WEST VALLEY CITY — It was a party atmosphere Saturday night at the USANA Amphitheater. Those who didn't get out of town for the holiday weekend were apparently looking for an excuse to cut loose, and the hip-hop/reggae/rock quintet of 311 just happened to be in town.
Party on.
Opening its set with the heavy beat of "Freak Out," 311 had the audience jumping up and down in unison for most of its two-hour set. Especially those in front of the stage, where a small general-admission area was set up for a few hundred fans who took advantage of the space to jump, mosh and body surf all evening.
Lead singer Nick Hexum commented after "Applied Science" that this was the most people jumping in unison the band had seen all tour. The song also featured a drum ensemble with Chad Sexton and the rest of the band that resembled something between a Liberty Park drum circle and a college marching band.
The crowd sang along to such melodic songs as "Amber" and went back to the jumping for "Feels So Good," which ended the first set, and encore songs "Creatures (For a While)," "Down," which was dedicated to old-school fans, and a third with an unprintable title.
Guitarist Tim Mahoney did more headbanging than most of the metal acts that come to town, while P-Nut kept the funky beat with his slap bass. Most of the hip-hop vocals for the evening came courtesy of S.A. Martinez.
Something Corporate opened the show and set the party tone for the evening. Saturday was the last stop on the 311 tour for the punk-pop piano-playing band (think of Ben Folds with an edge), and the 311 road crew didn't hold back on the practical jokes.
Despite pornographic pictures on the speakers, silly string and band members being forced to drink shots after every song . . . all compliments of the road crew . . . they managed to put together a good 40-minute set.
The second openers, G Love and Special Sauce, kept the party going with an hour of blues-rap. "That Ain't Livin', " complete with a jammin' stand-up bass solo, was one of the highlights. G. Love opened his set with "Shooting Hoops" and added some lyrics to pay homage to Karl Malone and John Stockton.
DJ P. from Portland, Ore., kept the beat going between each band with some original mixes of hard rock and rap. Somehow, DJ P. managed to successfully mix Guns N' Roses and LL Cool J, Lynyrd Skynyrd and M.A.R.R.S, and do some record-scratching with Metallica and even Journey.
When you hear "Don't Stop Believin' " played over a booming drum and bass beat right before 311 takes the stage, you know you've been to one heck of a party.
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