Mindspin 311: CHECK THE SHOW

# 1) 9/12/95 - Toledo, Ohio @ The Underground

After being a devoted 311 fan for a couple years, I was finally going to get my chance to see 311 live in concert. I bought tickets for myself and my pal Mike for the Friday 9/15/95 show in Columbus. The week before the show, my boss told me that my office mentor Steve and I would be going on a sales trip through the north-western quarter of Ohio the next week. I freaked because all I cared about was not missing the 311 show! Steve and I worked out a plan to be back in the office by Friday afternoon and I told Mike he had to meet me there as soon as he could after he got off work so we could jump in one car and make it down to the OSU campus in time to get in line. We had a plan for the 311 show! The following Monday I met Steve at the office with my stuff packed for a work week on the road and we were off. Steve had done these sales trips before so he was the navigator while I drove.

Tuesday on the road our route changed and we ended the day's travels on the edge of a Toledo suburb. After dinner, I went back to my hotel room and something kept tugging on my mind. Then I started to remember, didn't 311's tour schedule say they were in Toledo that night? I looked in the phone book for small venues and when I saw "The Underground" I picked up the phone. I called them up and yes, 311 was playing there that night and yes, tickets were still available at the door for only $10! Even though I had already planned on seeing 311 in Columbus in three days, I was going to see them in Toledo first! ROCK! I ran down to Steve's hotel room and asked him if he wanted to go downtown to a show. He was a generation older and passed on it, but told me to call his room when I returned so he would know I got back alright. I tore a map of Toledo out of the phone book and I was off. I found the place easy enough and parked in a restaurant parking lot near the venue. I walked over to become the 4th person in line! A lot more showed up after I did. All the people on the sidewalk around me were big 311 fans that loved their three albums but had also never seen them live before.

While waiting for the doors to open, I noticed a guy came out of The Underground and knocked on the door of the tour bus that was parked on the street right in front of us. He looked somewhat familiar and then it hit me that I recognized him from the 311 CD papers - this was one of the band members of 311! But I didn't know which one he was because the band pictures on the CD papers don't label who is who and remember, this was before they were ever on MTV or had home videos. Everyone around me must not have recognized him because they weren't paying any attention to him. I really wanted to talk to him but also felt stupid because of not knowing which one he was. He was waiting for the bus door to open and he must of felt that someone was looking at him, because he suddenly turned around and looked right at me. All I could say was, "Hey, what's up, man?" I could tell he noticed the twinkle of recognition in my eyes. He smiled and nodded his head as he replied, "Just getting ready for the show." Then the bus door opened and he went inside. A little while later, he came out of the bus and gave me a little salute as he walked back in the venue. Someone by me saw that and asked, "Do you think he's in 311?" I simple answered, "Yes."

Finally, they let us in and I got a spot at the little bar that was right behind the pit. I had a couple beers while I watched the opening act, No Doubt. When their set was over, the No Doubt crowd in the pit mostly dispersed and I knew this was my chance. I jumped off my barstool and hurried right up to the rail, front and center. Many of the other big 311 fans quickly joined me. What I thought was strange about this venue was that there was no security area and no security. The pit went right up to the small knee-high stage and the rail was built right on the edge of the stage and came up to my chest. I thought, this is gonna be so cool. My excitement continued to build as I waited for what seemed like another eternity before the lights got dim.

