Customer Reviews

311 - Live in New Orleans 311 Day

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Folks I don't really know where to begin on this DVD. Simply stop reading this review and break down and spend $20 for this Beautiful, must have DVD (Even if you don't Collect DVD's, this is a Must Own!!!!) Where else are you going to get 64 Live songs of 311? We're talking about all of 311's Rarities, B-Sides, Cover Songs (An unbelievable version of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er" & you must hear The Clash's "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" & the best version of The Cure's "Love Song" I've ever heard.) I'm not kidding around here Folks, this is an Amazing DVD! Besides cover songs, you get to See/Hear "Use Of Time", "Amber", "Champagne", "Beyond The Gray Sky", "Come Original", "Stealing Happy Hours (Simply Amazing, it even sounds like studio quality, not your normal 'Live' quality, but true CD quality)", "Beautiful Disaster" "All Mixed Up" "Creatures For A While" & of course "Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm".

On this DVD, are over 4 hours of Live concert footage on 2 DVD's. You also get Behind-The-Scenes look at The Band & their fans. It was shot Live on location at UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans - March 11th, 2004 (The mayor of New Orleans declared March 11th - '311 Day'). You get to see the complete band from so many angles/views. You get to see Nick Hexum (Lead Vocals & Back-up Guitar), Chad Sexton (Drums), Tim Mahoney (An Amazing Lead Guitarist), P-Nut(Bass), SA Martinez (Back-up Vocals & DJ Scratcher), play like never before. Here is the complete list of songs (Set One & Set Two).

The Songs -----

(Set One)
* (Introduction & Coverage on the streets of New Orleans)

* (A quick view of 311 Backstage)

1) Freak Out

2) Reconsider Everything

3) Taiyed

4) Come Original (Dead on it folks - Amazing!)

5) Do You Right (Happy Slamdance Song)

6) Homebrew

7) Love Song (Almost, (If not) Better than The Cure's version)

8) Jupiter

9) Eons

10) Beyond The Gray Sky (Amazing!!!!!)

11) Offbeat BareAss

12) Large In The Margin

13) Galaxy

14) Gap (B-Side Song)

15) Flowing

16) Use Of Time (Oh my God Amazing!!!)

17) Visit

18) Other Side Of Things

19) Sweet (From The Blue Album)

20) White Man In Hammersmith Palais (An Unbelievable Clash Cover Song)

21) Amber (Amazing!!!)

22) Paradise

23) Life's Not A Race

24) Welcome

25) Applied Science

26) 8:16 AM (Simply Amazing Folks!)

27) Champagne (Bring out The Bubbles, Bubbles! - Amazing!!)

28) Freeze Time

29) Sever

30) Stealing Happy Hours (Beyond Amazing, Unbelievable!)

31) T & P Combo

32) Cali Soca (Amazing - Instrumental)

33) My Stoney Baby

34) Purpose

35) Summer Of Love

36) Seem Uncertain

37) You Wouldn't Believe

38) Lose

39) Unity (311 is down for The Unity!)

40) Hydroponic

41) Feels So Good (P-Nut, Beat That Bass!!!!!)

(Set Two)
42) Creatures - (It's been exactly 3 hours & 11 minutes at this point)

43) Lucky (From the Grassroots album)

44) Random (Court Jester & Dracula? Sounds random to me!)

45) D'yer Mak'er (Led Zeppelin cover - Amazing! Would make Robert Plant bow down to 311!!!!)

46) Running

47) Starshines (From the transistor album)

48) Beautiful Disaster (Amazing as if it were off the CD!)

49) Juan Bond (Think of it like a Mexican James Bond)

50) Crack The Code

51) Outside (Special guest Zach Hexum (Nick's brother), #1 poll song from the audience - Zach plays the Saxaphone w/ 311 - Amazing!!!)

52) Don't Stay Home

53) Nix Hex

54) Light Years

55) Sick Tight

56) Let The Cards Fall

57) Right Now

58) Don't Dwell

59) Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm (Live premeire folks - Amazing, couldn't imagine a better performance here!)

60) All Mixed Up! (And they weren't mixed up at all!)

61) Omaha Stylee (Where 311 is From (Omaha)).

62) Down

63) Who's Got The Herb? (Fire it up with 311!!!!!)

64) Fu*k The Bullshi* (There was only one thing left to say! And they said it here folks!)

(After all that, you still get behind the scenes, different angles of The Band & The Audience. 311 @ 106.7 live on the air & 311 @ A Cocktail Party with 12 selected fans that won the chance to meet 311 from 12 different radio stations.)

