed of what you’d call fanatics, people who travel around to a couple, a few, several, or even a smattering of shows each year. It doesn’t hurt that the band has been around since 1988, releasing album after album in an evolving musical experiment.
In following a band, my personal circle has grown by meeting fans from all over the country. The concerts go beyond the music into the depth and unity of the fan base; it’s a complete experience from pre-show meals surrounded by fans, to swapping stories while waiting in line, to the trips home, breaking down the highlights of the evening.
One factor that makes following 311 desirable is diversity in their set lists, something that can often be lacking with other bands. The 22-song set this summer in Columbus, Ohio included “Lucky,” chock-full of lyrical complexity from 1994 album “Grassroots” and “And A Ways To Go,” eerily detailing an out-of-body experience that singer/DJ S.A. Martinez had in his early life. Missing that night was their biggest hit, “Amber,” which departs from the traditions of many bands – playing all the hits, all the time. Between two 22-song concerts in Ohio, 311 played 37 different songs, making it worth a few more hours of driving.
August 19 saw Red Rocks Amphitheater flooded with 311 fans; the Colorado concert had arrived. Red Rocks is a stage and seating wedged between two colossal, red monoliths that overlook Denver and the valley below. The ideal location for performances had been used since the early 1900s, at first using a temporary structure for several performances. In the years following the Great Depression, the WPA and CCC, organizations of Roosevelt’s New Deal, worked to construct the amphitheater in a more permanent fashion. 1941 saw the first performance, giving the location more than 70 years of history.
Red Rocks is legendary for its pristine sound and hosting such bands as The Beatles, U2, Jimi Hendrix, and The Grateful Dead. U2’s 1983 performance was released to video as U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. The Denver Post reported that the band had sunk their life savings into the performance and its filming, and despite inclement weather they succeeded at recording the concert that would propel them to legendary fame. Besides the monumental site and its acoustics, the history behind the location obliged other performers to follow in the great footsteps that had made a name for Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Hailing from Ohio, I am used to low rolling hills, forests and fields. Arriving at Red Rocks 1 astounded me; such a dramatic landscape would provide an outstanding setting for a concert. First, of course, I visited with my friends made through 311, catching up on the shows we had been to since seeing each other. Then, the gates opened and the ascent up the precarious metal walkway towards the seating area began. Climbing higher, the view became more pristine as the city and world were spread out below.
SOJA, a reggae band with socially-responsible lyrics 2, played the first set as the sun went down. For the first of three bands, they rallied the crowd into quite a frenzy over their songs with strong, liberal political messages. The lead singer commented on the record heat waves and wildfires that scorched Colorado this summer, and echoed those comments in his lyrics.
Slightly Stoopid followed, further energizing the crowd with horn-heavy reggae and booming bass lines. Interestingly, their two front men with unique voices switched their instruments 3 every few songs, trading the limelight. Touring with Slightly Stoopid was Karl Denson, a saxophonist who has played with Lenny Kravitz’s band, among others, who created my personal favorite moments with his blazing fast solos and edgy tone.
The stars glimmered above as the Rocks loomed over the audience, illuminated by floodlights. I’ve long believed dimming of the house lights creates one of the best feelings in the world, and that night was no different – they dimmed, and 311 took the stage amidst fog and blue light. The show began, uncharacteristically with a mellow song, beginning with a trippy cover of the Bad Brains’ “Leaving Babylon.” It was an interesting switch from the typical energizing beginning – the theme of the night would be that 311 wanted to do things differently in such a special place.
As the show went on, it became clear by the song choices that the band planned to cater to its devoted fans, many of whom had traveled from far away to see their favorite band in this sublime location. Lead singer Nick Hexum told a story about passing Red Rocks on the band’s way to Los Angeles, when they became sure they wanted to return and rock that stage one day. It was clear that they love playing Red Rocks 4 – rarities and B-sides formed much of the set list, with one attendee asking me if I’d ever seen a certain song live 5.
The set intensified with “Full Ride” and “Do You Right,” a single off the 1993 album, “Music.” 311 dabbles in many different styles; it feels completely normal to move from slow songs with guitarist Tim Mahoney’s interpretive guitar parts to ones full of chugging guitar chords and quick, rapping lyrics. Time makes no difference either – the song performed after “Do You Right” was their latest single, “Sunset In July,” recorded 19 years later with the same energy and gusto as the early days.
Highlights of the night included an extended bass solo in which bassist P-Nut walked through the crowd to play an album bonus track from the sound booth, and “Omaha Stylee,” a rare cut in which the band pays homage to their Nebraska hometown, its distinctive music scene, and their journey from “pool-table basement” to big-time stages. As at every concert, 311 performed as a drum line during “Applied Science.” Drummer Chad Sexton leads the rest in a percussion ensemble complete with gongs, S.A. Martinez’s robot-style drumming, and a tense moment in which the band throws their drumsticks across the stage to each other before pounding away the final beats.
311 Drumline, photo by Marcello Ambriz
Other rarely-played songs seemed all the more special due to the mountainside setting; in “Outside,” Nick Hexum asks, “Sun shines / why are you sleeping? / Time to get outside…” Of course, nestled among the Rockies was an appropriate place to play such a song, as well as “Starshines” with the night sky bright above. Hearing the music, perfectly mixed and amplified by the natural surroundings, with the city in the distance and stars above, was phenomenal to say the very least.
With all factors coming together perfectly 6, 311 played an outstanding concert at Red Rocks. The band’s culture, meeting and connecting with fans and voyaging far and wide to hear countless different songs, all helps to take the music to another level. Besides the band itself and its rabid legion of fans known colloquially as the “excitable ones,” the Amphitheater is a very special place, one that will cement itself in your memory if and when you see your favorite artist there. The star-studded history combined with the idyllic setting makes Red Rocks the best place I have ever seen a show.
Nature and my favorite music blended into one seamless component is a rare and beautiful occurrence, and it happened last week between the Red Rocks.
Check out the set list here.
Thanks to Marcello Ambriz for the stellar photos, check out his work here.
and Colorado in general. ↩
get ready for an upcoming article about Flobots. ↩
guitar and bass. ↩
I can’t recall exactly, but they have played it at least ten times. ↩
believe me, we do keep track. ↩
and, thankfully, better weather than U2 had. ↩
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