Rate 311 day 2010 on a scale of 1-10 (my review included)

[Jordan311]

6.


Overall solid show. But they didn't add any cool frills/special guests/entertainers on stage. There was a good light show but that was it. No crazy balloons streamers or confetti or anything of that nature. Just the band rockin' out the whole show, which is great and all. But It should be more of an event for 311 day. And way more flashy, especially for Vegas, IMO. The entertainers between sets were pretty weak too. They really should have amped up the visuals on stage for this show, and really made it worthy of being in Vegas.

Now let's talk about the set-list. Overall, solid setlist with a few rarities. WAY too many singles. This is 311 day, it's for the real 311 fans, and all the real 311 fans have seen those songs a million times already. I'm glad they played Brodels and Get Down and Slinky(which Nick fucked up), but overall the setlist was very predictable. It seemed like they basically took the entire 09 summer tour setlist and combined it into one, and added a couple rarities. I was definitely hoping for some more rarities, or something new in terms of covers/mashups/jams/etc. The "Dub Set" was a complete letdown. Way too short, and they didn't do much with the songs they included.

The band... Nick performed by far the worst. His voice was cracking a lot, especially during Still Dreaming I could hardly watch it was painful, and it was pretty clear he was straining on most of his high notes, or changing the notes to make them lower so he could hit them. He was forgetting lyrics (look at your teleprompter dude!) Even Nick's "stage dive" at the end was like a geriatric old man jumping into the pit.
SA was amazing all the way through. Of course we still can never hear any of his "scratching" that he's supposedly back there doing on the turntables.
Tim sounded incredible, despite his emo haircut.
and Pnut was a fuckin beast. Great Bass solo, and he kept the energy the whole time. And you gotta love that beard.
And Chad. Solid show from him. His drum solo I was severely disappointed with. I don't know what he was thinking fucking around on that little electronic drum pad for 10 minutes on 311 day, but it was gay. And for those of us watching the live webcast it was a huge awkward WTF moment.




Sooo yeah, That's my two cents. Solid show. You can't go wrong with 5+ hours of 311 playing. And I'm super happy I watched it online, because you cant go wrong with 12 bucks for that kinda show. I'm just glad I didn't go out of my way to go to Vegas and see it, when it's pretty clear that the best 311 day the band has to offer is already behind them. Any of the previous three 311 days (04, 06, or 08) trumps this one in a big way.


Later

[flyersfan900]

I have to disagree about the dub setlist. Sure, I wish it was longer but it was the highlight of the show for me besides a couple of the rarities.

I was also unimpressed with the setlist overall, not just because of all the singles (which were a huge waste), but why do we need to see songs like What Was I Thinking, Freeze Time and BTGS that you can see at any summer show?

And I don't even want to talk about Applied Science...

[robah]

World's smallest violin playing somewhere for you guys. Fuck that you weren't there you don't know and you never will. Shows aren't made and broke by setlists and bullshit nitpicky crap. I've been to all the 311 days but the first and I saw close to 10 new songs. They killed it and you're sitting at home beating yourself up for missing it and the only way you can feel better is to slam something you weren't even attending. It was seeing people I've met over the past 15 years. It was driving to Vegas for 30 hours. This show was so much more than "oh they played amber again."

[flyersfan900]

World's smallest violin playing somewhere for you guys. Fuck that you weren't there you don't know and you never will. Shows aren't made and broke by setlists and bullshit nitpicky crap. I've been to all the 311 days but the first and I saw close to 10 new songs. They killed it and you're sitting at home beating yourself up for missing it and the only way you can feel better is to slam something you weren't even attending. It was seeing people I've met over the past 15 years. It was driving to Vegas for 30 hours. This show was so much more than "oh they played amber again."

lol settle down. some of us have real things to do with our lives and don't have time to drive to las vegas in the middle of a week. i do consider a fair amount of the show to be made or broke by the setlist they play and although it would have been fun, i'm not beating myself up that i didn't go.

i, personally, like 311 for the music, not the people or the journey, so i consider what songs are played to be pretty important. i expect those songs at a summer concert but not 311 day.

[robah]

Fact is this forum is for the bitchy people and that can be a good thing sometimes. Most of the time it's just tired.

[tstrapac]

I still say '04 was the best setlist overall. This Too Shall Pass is the single best song from a 311 day show, too bad that wasn't in '04

[Shiny]

I agree with your post, Jordan. I think you summed it up nicely. I didn't tune into the show until the last set, and that was after I got home and decided to check for a setlist and found that the show was streaming for free at that point. But after looking at the setlist, it did look a little on the weak side. Seemed like the surprises and b-sides were mostly unplayed songs from Uplifter. Meh. I guess that'd be more exciting to someone who is still hardcore into the 311 enough to look forward to debuts of new material, but I can't say that this would've been exciting to me if I were there. I'm coming at it from a different angle though. 'Get Down' is chill though.