**Note if you are still reading this, and you haven't clicked on the 'Purchase ASAP Button', there must be something wrong with you. I would pay at least $50, if not $100 for this DVD! In fact, I will probably buy 2 or 3 more copies, in anticipation of wearing this copy out (From viewing it Sooooo many times). I have owned this DVD for 2/3 years & couldn't tell you how many times I've viewed it (Not enough fingers & toes to count that High!) Enjoy this at all cost! Great DVD to insert during a party or while playing pool (you can hear great music and whenever you glance at the screen you will see some great musicians playing like they've never played before!

Now I leave you with some lyrics!

*Brainstorm, take me away from the norm. I got to tell you something. This phenomenon, I had to put it in a song & it goes like Whoa! (Amber)*

*Far is solace in the maddening pace, sad state written on my face, not a tight rope, walk but dance uncertain. Game of chance but I'll see it through in time. (I'll be here awhile)*

*I took it as a compliment, regardless what they meant it could have been innocent spent. So spent railing against undeserved dangling precipitants, raining down idiots always flapping in the flapping in the wind. (Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm)*

*With the words slaying me slow, the verbs that just don't flow, confusing the Use Of Time. Partial stoning of the heart, waiting for something to start, confusing the Use Of Time. But the trying again, makes me think it's all gonna end, confusing the Use Of Time. But every time I turn the volume down, all I hear is the deafening sound of your hearts pound! (Use Of Time)*

Regardless of what everyone is mentioning with the sound (the sound for the most part is okay to me), this DVD is great. I would NEVER discourage someone from buying this DVD simply because the audio output isn't perfect for some people. Sound aside, I think that this DVD helps to display 311's onstage charisma. They played their radio singles, but also busted out some covers, older songs and b-sides. And they played for 5 hours! Its just a great documentation of what a 311 show is and how much they mean to their fans (plus, how much the fans mean to them).

There are a few shots that I think could have been better, and a few songs where I think that the sound could have been better on, but overall, its a great DVD, DEFINITELY worth the money.

Stay positive and love your life.

I'll start by saying.....I've been "Down" since '94. Growing up in the New Orleans area, I had tons of opportunities to see 311 live during junior high and high school. My first show was at the State Palace Theatre way back in '94. They frequented the Crescent City in those days, and the crowds showed up in full force every time. New Orleans is, indeed, 311's home away from home. Therefore, they play their asses off every time they step foot in the N.O. This concert is no exception. The band is on fire, and the entire show has a feel of "playing above and beyond the call of duty." The fact that the show is 5 hours total speaks for itself. And the best part is....they look like they are having a blast on stage the whole time (the way its supposed to be). Being out of college now, and mellowed out a bit, I love the abundance of slow/reggae-tinged songs in this setlist. "Use of Time," "Stealing Happy Hours," "Purpose," and "8:16 AM" are all great examples of this band's ability to take it down a notch and show just how melodic they can be. And if you want the rockers....well, they are aplenty as well. This DVD has everything you could want from 311, and then some.

However, all that being said. The sound and even video are subpar compared to many other concert DVDs I own (i.e. - Ween "Live in Chicago"......Phish "It"......and even older stuff like Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense."). Don't get me wrong, it sounds fine. And many people will not even notice any problems. Its just not up there with the great concert DVD's.

Like someone pointed out already, the reason why the sound/video is subpar...is likely because they crammed the entire (epic) 5 hours into 2 discs. And props to them for once again trying to give the fans more for their money. However, I think this project would've been much better if they would've sacrificed some of the tunes for superior audio/visual quality. That's just me.

The bottom line though is this: If you love 311, you will certainly love this DVD. Again, it is an exceptional concert. It has nice bonus footage of the band and fans kicking it in my old hometown. And the rare songs are a treat in themselves. If you have a great stereo...this will sound great. Its just not in the upper tier of concert DVDs.

Ever since 2000, every two years, 311 have held an event they call 3-11 Day, fittingly on March 11th. It was a smashing success in 2000, so in 2002, they did it again, and returned in 2004 for another one. Their plan was to exceed 2002's setlist time. That's exactly what they did.

311 played for five hours on March 11th, 2004. No one left the building unsatisfied.

And after watching this DVD, how could you be unsatisfied? A double-DVD set, showcasing 64 songs (4 songs were cut for editing purposes) that come from all ends of the 311 spectrum. All of the hits are here, whether you want Down, All Mixed Up, Beautiful Disaster, or Come Original. If you came looking for rarities, you've got the frantic Juan Bond, and there's even two songs from the pre-Music days. Included on this DVD is an amazing cover of Led Zep's D'yer Ma'ker in which SA (the MC) just rips up on. There may be a few absences in the setlist, but with 64 songs, it's hard to focus on that.

