Summer wouldn’t quite be summer in Columbus without a 311 gig, and a 311 gig in Columbus wouldn’t be a 311 gig without beautiful weather and an Express Live! lawn populated with a family-like collection of fans of all ages kicking back and enjoying an evening of high energy alt-rap-rock from the Nebraska five-piece.
Opening for 311 were Danes-via-New York pop-rock-jumpy band New Politics, who delivered exactly what was expected: High energy sing-along radio-hits with some arm waving, massive smiles, a little bit of break-dancing and the occasional flip thrown in for good measure. Super enjoyable, and the perfect opening act that came fairly close to stealing the show from the headliners.
It’s impressive for a band to be almost unchanged in almost thirty-years, but it’s more impressive for a band that thrived in the 90s to not feel like a nostalgia band and play like it’s their first show, rather than rely simply on the memory of the good times gone by.
The crowd ate up everything 311 shoved at them, as radio hits and fan favorite cuts from the band’s deep back-catalogue came thick and fast, with little breathing room between songs. It created what felt like one big party for the fans that have kept this group kicking out the tunes after most of their fellow 90s bands have long since jumped on the nostalgia bandwagon.
