Portland, Maine311 played with opening band Alien Ant Farm at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Friday Nov. 18th.
This was the second year in a row for Alien Ant Farm opening for 311. Lead singer Dryden Mitchell told the crowd: ” 311, they’ve been really good to us, they must like our music…or something”.
Throughout the show Mitchell addressed the less than lively crowd several times with comments such as: “Hang in there, only two more songs, then 311 will be out.” Mitchell’s low self-esteem was not needed as many in the crowd were impressed with their live performance, finding it to be of better quality and more “real” feeling than their radio hits.
” The [base player] of Alien Ant Farm definitely helped to perk up the crowd, he was hilarious,” comments Amy Gordon, 23 of Saco, Maine.
Mitchell managed to pull it together and stir some movement from the audience with the more well known numbers such as their remake of Micheal Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and recent hit “Glow”.
311 was finally welcomed on stage with a hearty applause. Fans knew that they would be in for a good show, as the long time band is known for it’s live performances.
As usual, the band covered songs from most of their numerous albums, going back as far as “Grassroots”. Although less known, older songs, such as “Omaha Stylee” and “1,2,3” were definite crowd pleasers.
However, while the entire show was well executed, there are always memorable moments of every 311 show. For instance, the highlight of the show is usually Chad Sexton’s several minute long drum solo in “Applied Science,” in which the rest of the band members join in on their own drums during the last few minutes. P-nut’s bass solo in “Nutsymptom” went over well, as did Tim Mahoney’s smooth guitar solos. And of course, it wouldn’t be a 311 show without SA Martinez’s crazy dance moves or lead singer Nick Hexum’s good looks and melodic voice.
“You can tell the band is really tight with each other, especially in the way they play. They have a crisp sound and their transitions are clean. They put on a quality show. I also though it was cool that even after all these years, they still appreciate their fans and are still humble. There was definitely a good connection between the band and audience,” says PSU graduate Ed Dugas (’05).
Like Mitchell, Hexum was also aware of the mellow crowd, he said ” I hope all of you guys up in the seats are having fun…you know…sitting down”. The Civic Center wasn’t even close to being full to capacity. Frequent attendees of 311 concerts in Maine will attest that the best shows were at the state theater where everyone was packed into a small area and the vibe was much more unified.
However, while the arena may have been too big, by the end of the show, the band had the crowd so amped that the audience lingered until they reappeared to perform their infamous encore. They left Portland dedicating “Down” to all of their “old school” fans. Seeing a 311 show is never disappointing to any tride and true fan of the band.