Guitarist Tim Mahoney of 311 was wearing a t-shirt on stage during Sunday night's show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater that read "Glory or Death." And for several minutes during his headlining band's set, death was nearly the decision on the guitarist's rig while techs scrambled to resolve a recurring glitch.
However, plenty of glory was available as the reggae-rock act maintained a festive atmosphere as part of its Summer Unity tour, which also featured recent reggae sensation Matisyahu, living legends the Wailers, scene veteran Pato Banton, and the Expendables during the Irvine stop.
Banton kicked the event into high gear early with an excellent set, nudging the crowd to sing along to tongue twisters during "Gwarn." Though he was beamed by the afternoon sun while dressed in a white jacket, Banton almost never stopped dancing. (Banton and his backing band did break for a couple minutes, posing for photos after encouraging concertgoers to snap pictures and post them on his MySpace page.)
The Wailers introduced their show with a prayer request for Jamaicans affected by Hurricane Dean. The historic act - which once backed reggae master Bob Marley - performed a striking set, including Marley hits "I Shot the Sheriff" and "One Love."
"Stir It Up," another Marley classic, sported thunderous, lung-loosening bass lines, and the stunning "Exodus" closed the band's set with an audience swaying to its steady rhythm.
Under moody lighting, energetic hitmaker Matisyahu arrived dressed in a dark sportcoat, performing "Sea to Sea," from 2005's "Live At Stubb's."
Other notables included "Lord Raise Me Up," the moving "Jerusalem" and an even higher-energy "King Without a Crown," which found the frontman running across the venue's upper edge, climbing the lighting scaffolding and throwing his hands in the air, much to the crowd's delight.
311 wasted no time getting its hits together, opening with its album-perfect 1997 single, "Beautiful Disaster." The band reached further back to 1993 with an equally stunning "Do You Right."
Well into 311's set, Matisyahu returned to the stage, joining the band for its cover of The Cure's "Love Song" with his lightning-quick phrasing layered atop the reggae-fied composition.
Guitar/vocalist Nick Hexum ordered the crowd to "get this place bouncing" just before breaking into "Freeze Time," and lighters went up for cool ballad "Beyond The Gray Sky." A solo from drummer Chad Sexton morphed into an exciting coordinated percussion effort with the entire band.
However, the stage remained dark when Mahoney's guitar setup encountered the aforementioned technical issue, just before the start of the prophetically titled "Nix Hex."
"That's how you know it's live," remarked Hexum.
The problem was eventually rectified, but the lull deflated some of 311's otherwise unstoppable momentum. The act regained its stride with the gear-shifting "Starshines," plus immaculate radio hits "Come Original" and "All Mixed Up."
Dedicating "Down" to its longtime fans, 311 walked off stage a song later, only to return to for its encore, capping the show with "Feels So Good," an assessment of which we could largely concur.
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