Omaha welcomed hometown heroes 311 back with open arms.
On Tuesday, the rhythmic rock band — which plays reggae and rap, too — had a great homecoming night.
About 7,300 fans — most on the infield near the stage at TD Ameritrade Park — showed up. That's a small crowd for the 17,000-capacity stadium but a big one for 311.
"What's up Omaha? How ya feelin'?" lead singer Nick Hexum asked after the band took the stage.
Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton, guitarist Tim Mahoney, singer Doug "SA" Martinez and bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills started 311 in Omaha more than 20 years ago before moving to Los Angeles and scoring a major label deal and selling millions of albums.
"What a night for us. A hometown show. An album release," Hexum said during the concert. "We want to thank you guys for coming out tonight. It's a very special night for us."
The band released a new album, "Universal Pulse," on Tuesday. The 23-song, 105-minute set included several songs from the album, which were great additions to the concert.
"Sunset In July," the band's latest single, was another great summer jam. Energetic and bouncy "Time Bomb" is my favorite from the new album and was dedicated to the "excitable ones," one of the band's nicknames for its fans.
That excitable crew kept the energy alive throughout the show. While "Amber" had the crowd singing along the loudest, every song had a faint buzz of fans singing. There also were crowd surfers, a giant mosh pit, call and response refrains during half the songs, as well as plenty of jumping around.
311's show capped off a great day of music for Red Sky. The festival's second day went smoothly, MECA officials said, and attendance for the afternoon was good.
Both George Clinton and STS9 had huge crowds, way larger than any crowd seen the day before.
After a day of good music, 311 was the perfect way to spend a hot summer night. For me, 311 is best enjoyed in an outdoorvenue. Plus, the band puts on one of the most fun, energetic and engaging performances every time I see them (which has been a lot).
Of the bands I've seen multiple times, I can count on very few to deliver that good of a performance time after time.
I'm proud they're from Omaha. Sure, there's plenty of other bands from here with a national presence, but none compare to 311's success.
They appear to be proud of their hometown, too.
Band members made a lot of subtle references to Omaha during the show. Before playing "Do You Right," Hexum mentioned that the song's video was recorded at Sokol Auditorium in 1993. He dedicated "Rock On" to the owner of The Hive Lounge, a downtown Omaha bar with a 311 theme. The band also performed the song "Omaha Stylee" as well as "Nutsymptom," a rare tune that mentions friend of the band and Omaha musician Curt Grubb.
Tuesday night's set list was varied, featuring songs from nearly every 311 album from "Music" to "Universal Pulse." Most of the show was rocking with songs such as "Sick Tight," "Wild Nights" and "Beautiful Disaster," but the band also slowed things down with "Beyond The Gray Sky" and "Amber."
A highlight of the show, as always, was the lengthy drum solo during "Applied Science." As is tradition with the band, midway through the song, Sexton performs a drum solo before being joined by the other band members playing additional drums and other percussion instruments. The solo gets more and more complex every tour and lasted more than five minutes Tuesday night.
The band didn't tire through the show and neither did the fans, who continued to hop, dance and sing through the encore of "Omaha Stylee" and "Creatures (For Awhile)."
The band was grateful for the attention. At the end of the show, the band stayed onstage to throw out souvenirs and shake hands.
"Thank you so much, Omaha," Hexum said. "Stay positive."
As they exited the ballpark, I heard fans say things such as "So cool" and "Amazing."
One woman's opinion of 311 could be said by a lot of fans: "That was my 10th time, and they are still so amazing."
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110720/NEWS/307209906
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