Leading up to this year’s Unity Tour, I couldn’t decide who I was more excited to see. I have yet to turn off a Sublime song when it hits the radio which includes the new one with Rome entitled “Panic”. However, 311 has been a part of my summers for years now and it just wouldn’t be right to have a beautiful Saturday afternoon slip by without a cold Bud and some “Don’t Trend on Me”. Similarly, 311’s new single “Sunset in July” is perfect for rolling down the windows. This year, the Unity Tour really came in with a bang.
Still equipped with an excellent lighting show and of course, great music, but this year adding Sublime with Rome, upped the excitement. There are few opening acts that can command such audience attention. As the entire crowd knows every word, even the light-weight drunk kid who’s passed out on the lawn is mumbling along. Then you have the die-hards that are right up front, using their hands and entire bodies to scream and express absolutely every lyric. These aren’t just songs, they’re summer memories. And at the Unity Tour, nothing feels more true than “summertime/and the livin’s easy”.
Then, there’s 311. And the best thing about touring bands like 311 is that they carry an extremely loyal fan base that come year after year to genuinely enjoy some music. Because of their regular touring schedule, the fans have a general sense of calm where they’re excited but know the drill and wander in shortly before show time in order to maximize the cheap drinking that takes place in the parking lot. This year, that wander started a bit earlier due to Sublime with Rome, but still, there was that slow meander that eventually led everyone to their seats.
This year, 311 was able to showcase their new album Universal Pulse. Still with their signature sound and laid-back mentality, the album fits seamlessly into their catalog. It has an excellent flow that makes it one of the rare ones these days that allows you to listen to the entire thing straight through, the way it’s meant to be heard.
The band, including the ever attractive lead singer Nick Hexum, showed no favorites though last weekend at the Comcast Center. The energy was high throughout the entire night with the leg kicks and head-banging never letting up. While the lyrics from their new hit single might be a bit creepy coming from someone else, Hexum’s deliverance made them seem personal.
“Watchin’ you dancin’ and havin’ the time of your life.”
http://www.mamemagazine.com/unitytour
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