One of my dreams came true last week. Actually, two. The first was seeing 311 live. 311 have been a big part of my life for nearly 30 years, giving countless moments of joy and happiness with their awesome music. They last came to rock Australia in January 1998 and teenage me was able to see them in Melbourne as part of the Vans Warped festival. I’ve been part of the 311 Australia club since around 2005/6, when it was a small forum, and have been active on the Facebook group for the best part of the last 10-12 years.
It was an average day in August where I saw that epic alert – 311 are returning to Australia to play the Good Things Festival. Huh? Am I dreaming? Is this real? I gotta go. As soon as tickets went on sale I got mine. As much as Misa-chan protested (But you saw Mr Bungle in Osaka!), I can’t miss 311, not after 27 years.
I think it was late October or early November they announced some “side shows” – 311 were now playing in Brisbane. Again, I can’t miss it. Seeing 311 playing in a proper music venue is going to be way better than any music festival, right? Right!
So last Sunday I made my way to Nambour Station and hopped on the train, destination Bowen Hills. It was a two hour train ride down to Brisbane, with the carriage getting more crowded at every station. I picked the best seat, because the one next to me had old chewing gum on it and nobody sat down. Get to Bowen Hills, and another fifteen minutes of walking in the heat and I was at the RNA Showgrounds. Despite what the Good Things Festival website, Facebook and FAQs pages said, selfie sticks weren’t allowed. It was either toss it out or take it to the cloak room… for ten dollars. Cloak room it unfortunately was. The next security guard didn’t check my bag, so I was bummed that I’d wasted money.
It was 35°C in the shade and I had a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeve shirt and a ton of sunscreen on, I didn’t get burnt, which was great, but I did sweat a lot. Got to drink around 3 litres of water, and at 2:00pm it was time to leave the shade for the sunshine. I was able to stand on the barrier, to the side. Then 27 years of waiting came to an end.
311 played their classics, plus a newer song or two. It was really enjoyable, and at 3:00pm it was over. I didn’t need to see any other bands at the festival, but I still don’t consider it a waste of $250 (including selfie stick cloak room fee). I got some 360 degree video which you can play, and scroll by swiping your finger. Not sure if it lets you do that on this page, but on YouTube mobile it definitely does. I made it home around 6:30pm and got to enjoy the air con.
Then it was Tuesday. 311 live at The Triffid in Brisbane. I hate driving in Brisbane, but I prepared myself for this. The drive went pretty smooth, except the last 20km I could only see grey and the red from people’s tail lights – the rain was so heavy! I got to park at Gasworks shopping centre, stop at Woolworths for a Pepsi Max and protein bar, then got a message that the 311 Australia Facebook group will be meeting at a pub around the corner from The Triffid. I met some people there I’d known for years by name, but had never met, so it was really good. Just before 6:00pm we walked over to The Triffid for our VIP entry.
Waiting around for a little bit, we got let inside and had our meet and greet with 311. Wow. Dream come true. I know meeting your heores can be a nasty experience, but they were kind, down to earth, and Tim took a keen interest in my camera. The photos came out terrible, but I could get a few screenshots from the video, so it wasn’t all bad. I also have an autographed tour poster and lanyard/pass.
The concert was epic, one of the best I’ve ever been to. The support band, Heartline, was also pretty good, but their music sounds more suited to 2005. Still very enjoyable. But 311? Wow. Just wow. I had the best time ever. 10/10. Again they played all the usual hits, plus some newer songs and a few random ones. I especially loved P-Nut’s bass solo, and Applied Science with the ten minute long drum solo.
It was 90 minutes of pure enjoyment, one of the top 5 concerts I’ve ever been to. I’m hoping it’s not another 27 years until they come back, we’ll all be in our 70s then. I don’t know if I can rock out at that age.
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