311 at the Majestic

Photos and words by Charles Yozgott

311 returned to the Majestic Ventura Theater in beautiful Ventura, CA for two sold out shows that was beyond epic. This was the first of the two nights in Ventura and the third of a four date run in CA before their big 311 weekend in Las Vegas. The fans were lined up around the corner before the show and rushed the stage as soon as doors opened. The line for merch was just as long since 311 always spares no expense for their fans. On this stop was a poster and t-shirt exclusively for Ventura amongst numerous other goodies for their fans. A 311 show is an experience and you must go all in to get the full spectrum of positivity. You won’t regret it.

The opening band for both nights in Ventura was Ventura county’s very own Sitting On Stacy and on this particular night they had the crowd dancing and having fun in no time. Singer/guitarist Hoyt Yeatman was full of energy jumping between riffs and having a good time. Hoyt’s bandmates (bass/vocals Kyle Hart, drummer Trevor Smith, and a guest guitarist whose name is unknown) were feeding off his energy and they were clicking as a group. Their reggae/rock/pop sound echoed throughout the venue and not a single person was standing still. Their latest album Looking Past Red Flags was released February 23rd of this year and they gave their fans a taste of it with tracks like “Baby Girl” and “Crème Brûlée”. Sitting On Stacy are currently on tour supporting their latest release and will be hitting a city near you soon! Be sure to check them out, you’re guaranteed a good time.

The anticipation for 311 to walk on the stage flowed through the entire venue and as soon as the lights went down the crowd went nuts. “Beautiful Disaster”, from 1997’s Transistor, started the night which made everyone move and sway to the beats. Nick Hexum’s voice sounded amazing as he commanded the stage with his black leather jacket and red Flying V guitar. They wasted no time and jumped right into a fan favorite “Do You Right”, off of their debut album Music, followed by another Transistor track “Prisoner”. 

When 311 performes you’ll never know what they’ll decide to play from their extensive library of thirteen studio albums and numerous b-sides. “What The?!”, a fun track off their latest album Voyager, “Come Original” from 1999’s classic Soundsystem, and “Sick Tight” off From Chaos saw SA Martinez do what he loves to do and that’s sing and dance. SA always has fun on stage while throwing in the ocasional robot dance for everyone’s enjoyment, or is it his enjoyment?. Nick thanks everyone for their years of support and tells us that it’s been thirty four years that 311 has been a band making music and hopes that they can continue for another thirty four. Let us hope so, thank you 311 for all the amazing music and memories that you have given to us the fans.

“Brodels” from their self titled blue album was next and was a pleasant suprise to hear this one live. One of their biggest hits, “Champagne” off From Chaos, mellowed the vibe out until the slap of P-Nut’s bass started “What Was I Thinking”, another banger off Transistor. Mr. Aaron Wills’s bass solo was next and he got the crowd to sing along while playing Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name”. The way this man plays bass is amazing and always leaves multiple people staring in awe. 

A highlight of the night was when they played “Beyond the Gray Sky” from 2003’s Evolver. Nick asked everyone to hold their phone in the air and sway it back and forth with the flashlight on; what a sight to see for every single person in the venue. NIck and SA’s vocals go off in “Sliver” and “Stainless” which saw some head banging and a mosh pit break out. Chad Sexton graced us with another amazing drum solo in the middle of “Applied Science” and we also had a fun little group drum session with all the band members playing percussion instruments on stage with their brother. Chad is one of the best drummers out there so it’s always a pleasure to witness greatness happen right in front of your eyes. 

“Don’t Tread on Me”, the title track from the 2005 album, followed and had everyone rockin’ out to the crunchy riffs that Tim Mahoney was throwing at them. “Random” off their self titled followed and went straight into “Amber” which had everyone singing along. Tim started off “One and the Same”, from Mosaic, which pumped everyone back up from the mellowness and got the pit started once again. “Creatures (for a While)”, the opening track from Evolver, kept the craziness going strong and the positive vibes overflowing. 

As they walked off stage waving at everyone we all knew they would be back with a killer encore, but what songs would they play? Chants of 311 echoed throughout the venue and the band walked back onto stage to thunderous applause and cheers. As soon as P-Nut’s bass line started you could see clouds forming as “Hydroponic”, off their self titled masterpiece Music, was played to everyone’s delight. This happy stoner song had the audience grooving and smiling ear to ear. 311 thanked everyone again for the love and support and went straight into the famous guitar riff that starts the song “Down”. Everyone said ‘Chill’ with SA to dive into the song and didn’t slow down the entire track. This is definitely 311’s groundbreaking track that they play at most of their shows and it never gets old. A perfect ending to a night of amazing music. Make sure to catch 311 this summer on The Unity Tour this July and August in a city near you! Be positive and love your life.

Sitting on Stacy