311 came on stage and started "Freak Out." The pit behind me instantly became a frenzied mosh fest as we all freaked out! The stage was so small that I was right there rocking with the band! I realized that the guy who had gone to the bus had been Tim Mahoney, who was now jammin' on his guitar. "Freak Out" went strait into "Homebrew" which went strait into "Down." Then Nick talked to the crowd a bit before continuing their rockin' set. He said this was the first time they had ever been to Toledo. The show was so awesome! Nick and S.A. were right there in front of me rapping in my face! And everyone was nuts, but the vibe was so positive. For example, guys would tap me on the shoulder and yell stuff in my ear like, "Do you mind if I put my hand on your shoulder to climb up the rail so I can jump off?" In front of a crazy mosh pit at a loud-ass rock concert, guys were really politely asking this! I'd just nod yes as I was nodding my head to music. They would climb up on the rickety rail that kept swaying back and forth and then dive into the mosh pit. One time a guy slipped and fell on stage between Nick and S.A. No one missed a beat as the guy stood up, banged his head for a little bit, then jumped over the rail back into the crowd. During "Offbeat Bare-Ass," right as Nick rapped, "throw me a joint on stage," a big fatty was thrown on stage and landed between P-Nut and Chad. Later, P-Nut sparked it up and it got passed around the band. They did play one song that was not on any of the three 311 CDs, so I had never heard it before. Nick introduced the song by saying that they had only played this song live two or three times. I liked the song but since I had never heard it before and didn't have it, I didn't remember it later and still don't know if it was a song I ended up getting later on (but it was probably a blue album outtake). The last song of the main set was "Feel So Good." They came back out for the encore and finished it off with "Fuck The Bullshit." During the song, I tried to steady the moving rail as Nick climbed up right in front of me and then he jumped over my head out into the moshers. Nick crowd-surfed back up front my way and I helped him back on stage. When the song ended, all five of the 311 guys shook hands with me before leaving the stage. What an freakin' amazing experience!

Walking out of the venue and back to my car, I found that it was very late and I had gotten a $5 parking ticket, I guess for parking there for many hours and not being a patron of that restaurant. Now I just had to find my way back to the suburb my hotel was in, this time in the dark. I guess I missed a turn because before I knew it I was on a dark highway, surrounded on both sides by nothing but corn fields with only an occasional semi on the road with me. I had no clue where I was so I turned on the dome light and kept trying to figure out where I had gone off the one-page phone book map. I was getting scared about being lost with no where to go for help and then "All Mixed Up" came on in my car. When I heard the line, "you've got to trust your instinct," I was inspired to throw down the map, turn off the dome light and use my intuition. I winded my way around the county, taking exits at random until I had a strong feeling to take the next exit I was coming up on. I sailed down into the lights of civilization. At the bottom of the ramp, I looked to my left and there was the hotel! Somehow I had gotten back there from the opposite direction I left from, but hell, I made it.

I went up to my room and took a quick shower, exhausted and knowing that I had to get up before 8:00 AM. Then I remembered that I had to call Steve, so I dialed up his room and of course woke him up to tell him I made it back. As I hung up the phone, I looked over at the clock and it read, "3:11 AM." I chucked at the coincidence as I laid back down and passed out...the next thing I knew I was answering the phone. A woman's voice said, 'Your business partner said you needed a wake-up call at 6:00 AM, sir." I managed to say, "Thanks" and hung up. That bastard! Steve got his revenge for me waking him up less then three hours earlier. I fell back asleep anyway and re-played the 311 show in my dreams until I had to get up, get dressed and get back on the road. I made Steve drive that day.

# 2) 9/15/95 - Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall

We finished our week long sales trip and made it back in the office on Friday afternoon just as we had planned. Mike met up with me and we went to the Newport on High Street, a venue I have really liked for many shows since high school. Mike, being a guitarist himself, was most interested in being on the side Tim would be on but up in the front of the balcony so he could observe the guitar work without the distractions of the pit. I didn't care since I had just had the ultimate view of a 311 show three days before that (and still had the bruises to prove it). We were surprised that the Newport added another opening act to the show, a band called Dog Eat Dog. They were a one vocalist, rap-rock band that also had positive lyrics like 311. They were great! (No Doubt played just about the same set they had played on Tuesday.)

311 finally came out and yet again kicked off the show with "Freak Out," "Homebrew" and "Down." This show was also awesome. I had been slightly disappointed that they didn't play "Omaha Stylee" at my first show, but they made up for that by playing it at this one. In fact, I was very happy that just about half of the set was different than the previous show, so between these two concerts I heard almost all 311 songs (from their first three albums) live. And it was cool to hear my favorite 311 song at the time, "Hive" at both of these 1995 shows when they could still sing the original lyric, "It's '95 and we go for the Hive." Just like at the first show, they ended the main set with "Feels So Good." The encore began with the happy slam dance song "Do You Right," and I noticed that two short college girls were grooving to the music right behind me but they couldn't see anything because Mike and I are tall. Since I had seen these songs right up front and center three nights earlier, I moved them both in front of me so they would have the prime view of looking right down on the band for the last couple songs. I could see over their heads anyway. We all really rocked-out to the show closer, "Fuck the Bullshit." The girls were very thankful and I felt good that a small gesture could bring a couple people so much happiness. Two kick-ass 311 shows in the same week! Rock on!

