By Vlad Grach
G. Love & Special Sauce, Cypress Hill, and 311 performed at the beautiful riverside Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, Long Island, NY on July 14th, 2013 to an amphitheater filled with a mass of diehard fans of the eclectic band, 311. Also present at the stadium where fans of the Hip Hop group who are famous for their hard work, 1994 hit, “Insane in the Brain,” and knack for bringing cannabis to the stage, Cypress Hill.
G LOVE performing live at Nikon at Jones Beach (photo by Vlad Grach)
Garrett Dutton, front man for the band G. Love performed first. G. Love & Special Sauce played a 12 song set that included his 1997 hit “I-76,” and his 1994 hit “Cold Beverage.” G. Love’s performance was really captivating.
B Real of CYPRESS HILL performing live at Nikon at Jones Beach (photo by Vlad Grach)
Cypress Hill also played a 12 song set. The Hip Hop group opened up with “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.” They also played their hit from their 1993 album, Black Sunday, called “Insane in the Membrane.” When Cypress Hill began playing “Insane in The Membrane,” the crowd recognized it right away and began singing along.
SEN DOG of CYPRESS HILL performing live at Nikon at Jones Beach (photo by Vlad Grach)
During their 9th song, “Hits From The Bong,” B-Real brought out their famous 6 foot glass bong and took a few rips on stage. Let’s talk about how amazing the crowd reaction was. Clouds of smoke began popping out from the seats; I could see people smoking Kush. And, the enthusiastic concert goers started chanting the lyrics to the song. After
“Hits From The Bong,” DJ Muggs, and percussionist, Eric “Bobo” Correa filled the stadium with the sound of Correa’s sensational percussion solo’s and DJ Muggs on point spinning. Cypress Hill ended their performance with “(Rock) Superstar”. The entire stadium was illuminated with yellow, orange, and white spotlights. When the lights hit the crowd, it was obvious that the atmosphere of the stadium was ardent. And, everybody was wired and active. The combination of sensational lighting, the rips from the 6 foot long glass bong, and the amazing flow from B-Real and Sen Dog made this performance one to remember.
Cypress Hill had some news for their admiring fans. They announced that there new album is currently a work in progress and is due to come out soon. But, they didn’t suggest a release date. So, I guess Cypress Hill fans will just have to wait and stay tuned.
Nick Hexum of 311 performing live at Nikon at Jones Beach (photo by Vlad Grach)
311 brought the energy from the very beginning. The eclectic band played a 20 song set along with two encore songs. 311 fans were ecstatic when 311 opened up with their single, “Come Original” from their 1999 album Soundsystem. 311 also played a few classics and some of their fan favorites. They played “Amber,” a 2001 single from their album From Chaos, “All Mixed Up” from their 1995 self titled album, and “Beautiful Disaster,” from their fourth studio album called Transistor.
P NUT of 311 performing live at Nikon at Jones Beach (photo by Vlad Grach)
During “Applied Science” from 311’s Grassroots album, 311 drummer Chad Sexton delivered a magnificent 3 and a half minute drum solo that led into a group drum solo, where every member of the band spent an extra 2 minutes on drums. The entire situation was one big display of percussion excellence.
A few songs after “Applied Science”, Aaron “P-Nut” Wills gave a melodic, electric bass solo that captivated the audience and had them cheering. 311 closed their set with “Creatures (For a While)” and were applauded so much that they played two extra encores. The crowd loved them.
The lights for 311 were phenomenal during the entire show. The combinations of deep reds, purples, blues, oranges and greens lit up the stage while nine spotlights glared yellow and white lights that illuminated the stage beautifully. The entire spectacle was a sight to behold.
311 also had a little bit of news for their fans. They also announced that they were working on a full length album. But just like Cypress Hill, they didn’t say when it would be done.
G. Love, Cypress Hill, and 311 are on tour until August 2nd. Catch them at one of their upcoming Summer Unity Tour dates.