Glendale Tradition (Quill)

Originally from Omaha, Neb., 311 has been around for 22 years, making its name one to be acknowledged throughout the United States. First a small local band, 311 has kept reaching and climbing to achieve its goal of fame by making records such as “Unity,” “Hydroponic,” and many more. Each album produced a style so unique that eventually the songs started to play on the radio due to the originality. 311 in turn made its live shows so epic that it became the talk of the town, appearing at the Shrine Mosque located in downtown Springfield almost every year.

Students at Glendale eventually joined the 311 train, making it a tradition to go to concerts and find out that 311 concerts are an experience they will never forget.

Many of 311’s phenomenal concerts have pushed students to do things they never thought that they would.

“It was life changing,” said Ann Millington, junior. “I went crowd surfing for the very first time. It was like the trust fall times 50 because you feel like you’re just floating. It was exhilarating.”

Not only did Millington find herself crowd surfing, Johnny Nehmer, sophomore, found peer pressure leading him to do the same.

“Jared (Hood), Will (Rogers), and Brad (Dishman) told me to go crowd surfing, so I got on Jared’s back. I thought I was going to break his legs ... Everybody pretty much lifted my legs up. I was suspended in air for about two seconds and I went about 10 yards until they dropped me on the ground. It was fun though,” Nehmer said.
311’s show has inexplicably brought audiences together, leading them to follow each other’s lead and act out of the norm. Students found out through first-hand experience that their concerts tend to get wild.

“Blake and I were about to be thrown into a mosh pit,” said John Chalender, junior. “We were on the edge trying to stay out of it. We didn’t want elbows in the jaw.”

Emily Mendel, junior, found herself in an intimidating position similar to Chalender’s.

“I was scared because there were guys

fighting around me and I didn’t want to

get hurt. There was also a mosh pit right next to me,” Mendel said. “It was funny to people watch.”

Along with the rough environment, the Shrine was over-crowded, creating a sauna.

“It was … hot in the Shrine. There were a bunch of people. Our shirts were soaked,” Chalender said.

Chris Nutt, junior, agrees with Chalender on the state of the Shrine during concerts.

“It was very smoky and hot inside,” Nutt said. “There was a lot of pushing, shoving, jumping and yelling.”

Although some students found the conduct of the performance a little too out of hand, others soaked up the energy of the show.

“The atmosphere was really intense and everybody was just jumping up and down. It’s pretty exciting actually,” Austin Garrett, sophomore, said. “It was the best concert I’ve ever been to. I tried to get closer, but I couldn’t. I met a lot of new people just by running into them.”

However, it isn’t only the audience that makes the shows exhilarating; 311 puts in an abundance of effort, sometimes at its own expense, to keep the audience pleased, making it easy to enjoy the show.

With a mix of old music, it’s true that the majority of the audience was pleased with the set list.

“They played a good variety of old to new music. ‘Transistor’ was my favorite song because they played that right after ‘Freak Out,’ and everybody shifted and it turned into a really fun environment,” Mendel said.

Everyone tends to have a favorite song, but when Nutt’s favorite song played, he was thrilled to see them live at both 311 concerts that he has attended.

“‘Come Original,’ both times was my favorite song live. They were so energetic. That’s just one of my favorite songs, and I always love to see it played live,” Nutt said.

Not only was its set list satisfying, but Mendel believes that 311 has come close to perfecting the music.

“I think they did really well. They

sounded just as good, if not better than their recordings. Most artists have good music and are awful live, but 311 wasn’t,” Mendel said.

Each individual of the band 311 is vital to making it what it is. The solos, however, are only a fraction of what drives the crowd crazy.

“I thought the drum solo was amazing, they sounded really good,” Garrett said.

On the other hand, Maddy Salisbury, sophomore, didn’t find the music as satisfying.

“I thought the sound wasn’t up to par, and the voices couldn’t really be heard,” Salisbury said.

Students leave 311 concerts feeling content about the night they had.

“I rocked and rolled all night. I had a fabulous night meeting new people…” Salisbury said.

311’s concerts will continue to keep fans happy, along with gaining many on the journey. Millington leaves a few words of advice to those planning on going to one of their concerts.

“If you just go with the crowd instead of fighting it, you have more fun. Embrace the experience for what it is because you will have a blast,” Millington said.

311 has “come original” for years, making itself a name, and capturing the love of many students at Glendale.