I just got back from a 311 concert at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, UT, which is an outdoor venue at the foot of the Oquirrh Mountains.
Unwritten Law and Papa Roach opened the show. While both bands are frenetically energetic, I'm not a fan of Papa Roach and Unwritten Law didn't win me over with their performance.
I have to say, though, that Papa Roach actually got the crowd going (despite it still being sunny out and hot as hell). They put on a decent performance, but I just think their songs are terrible.
311 took to the stage with the intro to Omaha Stylee bumping. Then they thrashed through Omaha Stylee and Freak Out to begin a great night. It just seemed that the crowd and the band were on the same page the whole night. The crowd was into the show, and so the band was, too. There was just a good, fun vibe at the show.
Song highlights included Omaha Stylee and Freak Out for their insane energy that set the tone for the night. All Mixed Up for once (I had never previously enjoyed this song live). From Chaos because it's a rarely played song off the album of the same name. Summer of Love because I just knew they would play it and because the venue and weather were both perfect for that song. Frolic Room because it's a fun, energetic, well-written new song that they performed perfectly. It's Getting OK Now because it was a world premiere, which would make it the second time I've seen a 311 song world premiere performance (Amber being the first in Cleveland on 9/29/2001). Freeze Time, Creatures (For a While) and Down because they always get the crowd going. Applied Science because of the drum solo and because the crowd goes insane when they hear, "Nod your head to this...". And finally, Hydroponic, Feels So Good and Do You Right for being such great live songs for so long.
Setlist
(Omaha Stylee Intro)
1. Omaha Stylee
2. Freak Out
3. Misdirected Hostility
4. Beautiful Disaster
5. Don't Tread On Me
6. All Mixed Up
7. From Chaos
8. Summer of Love
9. Applied Science
10. Its Getting OK Now*
11. T & P Combo
12. Come Original
13. Amber
14. Frolic Room
15. Silver
16. Freeze Time
17. Creatures (For a While)
18. Beyond the Gray Sky
19. Hydroponic
20. Down
21. Feels So Good
-- encore --
(Use of Time)**
22. Flowing
23. Do You Right
* World premier (first time played for a live audience)
** On stage setlist, but not played live