311 didn’t disappoint on their stop in Saratoga Springs NY for the Summer Unity Tour! From the beginning to the end and everything in between, including their original “Time Filler in Saratoga” and the five man group drum set; Nick, Chad, SA, P-NUT and Tim brought it last night. Tons of non-stop energy on such a beautiful night in the outdoor SPAC Amphitheater made for one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. We had seats 10 rows back in section 1 row J, dead center which allowed for a short person like me to still see everyone on stage, even without all the jumping around I did!
I was a little disappointed with the venue SPAC and the disorganization and Spanish inquistions regarding the photo pass I was already determined I could have. Well artsy fartsy Tim from SPAC (not Tim from 311 everyone), you didn’t take away my fun OR my photos! HA!
Ziggy Marley impressed as the opening, appropriately dedicating his song Be Free to the youths of Iran. “The system’s got too much control and they don’t want to let it go. I’m a prisoner fighting to be free, I’m breaking out of captivity. Be free, be free, to be free.” Great beats and a swaying feel blasted before the sun set on Tuesday June 23, 2009; while four simple white signs hung above Ziggy and crew with 1 black letter on each spelling out the word “LOVE”.
311 more than covered the favorites throughout, while giving a great taste of their new album interspersed between. Such favorites filled the park as Beautiful Disaster, All Mixed Up, Creatures (For Awhile), Come Original, Amber, and the lighter evoking Beyond the Gray Sky. And the final encore was Down, thanking the fans for their support, the entire crowd singing and jumping along as one.
They did miss the mark a little barely touching on the album Transistor, but they did play Beautiful Disaster from it which is my favorite song by them and they also played What Was I Thinking. I also missed hearing Homebrew from the album Grassroots, especially being so close to 4th of July, but I guess they cant play everything!
A fun song JackPot from the new Uplifter album had the crowd joining in to “all the people say woah” and adding a little biography into it with the lyrics “I’ve been on the road like Seminole Warrior, Passing up the tales like the one they wrote the story for. Reside West Coast, from the Midwest, Take what you like and f*** all the rest”.
And yes, the boys originally from Omaha, Nebraska did tell a tale last night of what they love to do and that is perform. Their Summer Unity tour is just that, tying in all their music so it blends together like a nice summer cocktail; And Unity ties into their original band name from before 1991, which was when they officially became known as 311.
Another great song I really enjoyed was Daisy Cutter, and that is ALSO from the new album Uplifter. Fun beat, and fun lyrics make for a great song that isn’t easily forgotten. “I tried to move with a cool hand, It didn’t go as planned. I’m full of rookie maneuvers, And gestures meant to be grand. I tried a bag of tricks one after another, I asked if you heard of my band……My daisy you know what I’m after Your musical laughter, A more beautiful disaster”.
Uplifter is definitely not just about Hey You and It’s Alright, the current radio releases that I think are lacking a little on the fun factor. 311 usually throws in some abstract music or a twist on the lyrics to make a seemingly boring or potentially cheesy song be anything but. Although they are nice songs, Hey You and It’s Alright are a little to standard for my tastes, lyrically and musically speaking. So I am thrilled to know there’s WAY more to Uplifter, and I shouldn’t have hesitated at buying the album. 311 has in fact remained true to their own standards I believe, as well as their fans.
Great concert 311, can’t wait to listen to the new album!
Set list (from http://setlist.com/311/2009/6.23.09.html)
1. Never Ending Summer
2. Beautiful Disaster
3. All Mixed Up
4. Mix It Up
5. Come Original
6. India Ink
7. Freeze Time
8. Daisy Cutter
9. Amber
10. Applied Science
11. Something Out of Nothing
12. Beyond the Gray Sky
13. Sick Tight
14. I Like The Way
15. Hey You
16. It’s Alright
17. What Was I Thinking
18. Jackpot
19. Creatures (For a While)
e:
20. Omaha Stylee
21. Do Right/Stay Home/Hive*
22. Down
saratoga springs ny 