# 3) 8/17/97 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ Riverbend Amphitheatre

I didn't get a chance to see 311 when they came back around at the height of the band's popularity in '96. But after Transistor, the 4th kick-ass 311 LP came out, I planned ahead on seeing them. This '97 show was the only 311 concert I have ever been to that was not general admission and when my bro Ted and I got there, we found out that the seats we had sucked - way towards the back and farther left then stage left. But at least we weren't too worried about those dark clouds that began to roll in because it was an outdoor, yet covered venue. We weren't thrilled by the opening act Spearhead, but their set had one highlight: Nick Hexum came on stage and they played part of "Transistor."

Just like my first two shows, 311's set started off with "Freak Out" and "Homebrew." The next song this time was "Galaxy," one of my faves from the new album. At this show they played five other songs from Transistor: "Transistor," "Prisoner," "Beautiful Disaster," "Light Years," and another one of my faves from the album, "What Was I Thinking." They also played "Who's Got the Herb?" from Hempilation and "Tribute" from the ETSD EP, for a total of eight songs I had never heard live before (unless "Tribute" was the one I can't remember that was played at my first show in Toledo). Being a year after 311 got big from MTV and being so far back from the other hard core fans, Ted and I were old schoolers surrounded by the trendy people that got into 311 after the blue album's success and weren't into the band or the show nearly as much as we were. (These are the type of people that I still meet to this day that say, "311? I have two of their CDs." And I reply, "Yeah, I know, the blue album and Transistor." After Transistor's popularity didn't match the blue album's, these people all went back to the flavor of the month.) I did my best to share my enthusiasm with these people anyway. And it did end up storming so hard that the wind was blowing the rain sideways so we got rained on anyway. But despite all of that, the show still rocked! And just like the first two shows, they ended with the main set with "Feels So Good" and the encore with "Fuck the Bullshit."

# 4) 11/26/99 - Columbus, Ohio @ The Newport

After three new 311 releases since Transistor (Live!, Omaha Sessions and the kick-ass new studio LP Soundsystem), I was so pumped about seeing 311 again the day after Thanksgiving in '99. I took my pal Mike and my girlfriend Jessica with me this time. We got there very early and were very close to the front of the line because Jes, who loves 311 but had never seen them live before, wanted to be front and center and you know that was cool with me. We waited in the cold for hours just talking with the other die hard 311 fans in line with us. When they finally opened the doors, the three of us couldn't get in right away because I didn't know that the venue had started selling these pre-show tickets that allows you to get in before everyone without the extra tickets. So we had waited all that time in the cold for nothing! By the time they let us in, the front of the pit was full and the front of the balcony over stage left was filing up fast, so we booked it over to the front of the other balcony. This felt like deja vu for Mike and me because it was the exact same spot we were in the last time we had seen 311 at the Newport four years earlier. At least there was no opening act for this show, so we would all just get strait to the 311!

The lights finally went dim and the recorded hip hop intro to "Omaha Stylee" came on as the band members joined their spots on the stage. Sure enough, at the exact part the intro ends on the CD, the band kicked the song proper in! That was a freakin' kick-ass way to start the show! And of course the crowd instantly freaked out, so after that song, 311 went strait into "Freak Out." Rock! Then we heard the first new song, "Freeze Time." At this show they played six other songs from Soundsystem: "Large in the Margin," "Flowing," "Life's Not A Race," "Eons" and two of my faves from that album, "Come Original" and "Can't Fade Me." I was a little disappointed they didn't even play one song from Omaha Sessions, but then again I was pleasantly surprised that they did play "Lucky" and my fave from ETSD, "Gap," which made a total of nine more songs I had never seen performed live before. And check this out: the show ended with "Do You Right," "Down," "All Re-Mixed Up," "What Was I Thinking," "Homebrew," "Fuck the Bullshit" and the encore, "Who's Got the Herb?" and "Feels So Good." Rock n' roll, dude! Despite not being in the front of the pit, Jes loved the show as much as I did and she vowed she would see 311 live again.

