MikeSandy.net

I just got back from a quick, but eventful trip to Utah. I skied two days at Alta and Snowbird. I visited with Steve and Melissa, and Paul and Kim. I met up with a few of my former co-workers for lunch and visited the rest of the them at the office. In general, it was just great to be back in Utah again. View the full trip report.

After taking a walk down the strip with Mindy in the morning and meeting up with Sheldon in the afternoon, it came time for me to separate from the group and head to the 311 Day concert at the Mandalay Events Center.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a massive throng of thousands of 311 fans eager to get into the arena. Thankfully, the band pushed back their 7:00 PM start time a bit to allow the crowd to get into the arena. Otherwise, I don't even want to think about the madness that would've ensued had the band started while the majority of the crowd was still shuffling down the hallways trying to get into the arena.

The seats Mindy got me for my birthday were excellent. They were just above stage height, and only a short distance away.

The band started the 5 hour, 60 song concert with Jackpot, a fitting opener given the locale and the fact that the song kicks ass.

Some song highlights during the show included the world premieres of Get Down and Sun Come Through; and the performances of Livin' & Rockin', Nutsymptom, Brodels, Hydroponic, Come Original, Taiyed, Rub A Dub, Hive (as part of a 3 song mash-up), Use of Time, Jackpot, Slinky (a song not performed since 1993!), and Visit.

All told, I saw 19 songs performed that I had never seen performed live before. The only downside to the show was the number of intermissions. I thought they took one or two too many intermissions, which I thought interrupted the flow of the show a bit. Nevertheless, it was definitely a worthwhile experience.