Tuesday Night Vibes with 311 at The Fillmore

I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but concert season is officially here. Venues all across the city of Charlotte have been ramping up the activity and the AvidXchange Music Factory, a major hub for the live music scene, is no exception. This night found the Music Factory exceptionally busy with action at both Live Nation Venues as The Underground hosted Grandson and The Fillmore Charlotte hosted 311. It was a bit of a surprise to see so much activity, and another reminder to appreciate this opportunity to gather in our love of live music. As the crowds gathered, the sidewalks were abuzz with activity as fans made their way into their respective venues and I ventured into The Fillmore Charlotte for an evening with 311.

Packed in early, everyone was ready for the opening act The Unlikely Candidates. Topping Billboard’s alternative songs list a while back, the band has been working on their next release Panther Island. Set for release on May 20 the band is out preparing the world for what is to come as they open for 311 on this spring tour.

Hitting the stage hard and fast the band jumped into action, immediately engaging with the crowd, and setting a high bar of enthusiasm for the evening. I am sure they are winning fans at every stop on this tour with a sound that is a bit unexpected as an opener for 311 but full of groove and energy that every rock fan enjoys.

With over thirty years on the music scene, at this point 311 has had generations of fans. As their musical style has grown, so has their fanbase. This was glaringly evident in the variety of people in attendance as well as in the setlist which pulled songs from across their wide catalog. Hitting fan favorites early and often, it was interesting to see the excitement in not just the early hits as they opened with “Come Original,” “Do You Right,” and “All Mixed Up,” but also as they dove into more recent work like “Too Late” and “Stainless.”

No matter the song, as the opening notes began excitement roared and fans sang along. Taking the time to occasionally look around the room, it was easy to find someone that knew every lyric to whichever song was playing at that moment as they were rapping and singing along, myself included at times. The music of 311 is comprised of a lot of joy and love and that is what was easily felt this evening from both the fans and especially the band.

Still a force to be reckoned with on the stage, 311 are a hot ticket as evidenced this night by the crowds here at The Fillmore Charlotte and the very next night at The Ritz Raleigh. With this spring tour and upcoming festival appearances, they are proving that they are still a huge draw with an incredibly loyal fan base. As a fan myself, 311 was a huge part of my early days of obsessing over music, bands, and concerts, and one of the great parts about seeing them live today is that shared history. As this leg of the spring tour comes to a close soon, the second leg cranks right back up in May and continues on into June giving all those involved a welcome entrance to summer on a vibe that we can all get behind.