Janesville
FOOD & DRINK
311 brings the BOOM to Firefly
A random downpour didn't deter a massive line from forming outside the gates of Charleston’s Firefly Distillery in anticipation of 311’s annual Unity tour. Fat drops of rain splashed fans as they were scanned in through the gates and, almost as soon as people started to zip up their raincoats, the rain stopped—a good omen for the crowd, to be sure. The sunset over the open field of the venue dipped below the horizon. The humidity hung for a bit, but the night air delivered a reprieve from the heat of the day. As the temperature finally began to cool off, Nick Hexum (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), "SA" Martinez (lead vocals, turntables), "P-Nut" Wills (bass), Chad Sexton (drums), and Tim Mahoney (lead guitar) appeared on stage. The familiar sound of guitar feedback rang out as 311 kicked off the show with “Beautiful Disaster” from ‘97’s Transistor. The churning guitar and funky bass line lead into Hexum’s echoing voice. I was immediately transported back to a time of unzipping a hefty Case Logic CD case flipping a few crispy pages and finding a page full of 311. That nostalgic feeling kept a hold of me as the band seamlessly transitioned into “Freeze Time” from their 1999 album Soundsystem. Another guitar riff-heavy jam blended with just the right amount of turn tables. Sexton worked his massive drum kit, and the crowd roared as "SA" Martinez took center stage to deliver a lyrical assault.
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