From the opening notes of the opening song "Let it Die," I realized I was in the presence of a full-on unabashed rock star frontman for the first time since I saw Aerosmith play down in Houston many years ago. Dave Grohl is a rock star. He's not a stare-at-his-feet, troubled, introverted, cardigan sweater-donning alt rock crooner. He chomps his gum, spits, screams, and drops f-bombs like he gets commission for it. Apparently winning Grammys in two different bands gives one a bit of a swagger.
The stage was fairly unique, with catwalks extending from either side allowing Mr. Grohl intimate access to the side seats, and a larger catwalk extending straight out from the main stage roughly 3/4 of the way through the floor area, giving him a better chance to involve the rest of the arena with his particular brand of rock star exhibitionism. As the show progressed, I was more and more appreciative of this setup, because although the crowd was by no means dead, it took a little Dave Grohl comedy and theatrics to maintain the high level of involvement so crucial to a good rock show.
Roughly halfway through their set, a round platform began dropping from the arena ceiling at the end of the long catwalk. On it sat a drumset, a piano, and various other clues that would lead one to the conclusion that the bad seats were about to become the good ones. The whole band made their way down the catwalk to the platform and proceeded to play my favorite part of the show. Don't get me wrong, the faster, louder, flashier songs were really solid on the main stage, but the mini set they played on the platform was a highlight for those who like to hear it a little more stripped down. It wasn't completely acoustic, they still rocked it, it just had more of a club feel as oposed to the arena rock they bludgeoned (in the best way one can be bludgeoned, of course) us with on the main stage. Good work fellas, we kinda felt like we got a two-fer.
Apologies, but I feel the need to impart upon you a little side activity I witnessed at this show that amused me. After the band had resumed their positions back at the main stage to close it out with a bang, I happened to catch some commotion on the floor by the platform stage they had now abandoned. Apparently a crowd-goer had taken a chance and made his move to steal the setlist the band had placed on that stage while they were down there. I caught the very end of it, but it looked like the kid had jumped the barricade, grabbed it, and jumped back on the freedom side of the fence and was an arm's-length away from joy and adoration for his bravery and setlist-stealing aptitude. Well, that crucial arm's-length distance was enough to foil this water-tight plan. A security guard (a normal-sized human, mind you) grabbed our protagonist's shirttail and impeded all forward progress. I'm watching this thinking "Are you kidding me? Break free, man! Run harder!" Seriously, at that point you only have one outcome that is acceptable in my opinion. You win. You break free. Even if the security guard's grip is stronger than your running, it isn't. You get free. You shed your shirt. You make it, that's it. Anyway, sorry. Good try man, hit the gym I guess...
If it's been a while since you've seen a good ol' rock-n-roll show with a frontman who is not only hilarious (think Tenacious D), but also highly talented, look no further. These guys have been doing this for 14 years now, and according to Dave Grohl, they're even better now than they used to be...
We arrived on the scene between Fiction Plane and Snoop Dogg's sets. Two man-sized liquor (cognac) bottle cutouts and a hanging chronic leaf were the only decorations to speak of on Snoop's stage, but the energy he and his crew created were more than enough to entertain. I've seen Snoop live before, so I was aware that he toured with a full band, but the execution of this show far surpassed my previous experience seeing him live. His set started with "Carmina Burana: O Fortuna" blasting from the speakers before they took the stage, a song typically reserved for symphonies, but it was somehow fitting as a setup for this veteran hip-hop act. He transitioned from that into a barrage of hits spanning from the first song I ever remember hearing him appear on, the 1992 hit "Deep Cover," to his most recent single, "Sensual Seduction."
I was truly surprised and pleased to see how effectively he got the crowd, who I assumed, probably wrongly, were there to see 311, bouncing to the beat and responding to all his chant (and breast-baring) requests. Other touring hip-hop acts take notes from Big Snoop Dogg; get a solid band of musicians to back you on the road. I don't know who his drummer is (I searched for quite a while on the www to find out, to no avail), but he is the most unexpectedly insane drummer I've seen since seeing Darren King of MuteMath. He is more than competent, he is a machine. He's no Danny Carey, but nobody is. Sorry, my Tool nerdiness runs deep.
I would also like to compliment the Snoop Dogg crew on realizing how to set the volume on Snoop's mic versus the mics of the other MCs. I understand and appreciate the fact that there is a need for backup/responsive vocals on a lot of hip-hop tracks, but at this particular show if Snoop's mic was a 10, the other MC's mics were at a 4, and the resulting sound was infinately more palatable and enjoyable.
If you plan on attending this tour this summer, start your concert prep early and get in there to see Snoop. As the urinal-talker standing a few stalls down from me so eloquently proclaimed after the set: "I didn't think Snoop would be that good...he's not really my style, but damn..."
G.B.U. Intro
Beautiful Disaster
Freeze Time
All Mixed Up
Homebrew
From Chaos
Taiyed
Love Song
Wake Your Mind Up
Don't Tread On Me
You Wouldn't Believe
Prisoner
Applied Science*
Stealing Happy Hours
Come Original
Beyond The Gray Sky
Feels So Good
Amber
Sick Tight
Down
Omaha Stylee
Who's Got the Herb
Creatures (For a While)
*- With extended drum solo
311 is one of the most prolific bands of the past 10 years in terms of touring. Most bands tour for 1 to 2 years following the release of an album, take a little time off, hit the studio to record the next album, tour again, etc... 311 rarely take a summer off from touring, new album or not. Because of this, I have been able to check them out many times in many different venues. Their act is not becoming tired. This show ranked up with the best performances I've seen them turn in to date.
Unfortunately, these guys developed a bit of a stigma in the mid nineties (at least in the circles I'm a part of) because they hit a high point of their mainstream popularity around the same time as "bands" such as Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Because 311 does have an aspect of the whole rap-rock thing, many people wrote them off as part of that horrific musical time. If that's your current attitude towards 311, it's time to take another look. Yes, they do rap some of their lyrics, but they also have a very rootsy/reggae feel, along with an instrumental profeciency not seen in most of the other bands to whom they are sometimes compared.
Tim (lead guitar) is highly entertaining to watch the entire show, with his Muppett-esque head banging and Toyota-commercial jumps (he wore a Tool t-shirt last time I saw them perform, but I digress). The 5-man drum breakdown during the song "Applied Science" is getting better each time I see it, with SA doing "the robot," and the other members banging in rythym with Chad (drummer).
Two little side bonuses I appreciated: 1) I caught one of the drumheads SA threw out after the encore...good lookin' out, Mr. Martinez. 2) During the middle of one of their songs (can't remember which), I notice a rather stocky dude burst onto the stage behind Tim and immediately assume a textbook athletic position. Not a moment later I see a scrawny crowd member attempt to rush the stage. The stocky guy (who at this point I have realized is a member of band security) closes on the would-be stage-rusher like a Pro-Bowl free safety and form tackles him into the stack of 8 speakers on the left side of the stage, knocking two of them down. I hope there were some scouts in the audience to see that, someone needs to give that guy a scholarship/tryout.
Put 311 on your list of summer bands to see, they're not new to the game and it shows. Check the "Current Tours" section at the top of this page to see if they're playing near your part of the world.
Pretty music, pretty weird language. Hang in there (it takes a bit to get going) to listen to some of, if not the most beautiful music in the world from Sigur Ros...
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