11/26/99 Setlist

# 5) 3/8/00 - Dayton, Ohio @ Hara Arena

Jessica and I drove to Dayton to see 311 again, this time at a hockey arena. When we got there, we found out you had to have special tickets to get into the floor, so being confined to the bowl seating, we couldn't get right up front. Foiled again! We made the best of it and got as close to the stage as possible on P-Nut's side. They were actually good seats in the front of our section, so we could see everything. After the opening act, 311 came on stage and opened up with the first song on Soundsystem, "Freeze Time," then went strait into "Freak Out" and then "Do You Right." They played three songs I had never heard live before: "1,2,3," "Strong All Along" and "Sever." This was one of the first shows 311 ever played where they added the entire band's percussion participation after Chad's drum solo for "Applied Science." It was original and it sounded cool as hell to see the whole band rockin' out a tribal rhythm! Other highlights of the show were "Come Original," "Homebrew," "Offbeat Bare-Ass," "Hive" and "Unity/Hydroponic." And this show had a kick-ass ending: the final song of the main set was "Feels So Good" and the encore was "Down" and "Fuck the Bullshit." Rock!

3/8/00 Setlist

# 6) 6/9/00 - Columbus, Ohio @ Brewery District Pavilion

It was a Full Moon on a late Spring night, and this was the first time that I got to see 311 live with Shaker, the bro that introduced me to my favorite band back in college. Rock! And just as if they knew we were there together, 311 opened the show with "Down," the song from 1995 with words of gratitude for the old schoolers from 1993, like us. Your welcome, 311, but trust me, the pleasure was all ours! Nick announced that the next day (6/10) was the 10th anniversary of 311 as a band. This show was the first time the band had played the song "Transistor" since the tour in '97. Other highlights of the show were: "Come Original," "Freak Out," "Offbeat Bare-Ass," "Can't Fade Me," "Hive," "Hydroponic," "Homebrew" and the final song, "Feel So Good." During that song, we watched in amazement as Nick made a back first 20 feet plunge from a speaker into the crowd! This show was shortened due to Columbus having a city noise ordinance that mandated that the show had to end by 12:00 AM, but I'm so glad we got to help ring in 311's 10th birthday as the last notes were played at the stroke of midnight!

6/9/00 Setlist

#7) 11/11/00 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Agora Theatre

It was my turn to go to Shaker's city to see 311 with him there, and going to this show meant that I have now seen 311 live in all five Ohio cities that they have ever played in. The show kicked off with "Homebrew" and other highlights were "Can't Fade Me," "Down," "Plain," "Offbeat Bare-Ass," "T & P Combo," "Come Original," "Hive," "Freak Out," "Feels So Good" and "Fuck the Bullshit." They played three old 311 songs I had actually never heard live before: "Welcome," "Silver" and "Taiyed." This was my 4th show supporting Soundsystem, but they previewed two new songs I had never heard at all before: "We Do It Like This" and "Full Ride," for a total of five 311 songs I had never heard in concert. And the "Hydroponic" was ON at this show! We had a blast! Yet another great show!

11/11/00 Setlist

#8) 9/23/01 - Columbus, Ohio @ PromoWest Arena Parking Lot

Being only twelve days after the tragedy of 9/11, I was really ready to be powered up with some positive energy. Needless to say, my 8th 311 show rocked my world! They kicked off the set with "Homebrew" and played all the concert classics: "Do You Right," "All Mixed Up," "Freak Out," "Down," "Feels So Good," "Who's Got The Herb?" and "Fuck the Bullshit." And "Unity/Hydroponic" was really magickal tonight! Out of the six songs they played from the new album From Chaos, I had never heard five of them live: "You Get Worked," "You Wouldn't Believe," "From Chaos," "Champagne" (with bubbles) and one of my new faves, "Wake Your Mind Up." And "Use of Time" made a total of six 311 songs I had never heard in concert before. But the best part of this show was at the end when Nick urged the crowd to not live in fear. One of my idols, a master of positivity, was reminding us that to live in fear is to not live at all. The terrorists can only succeed if we are afraid. And this reminder is what has kept me conscious of maintaining my evolution into a positive future. Thanks, Nick, and as always, thank you, 311.

