Wednesday, December 13, 2000

311 dazzles fans with funk reggae show (Deseret News, Salt Lake City)

311 with JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK at Saltair, April 1; one performance only.

Not even eight months ago, 311 rocked Salt Lake City with an energetic and intimate show at Club DV8. Well, the funk/reggae/rock band took a larger audience to the brink when it made a stop at Saltair Saturday night.The 3,200 music fans waited patiently for the lights to dim, and once they did, it all went down with contagious energy, rocking tunes and a dazzling light show.

Guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, DJ/vocalist S.A. Martinez, vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut -- collectively known as 311 -- opened their set with the chewy rumble of "Freeze Time," from the new album "Soundsystem."

Up next was "Freak Out," which was followed at some point by "Come Original."

Mahoney's guitar cut cleanly through the mix as Hexum's vocals rode the crest of P-Nut's and Sexton's percussive lines. Martinez, when he wasn't scratching off funky cuts on the turntables, was out in front bobbing and chatting.

New tunes such as "Large In the Margin" and the cosmic "Flowing" were mixed with older tunes as "Omaha Stylee and "Light Years." The ultimate crowd-pleasers, however, were earlier cuts -- "Down" and the reggae splattered "All Mixed Up."

Another nice surprise was the smoking "Who's Got the Herb?"

Throughout the evening, colored stage lights highlighted the band with pink, yellow, green and blue hues. And during the musically intense segments -- such as Hexum's drum solo -- the lights went into super speed-strobe mode.

Jimmie's Chicken Shack riled up the audience with its eclectic form of funk-rock.

The band -- vocalist Jimi Haha, bassist Che' Lemon, guitar Double D and drummer Sipple -- cranked out such romps as "Let's Get Flat," "Trash," "Lazy Boy Dash" and a righteous remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Sanctified."

There was a time when Jimmie's Chicken Shack's set lacked a bit of luster, but once Haha started chanting the chorus for "Let's Get Flat" (". . .Everything I knew was just a lie. . ."), he and the audience got the excitement back on top.

The combination of 311 and Jimmie's Chicken Shack brought a throng of excited mosh-hungry fans to the forefront Saturday. And there's no doubt when 311 returns to Saltair on June 2, the fans will be there waiting to bounce to the beats.

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