July 26th, Wantagh, NY - On another beautiful night in Wantagh, people of all ages stood in front of the stage at Jones Beach waiting to hear the sounds of alternative hip hop, mixed in with a bit of reggae and ska, and a dash of some funk.
LA based surf-pop trio Bikini Trill started off the evening. They've been compared to the likes of No Doubt and Thievery Corporation. Dreamers hit the stage next - they were picked out of over 500 bands to open for Stone Temple Pilots back in 2015.
Next up was The Interrupters, currently promoting their new album "Fight the Good Fight". They had the crowd moving and dancing from the first note of "A Friend Like Me". They jumped around on stage belting out the lyrics to "Take Back the Power", which was featured in commercials for T-Mobile and in Shameless. They closed with their latest hit, "She's Kerosene" and like the title says, they were on fire.
Smoke started to appear and bursts of red light gave the impression of fire on the stage. For The Dirty Heads, it only made sense to start off their set with "Burn Slow". As they transitioned into their next song, fast white lights flashed the stage, everyone looking around ready to take cover from lightning. They played a strong set, including Dance all Night, Your Love and Lay Me Down.
A countdown appeared on stage. Everyone was anxious and ready. The clock neared zero, the lights dimmed and 311 hit the stage. Singer and guitarist, Nick Hexum, looked very "James Dean-ish" in his jeans and white t-shirt. They performed some of their bigger hits like "All Mixed Up", "Beautiful Disaster" and "Come Original" early, which drew a huge response from the audience.
S.A. Martinez worked the stage flawlessly, while belting out his unique vocals during each song. Fans were singing along and dancing non-stop. You can tell how much he puts into each and every performance by his sweat-soaked shirts.
One of the highlights of the show was during a drum solo started by Chad Sexton. Drums were rolled out on stage and the other members quickly joined in. It wasn't long before they were tossing and twirling drumsticks in the air. It was an epic performance.
311 have been around longer than some of their fans have been alive. Their chemistry on stage is what keeps the fans coming back for more, and bringing their kids with them.
Photos by Cindy Goldman