Photo Galleries in this article: 311, Dirty Heads, Ocean Alley, ROME
311 and Dirty Heads have teamed up this summer for the “So Glad You Made It” tour, bringing a blend of reggae, hip-hop, alt-rock, and most importantly chill vibes to Spokane’s Northern Quest Casino. Along for the ride were Rome and Australia’s Ocean Alley. Spokane has recently been hit hard by fires over the last couple of weeks. As the area recovers and air quality improves, the thousands in attendance were ready to take in the good energy all four bands were more than happy to provide. The energy was positive and electric as the sun started to set on the outdoor amphitheater.
Rome Ramirez, the former frontman of Sublime with ROME now touring with his solo project ROME, opened the night with his signature reggae dub-style sounds. Featuring a full band with everything a tour like this needs to get the party started early, with various drums, keys, a brass section, and Rome taking the lead guitar and vocals. It’s no surprise he would be tapped for a tour of this style, and the early crowd, you could tell was pleased as they swayed and danced along to the music. He brought out some original tracks from his debut solo E.P. Gemini, a few originals from his time in Sublime with Rome, and the classic Sublime song “Badfish”.
ROME
For the first leg of the “So Glad You Made It” tour, 311 & Dirty Heads brought in Ocean Alley from down under in Australia. A mix, a welcomed blend of psychedelic rock, fit in well with the night’s vibe that had been building. I had not heard Ocean Alley prior to the evening, but the energy was great, and I enjoyed what I heard. I will be putting them on my summer music playlist for when you want to just hang out and enjoy a nice sunny day on the water.
Ocean Alley
On this co-headlining tour, 311 and Dirty Heads are alternating who closes out the night, making for a fun surprise for fans about which band comes out first. On this night, 311 took the first slot, opening immediately with fan favorites “Beautil Disaster,” “All Mixed Up,” and “Come Original.” 311 continues to evolve over the years, from heavy guitars and hip-hop verses to the groovy bass lines of bassist Peanut. The back-and-forth between the vocals of S.A. Martinez and Nick Hexum is a flow that 311 has perfected over the past 36 years.
The fan favorites continued through the night, with a beautifully lit stage, a large LED board bringing a trippy and entrancing presence to the stage. At around the halfway point of the set, drummer Chad Sexton kicked into a heart-pounding drum solo as the band momentarily left the stage. Each kick of the drum echoed off the casino walls of the outdoor venue, with Sexton moving through various styles of drumming, his talents on full display. At a point, the drumming turned much like an industrial rave, the lights lowered, and fans from the band’s VIP experience came on stage with glowing inflated sticks, clapping them together to the beat of the drums. The grand finale of the drum solo saw various percussion instruments rolled on the stage as all members of 311 took the stage and joined in playing drums, crashing cymbals in a timed and choreographed performance for the audience. Following the drum solo, 311 continues the party before wrapping up with fan-favorite tracks Amber and Down.
311
I can see why Dirty Heads and 311 have toured together on several occasions; there is plenty of overlap in their music styling and fanbases, while still bringing their own unique flavor to their sets. Dirty Heads closing out the evening brought those summer night vibes. It felt like we should be out on a beach, enjoying the ocean waves crashing at high tide. Like 311, the shared vocals of Jared Watson and Dustin Bushnell bring a welcoming blend of hip-hop and reggae that just puts you in a good mood.
Dirty Heads had a couple of surprises lined up for their set, bringing out Rome to join in on the song “Lay Me Down” and 311’s Nick Hexum was brought out to join in on the tour’s namesake “So Glad You Made It”. While speaking to the crowd, Bushnell again addressed the love the crowd was showing in the face of the community being hit by fires. Saying that though we couldn’t see the stars tonight through the smoke, he wanted us to make our own stars, asking us to bring out the lights on our phones. with hundreds of glowing white lights filling the amphitheater, they broke into my personal favorite track of the band’s “Moontower”.
Dirty Heads
The love was felt all night, with each band giving their all. 311 and Dirty Heads put on proper headlining performances, filled with just good vibes and nothing being taken away from the other. If the order had been reversed, it wouldn’t have mattered to the crowd. From the opening guitar riff from ROME to the good nights of the evening, it was just one big party with smiles on everyone’s face.
The “So Glad You Made It” North America tour continues through the end of August, wrapping up in West Palm Beach, Florida. Starting on August 18, Ocean Alley will be dropping off the tour with Atmosphere coming on to finish out the remainder of the dates. A full list of dates, tickets, and VIP packages can be purchased by visiting 311 or Dirty Heads respective websites.
