Pop Break Live: The Never-Ending Summer Tour featuring 311, The Offspring at PNC Bank Arts Center
Words: Ryan DeMarco | Photos: Alfred Mannarino
There’s only a handful of bands that can make you jump for joy in a hot New Jersey heat. And to this writer’s luck two of them performed in the same night.
The Offspring and 311, bands that really need no introduction have spent decades devoting their talents to creating beats that stick in your head on that Monday morning commute to work. They recently made a stop in New Jersey during their Never-Ending Summer Tour and gave a fresh dose of punk rock and reggae rock and keeping the scene alive.
The Offspring came on with a spirit that didn’t fade through their set. Playing their biggest hits like “Come Out and Play,” “Gotta Get Away,” “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” among others. They have gotten older, as they told the audience but they’re not just young stoner rock musicians, but older…..stoner rock musicians. Now in their fifties leading men Dexter Holland and Noodles, have shown that they have aged gracefully into this phase of their career. But in no way does that mean that they’ve lost their edge. Far from it, they’ve still got that fresh sting to their hour-long set. Playing their enormous hits from the 90’s along with a mix of newish material they dazzled the thousands in attendance, and appropriately concluding their time with “Self Esteem.”
The buzz remained in the arena after The Offspring’s exit, 311 stormed the stage and hit the ground running with their classic hit “Come Original” followed up by “All Mixed Up.”
The rocker group captivated PNC for 90 minutes of pure magic. Not only does the group give off a vibe that can’t be recreated by anyone else, but the same can be said for their performances. Nick Hexum as lead vocals and guitarist, SA Martinez with vocals, bassist P-Nut, guitarist Tim Mahoney, and Chad Sexton for drums round out the unit.
The band always play their hearts out with drum solos and shoutouts to each member. Like The Offspring, 311 successfully ages with grace and never feels dated, even with their 90’s catalog of songs.
Spreading the message of positivity and love, 311 will sway you away with Caribbean style reggae one minute then smash your expectations with heavy guitar, featured in such classics of theirs like “Beautiful Disaster”. Head knocking jams like “Creatures (For a While),”,and “You Wouldn’t Believe” and tongue twisting raps featured in “Down.”
This is a group dedicated to a great time and upon seeing them for the fifth time, they have never disappointed.
Setlist
Americana
All I Want
Come Out and Play
It Won’t Get Better
Want You Bad
Genocide
Staring at the Sun
Whole Lotta Rosie
Bad Habit
Gotta Get Away
Gone Away
Why Don’t You Get a Job?
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
(Can’t Get My) Head Around You
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
The Kids Aren’t Alright
Self Esteem
Setlist:
Come Original
All Mixed Up
Do You Right
Prisoner
Don’t Stay Home
Perfect Mistake
Lovesong
Lucky
Beautiful Disaster
Beyond the Grey Sky
Applied Science
Plain
Too Late
Amber
You Wouldn’t Believe
Flowing
Creatures (For a While)
Down
