Roots-rock-reggae was the theme at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA on Saturday, August 4th, as 311’s ‘Summer Unity Tour’ strolled around once again accompanied this time by Slightly Stoopid and SOJA. It’s a tour that comes around each summer, as the veterans of 311 continue to rock the masses after decades of shows. This time the scale leaned heavily on the reggae side, thanks in part due to the openers.
It couldn’t have been a better day – scratch that – let’s do without the 90-degree humid weather. Yes, it felt as though you were eating the air. 6:20 pm wasn’t late enough for that humidity to pass over and so Virginia-based reggae jammers, SOJA, sweat off at least five pounds throughout their set. Starting with “Here I Am” off Born in Babylon, SOJA played a short 45-minute, seven-song set with a heavy blend of jamming involved with each song. After ending with “When We Were Younger” the five-piece and their dreadlocks exited stage left, likely heading straight for a room with air conditioning.
A short time later, with the venue nicely filled in and the humidity dropping, the boys from California, Slightly Stoopid, walked on stage to a loud cheer and large pockets of thick smoke (of that marijuana type) already hovering over the crowd. Most of the set was catered towards their reggae-influenced songs, leaving out their much-desired punk-rock tracks.
For this crowd, Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald could have played the same song over and over and it seemed everyone would have been pleased. This chill, mellow atmosphere was keeping each person from the pit to the lawn dancing in group circles, while simultaneously inhaling marijuana and/or throwing back beers. The crowd provided their loudest backing vocals to “Baby I Like It” and “Leaving On a Jet Plane”, and it was evident by just these couple of songs that a large majority of them had been introduced to Slightly Stoopid at some point far before this show.
The set consisted of five songs (“Top of the World”, “Don’t Stop”, “Pon Da Horizon”, “We Don’t Wanna Go”, and “Underneath the Pressure”) off their yet-to-be-released album Top of the World, which is due out August 14th. “We Don’t Wanna Go” was the clear favorite of the bunch, with everyone finally joining in on the chorus towards the end of the song. Yes, it took this bunch a while to realize how this new song finished, but give them a break – they were heavily influenced by different… things. Doughty, McDonald and the rest of the gang ended the set with “Express Yourself” and gave the perfect layup for the night’s main act.
There isn’t much left that 311 hasn’t done, yet they still surprise even their longtime fans when it comes to their live performances. Sure, there are staples and antics on stage that become tired, but the emotion displayed each night and every tour, for the last few decades is quite impressive. Saturday night was no different. Tim Mahoney, Chad Sexton, Aaron ‘P-nut’ Wills, SA Martinez, and Nick Hexum took the stage as if it were their first show.
Opening with “Transistor Intro” (the hidden track off 1997’s Transistor) the dim blue-lit venue erupted to the rap-rock-reggae-funk-punk-every-other-labeled-genre-under-the-sun groups presence. There wasn’t much movement on stage, as the thump-heavy intro did the talking. Immediately afterwards, fan-favorite “Down” proved that the aging group can dig back into the vault to unleash their inner youth. Lead singer Nick Hexum canvassed the entire stage, all while SA Martinez took the helm vocally, before all five members threw every ounce of energy into the last 30 seconds of the song. This first song set the tone for the 
rest of the night.
The self-described “happy, slam dance song” “Do You Right”, off of their first album Music, kept the energy alive by having everyone continue to bounce up and down. “Applied Science” (fit with a full band drum routine), “Amber”, and “Beautiful Disaster” catered the casual fan while the seasoned veterans were treated with rarities such as “Outside”, “I’ll Be Here a While” and “Leaving Babylon”. If you plan to attend a show in the future, make sure you’re well versed in the 311 catalog because unlike many bands today, each set list is completely different, and they have plenty of material to choose from.
For a band that has been around since the early ‘90s it’s not surprising that they have mastered how to put on a completely fun live show. The fans are a testament to their success – they keep coming back for more each summer. Will you be there next year?
SOJA Set
Slightly Stoopid Set
Hold Onto the One311 Set
I’ll Be Here Awhile