My thoughts on Chad's solo is that he looked REALLY fucking tired by the time they got to the drum solo. He looked like he was in legit pain. So he probably decided to use the drum pad to rest for a couple minutes. I was able to get a couple of sweet screen shots of a sweaty dude concentrating on a tiny little beat pad in a giant drum kit out of it, which is funny.

It seems like the biggest punch that they pulled was to bust out Slinky at the end just to please the fans who they felt may have been disappointed by the lack of other rarities in the set... since that song being one of the more 'massive' rarities.

Their performance seemed weak and its clear that no attempts will ever be made to not play by a script. But on the plus side, Pnut had a sweet beard, much like a lighthouse keeper, homeless professor, guy who posts on an alpacas message board, wolf blitzer at burning man, etc.

But again, I wasn't there and I only watched the last set, so what do I know.

Noting will top 311 Day 04

[Shiny]

ah, ok... that makes sense. that would've been really sweet

[Element]

9.5

[Vallon]

World's smallest violin playing somewhere for you guys. Fuck that you weren't there you don't know and you never will. Shows aren't made and broke by setlists and bullshit nitpicky crap. I've been to all the 311 days but the first and I saw close to 10 new songs. They killed it and you're sitting at home beating yourself up for missing it and the only way you can feel better is to slam something you weren't even attending. It was seeing people I've met over the past 15 years. It was driving to Vegas for 30 hours. This show was so much more than "oh they played amber again."

Robah,

I understand totally where you're coming from -- but try not to be one-sided about this. To say that Jordan is just bitter because he didn't go to Vegas is to discount all the points he made as purely nonsense, and clearly they're not. You were there, you felt the whole event, the magnitude of the moment -- and nothing can take away how special that was for you. I understand, because I went in 2004, and I know how special that was for me.

Sitting here in Rhode Island... I didn't watch the telecast, or listen or anything... all i'm going by is reading what others have said. I've read reviews from people that were there, and people that watched -- and honestly, both are valid, distinct viewpoints.

Jordan experienced the show, just like you did... and he made observations. I don't think he was being negative, to be negative ... but you're reaction seems to be *don't say anything negative about the show I just went to and invested a lot of time, energy and money into attending*. I think it's valid to feel that way, and to react that way... but we're all 311 fans here, and no one wants to say anything negative ... but reactions are reactions, and they're not all going to be the same.

For me... I spent a good portion of today analyzing and reviewing the sets from different shows i've attended, last night's show, and the other 311 day performances, including 2004.

To me, what makes 311 day special is a number of things... it's not just the show itself, it's the epic trek from wherever you are to wherever it is... in my case, New Orleans. It's about the friends you go with, and the friends you meet up with... and the strangers you meet, who feel like old friends because you know them from talking online... or you met them at a show years before. There's a reunion quality to it, that's unlike anything else i've ever experienced. To a degree, all 311 shows feel that way... you feel like you're going home. 311 Day takes that feeling and multiplies it, because you know that all that absolute die-hards are going to be there. So the fan parties, and all the hijinx that ensue in that town for the 2/3 days you're there... that's a huge part of it.

Recognizing that, we also have to stop and reflect on the main event, the concert itself. It's something that in years past they put a lot of thought and effort into, and tried to top it each year... at least, that's the theory among fans. We can't judge the band's performance on anything more than what we see, and hear. Jordan thinks they sounded sloppy... I remember in 2004, there were a number of slip ups ... but I think that's to be expected when you're playing 60+ songs in a marathon session. Those "screw-ups" haven't tainted my love for that day, and they never will.

I think you need to look at it like this...

311 Day shows are special... in terms of performance, by how unique and rare the set being played is. It's not only that, but the quality of the performance, the energy... the fan reaction -- all those things factor into the experience. If that's the measuring stick for a great 311 day performance -- I don't think you can say that last night was the "best show ever!" It may genuinely feel that way to someone who hasn't experienced anything to compare it to... and that's awesome. It's great if you went and you had a blast, and it was everything you hoped for, and more.

But for me... comparing all of the 311 days based purely on what was played... 2004 had the best all-around performance... and it's not even close.

Slinky was probably the greatest highlight from last night ... and considering it hasn't been played since '93 ... most fans have never heard it, and thought it was officially "retired". For some that one song could have made it the best... but not to me.