9/23/01 Setlist

# 9) 8/18/02 - Columbus, Ohio @ PromoWest Pavilion

My family of the previous four years had just moved out recently. Being depressed and no longer having a roommate to split bills with, I was considering being conservative and not going to the show this year. Then my friend Adam IMed me a couple days before the show, asking if I wanted to go to 311 for free! Hell, yeah! He told me a friend of his was a big 311 fan. She had an extra ticket and no one to go with. She had asked him to go, but he thought I could use a 311 show more, so he told her about me. Cari was cool with meeting me first so we met and hung out for awhile. I was going to 311 show # 9 with a new 311 friend! It's things like this that reinforce my belief in Karma. I was getting paid back for some good deeds.

The day of the show came and Cari and I met up again, showing up at PromoWest about two hours before the gate opened, so we were close to the front of the line. When they let us into the pit, everyone ran like crazy to get a good spot on the front rail. Cari and I got exactly where I wanted - stage right - directly in front of where Tim would be (since I was on the other side by P-Nut last year). Eventually the opening band, 2 Skinnee J's, came on the stage. The first two songs really rocked and the rest were pretty good. They are the best opening act I have seen with 311 since Dog Eat Dog at my 2nd 311 show in '95. At the end of their set, someone on stage threw the J's set list out to the crowd and I caught it. And I must add that PromoWest is a nice venue for outdoor shows.

Thankfully, 311 didn't keep us waiting too long. The band came on stage during the new recorded intro, "Are You Ready.? Then they kicked the show off proper with "Freak Out," which I have heard at every 311 show but not as the show opener since my first three shows. Before P-Nut's first eight notes were through, we all went nuts! Other highlights of the show were "Offbeat Bare-Ass" (with a joint thrown on stage), "Unity," "Homebrew," "What Was I Thinking," "Feels So Good," and the encore: "Down" and "Fuck the Bullshit." I thought cymbals were a nice addition to the band's drum part after Chad's drum solo in "Applied Science." And I hadn't heard "Purpose" live since '95. This was the first 311 show I have been to where they didn't play "Hydroponic" or "Do You Right," but I guess with each album they have to make room for new songs in concert. They did play five songs I had never heard live: "Uncalm," "Amber" and three new songs to be considered for the next album: "Reconsider Everything," "What Do You Do" and "Same Mistake Twice."

Early in the show in the middle of a song, Nick suddenly came over to the edge of stage right, looked right at me, leaned over the security area, reached out and slapped my hand, and then went back over to the other side of the stage, rapping the whole time! Rock! And throughout the show Nick must have noticed that I had helped security get all the crowd surfers that came my way safely over the front rail because during the final song, Nick came over to the edge of the stage directly in front of me and looked at me as if to say "Are you ready, dude?" I nodded an affirmative, then he jumped off the stage. Just like at my 1st 311 show, Nick flew right over my head into the hysterical mass of people behind me. Of course, just like back then, I helped Nick out of the crowd so he could finish the song.

I noticed more than ever before that Tim seems to go into a trance when he plays guitar. His eyes roll back into his head so all you can see are the whites of his eyes. It's like he's in another world during each song, oblivious to his physical surroundings, and then he comes back after the last riff is played. I'd like to find out where he goes when he jams, but hey, whatever works!

But the best part (besides all the rock) was that Tim finally heard me yelling, "THANK YOU!" in between songs and he acknowledged my heartfelt gratitude with a little wave and nod that took me back to the time I was standing in line for that first 311 show seven years ago. Thanks once again, guys! And thanks, Cari and Adam!

8/18/02 Setlist