Five-hour 311 Day concert at Smoothie King Center lived up to its legend 
311's Nick Hexum, front and S.A. Martinez, sing during the "311 Day" concert at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2014. It is a marathon show that lasts for over 5 hours and draws fans from around the country. (Photo by Kathleen Flynn, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
By Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on March 12, 2014
“We’re gonna test the limits,” 311 vocalist Nick Hexum promised/threatened in “Wild Nights,” the 16th song of the epic 311 Day concert on Tuesday, March 11 at the Smoothie King Center. “Wrecking ball effect is how we rage."
He wasn’t kidding, on either count. He and his four bandmates opened right on time at 8 p.m. with, appropriately, “Don’t Stay Home.” They didn’t let up until five hours later, when the rager “F--- the BS” crashed to a close. According to Setlists.com and the band's official chronicle, the show encompassed 66 songs, just shy of the record of 68, set at the 2004 311 Day at the UNO Lakefront Arena.
A typical arena rock concert clocks in anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, with maybe two dozen songs. By that measure, 311 delivered the equivalent of nearly three shows in one night.
The 311 Day tradition started at the old State Palace Theater on Canal Street in 2000. It graduated to the Lakefront Arena — the 2004 show was documented in a double-DVD, “311 Day: Live In New Orleans” — and then the even larger New Orleans Arena, recently rechristened the Smoothie King Center.
Some seats in the Smoothie King Center’s upper reaches were empty on Tuesday. Otherwise, the building was packed, especially the standing-room-only floor. Fans traveled from across, and even outside, the country to participate.
This year, for the first time, 311 Day also coincided with the release of a new album. “Stereolithic” dropped March 11 via the band’s own independent label, 311 Records.
Not counting two 20-minute intermissions, the musicians performed for four hours and 20 minutes. And 311 music cannot be performed leisurely. It requires motion, and energy. From beginning to end, that of Hexum, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, rapper S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney and drummer Chad Sexton never noticeably flagged. Performances in the third set were indistinguishable from those in the first; the stamina and commitment were impressive.
311 Day is by no means a greatest hits recital. “Down,” “All Mixed Up” and “Come Original,” three of the band’s biggest hits from its 1990s heyday, were omitted, undoubtedly disappointing some fans.
Instead, they dug deep into the archives. The first set alone contained three songs 311 had never previously performed: “How Long Has It Been,” “Make It Rough” and “Little Brother,” which concluded the first set, and was probably best left in the vaults. After opening the second set with “Slinky,” Hexum cracked, “Didn’t think we were gong to play that, did ya?” Several “Stereolithic” cuts were also unveiled.
The rap on 311 -- and it’s a legitimate one -- is that much of the band’s catalog sounds similar. That was apparent on Tuesday, especially around the mid-point of each of the three sets. Hexum sang smoothly within his limited range, maintaining his constant tone in everything from rap to reggae; he doesn’t shout or bellow. Martinez’s inflections and cadence also varied very little. Sexton devoted a lot of time to his cymbals. Wills finger-popped big lines. Mahoney bored into power chords dressed up with hints of hard rock heroics. Those same parts built the majority of songs.
Especially in a show this long, plot twists are needed. In a nod to local music culture, the Rebirth Brass Band joined in for three songs late in the first set: “Strong All Along,” “Sunset in July” and “Beautiful Disaster.” Though the band’s contributions were sometimes lost in the sound mix, Rebirth provided a welcome change of pace.
At 1 a.m. late on the night of March 11, 2014 -- technically, it was already March 12 -- 311 bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills takes a final bow at the end of his band's five-hour 311 Day show at New Orleans' Smoothie King Center.
Keith Spera / NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune As the second set flirted with monotony, Wills appeared at the soundboard near the rear of the arena for a remote bass solo. He also drew the crowd’s gaze away from the main stage as a local mini-orchestra set up music stands and gear. The 13 instrumentalists included Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes frontman Marc Paradis on cello, and Bonerama trombonist Greg Hicks. They elevated “Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm,” a highlight of the night, with a majestic sweep of brass and strings; they contributed to eight songs in total. And they were amplified far more effectively than Rebirth.
After midnight, Sexton’s drum solo in “Applied Science” segued into a full-band drum line. Another first-time song, “First Dimension,” followed. After the anthemic “Unity,” the ballad “My Heart Sings” made its full-band live debut. The vocalists asked, “Who’s Got the Herb?” (answer: the dude sitting in front of me in section 114, for one) and suggested, at the third set’s conclusion, everyone be “Creatures (For a While).” Three songs later, as the encore concluded at 1 a.m., Wills stood alone onstage, directing the waves of adulation that washed over him.
I’m not sure that any band really
needs to play for four-plus hours. But if, every two years, 311 fans are willing to show up and stick it out for the full marathon, the musicians are obligated to do the same. 311 did.
Music writer Keith Spera can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3470. Follow him on Twitter @KeithSpera.http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/03/five-hour_311_day_concert_at_s.html
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