A tow truck is removing innocent-looking cars from the Martin Luther parking lot. No, this is not a joke and it is not thievery--room must be made for the tour buses. It is Sun., Nov. 13th and the College's headliner concert for the year, 311, is on campus, and everyone is buzzing and/or chasing their cars down 23rd Street. With Memorial Hall transformed into a concert venue and a locker room converted into a chic, New York City-themed dressing room, madness ensued.
As the opening act, Shootyz Groove (name origin questionable, yet unknown) shook the entire campus (literally) with their hard rock/rap and heavy bass lines, hundreds of concert-goers began trickling into Memorial Hall. The die-hard 311 fans, and basically every misunderstood teenager in the greater Lehigh Valley, were packed against the front barricade. By 8 p.m., it was overflowing and the excitement level was so high that screaming could be heard even after the deafening experience that was Shootyz Groove.
311 consists of Nick Hexum (vocals, guitar), P-Nut (bass), Tim Mahoney (guitar), Chad Sexton (drums) and Douglas "SA" Martinez (DJ). The pop-rock-reggae band has been on the scene for nearly 15 years now--it's about time they came around to good ole' A-town and showed us a butt-rockin' time! Hexum said the band "felt the most welcomed ever" at the College. "(Playing at a college) has a personal touch, to be with the kids and to have the basketball court right there." Now back on the road, the guys think playing on campuses "makes it easier to be away from home when you have to be away from home and the college kids keep us going--young and crazy."
311 opened with "Are You Ready? Freeze Time," and suddenly there were bodies flying all over the place. Crowd-surfing aside, the audience warmed up to 311 immediately--everyone was dancing, singing, clapping and making other inexplicable, cult-like gestures. "Our music is rather cerebral, so you'd expect we'd do well with college students," explains Hexum. Even the band's sound guy was rocking out in what could have just been his boxers. 311 played fan favorites "Come Original," "Down" and "Amber," closing the set off with "Beautiful Disaster," and an encore finale, "Feels So Good."
After 15 years of international success, 311 merely cited their major changes as "a little weight, maybe some gray hairs." They are excited at the constant prospect of new fans, and eternally grateful to their loyal fans who have stuck with them after all of these years and who continue to keep up with the band. "It takes a long time for people to digest the music and for us to build up an undeniable fanbase," says Hexum.
By staying true to themselves and their music, 311 has impressively maintained a steady career as a rock band, and will continue to as long as they have each other and their fans. P-Nut grandly concludes, "Longevity is where it's at." This band has proved its lasting power and continuing abilty to please their crowd and fans through their inspiring music. It is safe to say, they'll be around for a while.
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