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311 Brings Marijuana-Rama 'Back to Grassroots' |
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Written by GABRIELLE PRATO / Photos by LYLE A. WAISMAN
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Saturday, 28 November 2009 |
Stoners and rebels unite! 311’s concert at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom recently raised more than this reporter’s eyebrows; the odes to the “high life” were well received by the crowd who raised arms and fists with opening band Kottonmouth Kings’ (aptly named) cover of the classic Sublime song “Smoke Two Joints” which ignited the evening. The crowd was large and spectators were enthused jumping to merry making themed anthems of the Kottonmouth Kings while awaiting 311’s appearance on stage.
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311 & Kottonmouth Kings
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Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
November 18, 2009
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311 has certainly made a name for themselves despite their humble beginnings. Each of the five band members grew up in Omaha, Nebraska in the 1970s. Nick Hexum, Tim Mahoney and Chad Sexton were childhood friends and band members who attended school together; P-Nut and SA Martinez attended high school together on the South side of Omaha although the band was not fully established until 1991 with the release of their first three independent records entitled “Dammit”, “Unity” and “Hydroponic.”
Despite the release of these singles, the band struggled for many years before making it big in the mid 90s. They hit the height of their popularity in 2004 with the cover of the Cure’s “Lovesong” for the film soundtrack 50 First Dates. Since then, 311 has been a musical insurgence.
The Aragon Ballroom was a smoke screen as the band took the stage with the first song from their new album Uplifter called “Mix it up”; there was nothing particularly insightful or uplifting about the hard hitting rap-rock anthems to “living the good life” and I found myself expecting more from a generation who had probably grown up with the sounds of the American counter culture of the 1970s. Unfortunately, the highlight of the evening was not the vocals of Nick Hexum on their new single “Hey You” rather it was the skilled drum solo of Chad Sexton during one of the three or four breaks the band took mid-show on Wednesday (which left us wondering how many wife beater and t- shirt combinations Hexum owned and also left me feeling empathetic to whomever was responsible for washing them). Note to Hexum, it would have been a better show had you left the shirt off altogether.
The band played a series of songs from their new album as well as an ode to the “old school 311 fans” none of which really stood apart from the others-perhaps I would have felt differently if I had had some of what the girl with the spiked hair next to me was smoking. The band closed with another single from their new album which I honestly could not distinguish because I was distracted by SA Martinez’s perpetual impression Sytx’s “Mr. Roboto” robot. 311 appeared to be as washed out as their skinny jeans. The next time the Kottonmouth Kings and 311 advocate “smoking weed for the rest of your life” I challenge them to live in their mother’s basement and get back to me.
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FUzzy Gozangas
Written by Guest on 2009-11-30 02:43:19
This is the worst article I have ever read. NExt time you go to a concert, just try to have a good time. | Please just tell Lumino how you feel
Written by publisher on 2009-11-30 13:40:53
So I'm under the impression you are a 311 fan. Sorry our writer did not enjoy the show. But hey not every one can be a fan of every artist right? What's the fun in that if they were? If you get a moment I hope you will peruse our Archives and check out the two other concert reviews we have with 311. | Writing Style?
Written by Guest on 2009-11-30 15:30:40
Sorry, but your writing style is quiet horrible. It was nearly impossible for me to gather exactly what you were trying to say, and mostly it just seemed like a lot of hot air squeaking slowly out of a balloon. Too much description, not enough content. This is supposed to be a news article/review, not a litlle girl's fantasy story. | Dumb
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 20:44:26
What a dumb-fucking article.
-mdbrill | GOD DAMN IT
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 21:50:36
OMFG, I JUST WROTE A 300 RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE AND YOUR SYSTEM SAID I ENTERED THE WRONG SECURITY CODE CHARACTER I TYPED. FUCK THIS WEBSITE AND YOUR TERRIBLY INACCURATE AND HORRIBLY WRITTEN ARTICLES. | wow....
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 22:10:03
the "writer" of this article is an ignorant/close-minded noob. | Wow..
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 22:39:44
I thought the comments were a little over the top, and then I read the article. It doesn't really have much to do with being a fan of the band. For someone who is clearly not happy with the marijuana scene at the show, they certainly weren't paying attention to much else. Oh, and I'm pretty sure they reached their peak in the mid-90's with "Down" and "Beautiful Disaster". Next time, send someone to a show who is willing to take the time to do some accurate research. | Sublime's 'Smoke 2 Joints'?
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 22:44:08
I guess if you knew Sublime was a cover band, by nature, you'd know that KMK wasn't covering Sublime.
I'll let you slide on this one. Apparently you're too stoned to write anything coherent or accurate. Please be careful with your drug use in the future. | Sublime's 'Smoke 2 Joints'?
Written by Guest on 2009-12-01 22:44:22
I guess if you knew Sublime was a cover band, by nature, you'd know that KMK wasn't covering Sublime.
I'll let you slide on this one. Apparently you're too stoned to write anything coherent or accurate. Please be careful with your drug use in the future. | Written by Guest on 2009-12-02 06:37:57
Hater! | To the "Publisher"
Written by Guest on 2009-12-04 11:50:59
You say that your "writer" did not enjoy the show. It seemed like she felt it would be necessary to talk more about clothing then anything else. Why you hire someone that writes garbage like this is beyond me.
For the record the line pertaining to being as washed out as their skinny jeans was just awful. | Parker
Written by Guest on 2010-12-16 12:49:28
The negativity in writing is felt early into the article. It seems to me that unhappy people thrive on downplaying that of which they fear or are uninterested in. But let's get serious now - this girl is a dingbat. You can easily imagine the "zing" she felt whilst writing about skinny jeans, as if to make a whitty comment about a popular trend in fashion. Silliness. I hope she feels better soon. |
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