311 Touch All Corners of Canon During Hard Rock Live Concert

After years of our post-Tower City Amphitheater 311 drought, the gang from Omaha returned to Northeast Ohio this week for a fantastic show that brought great moments from every era of their history. 

Opening with the pulsing notes of "Freeze Time," the band took the stage by storm and pounded through a relentless and classically 311 show at Hard Rock Live — a venue that seemed overly sanitized for the band's musical grit, but whatever.

The highlight of the concert came during the "Visit" > "1,2,3" > "Use of Time" segment, where the band played excellent versions of three fairly rare tunes. It began occurring to my around this point in the show that the band was touching on nearly every album in its history (Uplifter and Universal Pulse, widely maligned by the fan base and, in self-aware moments during interviews, the band themselves, were absent.)

I hadn't seen the "Applied Science" drum solo in a long time, so it was really awesome to hear the band get back into their full-on rhythmic celebration. Watching SA during the percussion bit is always hilarious. As a set anchor, this song has always worked very well in the middle of a show.

One criticism came during "Revelation of the Year," which I generally like on Stereolithic as a studio track. Onstage, though, its slow, chugging beat and rote melody really put a damper on the vibe. Of course, "Applied Science" (see above) took care of that immediately afterward. (On that note, however, I would have loved to see more of the new stuff. "The Great Divide" was awesome, but I was definitely expected at least one or two more cuts off the new(ish) album.)

"Tribute" and "Gap" showed up, representing the band's new box set. 


Setlist:

1. Freeze Time
2. Do You Right
3. The Great Divide
4. All Mixed Up
5. Don't Tread On Me
6. Don't Stay Home
7. From Chaos
8. Tribute
9. Beautiful Disaster
10. Revelation of the Year
11. Applied Science
12. Visit,
13. 1, 2, 3
14. Use of Time
15. Large in the Margin
16. Crack the Code
17. Amber
18. Gap
19. What Was I Thinking?
20. Down
e:
21. Beyond the Gray Sky
22. Creatures