The sound on the DVD is nothing to complain about. All songs are heard very clearly. The instruments are all at the proper level in the mix, and P-Nut's bass work does NOT go unheard. That IS the way it should be, right?

Some of the shows highlights included:
-Freak Out (always an energetic opener... what a song)
-Homebrew (one of my favorites)
-Jupiter (first time since '97! Again, an amazing song)
-Galaxy (this sounds really good live, I don't know why)
-Gap (definitely a cool song, you've got to admit)
-Flowing (flaming baton twirlers! I play bass along to this one)
-Applied Science (come on! How can you resist a 4-minute drum solo?)
-8:16 A.M. (a favorite of mine, has a nice jazzy vibe)
-Sever (my favorite 311 song in existence)
-Stealing Happy Hours (such a calming song, sounds great live)
-Feels So Good (P-Nut can, without a doubt, beat that thang)
-Random (two bobbleheads on stage for this one!)
-Running (another great song from Transistor)
-Juan Bond (an entertaining performance i.e. yes I do, no you don't)
-Don't Stay Home (reminds me of California)
-Sick Tight (probably a favorite of the moshpit)
-Let the Cards Fall (a beautiful song... I'm running out of things to say here)
-Right Now (pre-'93 song - sounds awesome)
-F*ck the Bullsh*t (how could you not?)

So, you see, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this DVD.

As a friend of mine says, "3-11 DAY! I'M IN LOVE!"

You will be, too.

An amazing 64 songs on this double-dvd concert from 311 day 2004. It showcases songs from across 311's career, from the early days ('Summer of Love' and 'Right Now') to the more recent stuff ('Creatures (for a while)'). The sound and picture quality is excellent. You can hear all the instruments clearly and they've done a nice job putting it all together. The camera work could be a little better, but it's still rockin overall. They've also included some behind the scenes footage, making it the ultimate concert experience for any 311 fan.

This right here was the best use of $22 i have ever spent. Amazing, simply amazing, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many songs, all perfectly done, these guys are so entertaining, and with 64!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! songs this is priced so low, even if you dont like 311 you might still get a kick out of 15 of these tunes, which is already worth the $22. Im dead serious go and buy this right now, just simply the most amazing rock dvd ever...

Totally awesome! This shows how a band can actually put on a 5 hour concert, and still bring it on better than a normal band can with a 1 hour concert... The devotion to the fans is also shown, because 3-11 day is all about celebrating the fans, giving them a gift for all the support. Totally awesome, seeing the band in action is awesome, the ligthing is great, perfect for anyone, there will at least be three songs for anyone to love, and for the majority of people, well over half of them, and even sligt 311 fans will love near to all of them. As to T. Lesser's review... Mindspin is NOT a rarity.. Its off their Soundsystem album... far from a rarity...

Excellent concert, cant wait till 2006 to finally experience it myself.

Hi fellow fans! I just have to say this DVD is awesome. Is like when you are in your car or in your room and listening to your fav 311 songs except you get to watch it at the same time! Unbeliveable experience! I did not have a chance to go to 311 day so this was the next best thing! I became an even bigger fan after this becuase I never really was able to get into the Music or Grassroots albums but after seeing them live I realized how awesome these albums are, maybe better than the later ones!

I love these guys becuase they share my way of thinking like they sing in Do You Right "...bright mornings, and when I want so much I want nothing, just this life and no more..." its just enough to be alive to see the sun shine, and hopefully doing something that you love! I have so much respect for these guys!

Be positive and love your life! - and of course get this DVD!

MAchV

To those that don't give 311 a chance, check this concert out. It's refreshing to have a band who can perform just as well on stage as well as in the studio. Great Harmonies, excellent musicianship, and amazing stage presence by all 5 members. Great for any style of music you might like. Great camera work and sound. You can hear all the instruments loud and clear.

I seriously love the 16 songs I've seen so far and I can't wait until I have time to watch it all. My only vice is no fault of 311's: the fact that they took the mic output for the audio. By doing this, you can see the audience perfectly fine, but you can't hear the random comments and the requests so common in other live versions.

I've been a fan since '01 and I've never had the chance to see them, so I was kind of hoping to get the experience from the DVD. Just seeing 311 play can get my heart pumping, but I need a crowd to fill in the gaps! I love 311 and so do their other fans.