In '04 we had Summer of Love AND Right Now...
In '04 we had 3 Covers... The Cure, The Clash, and Led Zeppelin ... last night, there was none. Everytime I've seen them play a cover -- the crowd goes nuts. It's super rare, and therefore special... and those who see it, feel they are part of that special moment. I was at the Halloween show in 2003, and they came out in costumes... Nick was Hank Williams ... and they're playing "Hey Good Lookin'". Now, i'm not a particularly huge country fan... and Nick looked ridiculous -- but it was FUN! I laughed, I smiled... and it was over. That's it... not happening again. I was there for it, and now I can tell you that I was there... and there-in lies the rub.

Aside from debuting a few new songs, and Slinky... there wasn't much about last night that screamed ... OMG that's so rare!

The staples are... staples... Down, Applied Science, FTBS ... that's too be expected ... and exactly why on 311 day... you might want to mix things up, and be unpredictable. They play those songs cuz they have them down to a science, and they're comfortable with them... they like them.

There were a lot of great songs played yesterday... but there wasn't one collaboration... In 2004, seeing Zack Hexum come out, with saxaphone to jam on the debut of Outside... !??! that was pretty freakin' special right there. Now, I know it's Nick's brother, and it was welcome publicity for him -- but you're 311, and you're in Vegas. I thought for sure there would be at least one collaboration w/ a friend coming out from LA for the night. Nothing... Imagine if Steve Ewing from The Urge came out with a horn section... and they did "Jump Right In" w/ Nick. Do you think that would have been talked about much? Or maybe the Black Eyed Peas come out, and jam with 311 on BEP Empire? Or 2 Skinnee J's? Or Alien Ant Farm? Or Incubus? Or Sugar Ray? Or Daniel Victor? Or Snoop Dogg? or instead of having The Offspring announcement for a summer tour... have Dexter Holland come out and announce it himself, and jam with 311 on a song. Something like that...

In 2002, I was at a show in New York City where Dan Estrin (guitarist of Hoobastank) came out and played guitar with Tim and Nick on Homebrew... for the first ever 311 "Triple Guitar Attack". It was pretty freaking awesome at the time... and i'm still talking about it as one of the most memorable things from that night. So... not dissing 311, just saying... live collaborations with artists/friends is awesome... fans love it, usually the guys playing it love it... and it's super rare and memorable. So not having any is a bit of a let down.

In 2004, they played all of Music except for Plain, most of Evolver... JUAN BOND... Galaxy... etc, etc...

Yes i'm biased... but looking at the sets from all the years, 2004 had the most memorable moments -- the little nooks and crannies of setlists that make them stand out from all the others. So that's why, it has my vote for best 311 show in history...

Like I said, 311 day ... the experience... is something that varies from person to person. It's not just about the main event, but if you're going to honestly reflect on it and compare it to the others -- I think you'd find that Jordan and myself have a point.

::end rant::

--g

[Vallon]

Their performance seemed weak and its clear that no attempts will ever be made to not play by a script. But on the plus side, Pnut had a sweet beard, much like a lighthouse keeper, homeless professor, guy who posts on an alpacas message board, wolf blitzer at burning man, etc.

But again, I wasn't there and I only watched the last set, so what do I know.

Noting will top 311 Day 04

And there it is... lmao... I was dying laughing about the beard...
Droppin some knowledge...

--g

[Vallon]

I read on the BB that Chad was actually using a Kaoss pad during the drum solo. It was supposed to record his drumming for part of the solo, and loop it. And Chad was going to drum over top of the loop for some crazy solo shit.

Would have probably been awesome if it had worked right.

Murphy's Law ...

[robah]

Valid point Vallon.

[Shiny]

[Jordan311]

lol settle down. some of us have real things to do with our lives and don't have time to drive to las vegas in the middle of a week. i do consider a fair amount of the show to be made or broke by the setlist they play and although it would have been fun, i'm not beating myself up that i didn't go.

i, personally, like 311 for the music, not the people or the journey, so i consider what songs are played to be pretty important. i expect those songs at a summer concert but not 311 day.

^

[Vallon]

Is this new? from 311 day?

I like how Nick is wearing a 311 wrist band...

[Shiny]

yeah, the live feed hung up for about 5 seconds on that shot of nick, so I had to save it

[Vallon]

yeah, the live feed hung up for about 5 seconds on that shot of nick, so I had to save it

cool...

[Shiny]

seriously wondering where that trail of dots is leading, bro

[greenmonkey911]

he doesn't even look 40...
p.s. i have that same wristband!