311, THE WAILERS, PEPPER, USANA Amphitheater, West Valley City, Thursday
WEST VALLEY CITY — Children, meet the band that will keep your parents cool, well into middle age.
311 possesses all of the ingredients for a long, healthy career, and Thursday night, for a near capacity crowd at USANA Amphitheater, the band put all of them on display. If anything, the show felt more like a reminder that 311, which has survived the many trend shifts that have killed off similar groups, could easily be around for a long time.
A willingness to defy concert protocol — a trait that probably helps keep its rabid fan base strong — was demonstrated when 311 dispensed of three of its biggest hits, "Beautiful Disaster," "Amber" and "Love Song," within the first third of the set. The move proved sage, especially since the show opened with "Beautiful Disaster," which immediately churned the crowd into a sweaty frenzy.
It also left the latter half of the set open for deeper album cuts, a reward for longtime fans of the band. The best of those were the feedback-drenched "Nix Hex," the laid-back reggae vibe of "Purpose," and the casually strolling "1,2,3."
Strangely enough, it was not the songs from the band's early 1990s albums that they dedicated to the "old-school fans," but the song that pushed 311 into the musical spotlight: "Down." While overplayed on the radio, the song sounded as good as it did when it first hit the airwaves in 1995, as did the other hit from that year's self-titled "blue" album, "All Mixed Up."
For the most part, the show had a mellow, positive vibe, with only a handful of songs — especially the main set closer, "Creatures (For a While)," and "Do You Right — that turned the bouncing crowd into a true mosh pit. Still, the crowd relished every relatively relaxed moment, whether it be the optimistic "Beyond The Gray Sky" or the uplifting "Speak Easy."
Regardless of how many teenagers latch onto the band, 311 is a Generation X darling, a band that could be heard on college campuses everywhere in the early and mid-1990s. Yet its positive messages and timeless sound will ensure that 311 will continue to be successful as long as the members want to work.
The show was opened by The Wailers, who, even without Bob Marley, sounded legendary. While their entire set was strong, the simple fact that it is still possible to hear "Jammin'" by the original musicians is mind-blowing, even without Marley.
E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com