Unity Tour with 311 and Slightly Stoopid

The fans could not have asked for a better day to unite at the lawn August 14th to enjoy the divergent sounds of 311 and Slightly Stoopid.  The weather was perfect as friends met up for the opening act Aggrolites, a reggae/ska band hailing out of Los Angeles.  Though many of the concert goers had not made their way in quite this early, those who were present enjoyed themselves as they danced and played some hacky sack to the fantastic vocal harmonies and dirty reggae beats of the Aggrolites.  Especially enjoyable were the opener “Free Time” and the Beatles cover “Don’t let me down” which had a noticeable reggae twist.

            Next, California reggae took root as Slightly Stoopid followed with more laid back tunes, including some unfamiliar tunes off their new album “Top of the World” which was released the very same day.  Though it may be easy to dismiss the guys as another pot praising party band, the tracks from the new album are sheer brilliance.  “Till it gets wet” is a fast paced, skate punk number which really got the crowd moving.  “Top of the World” is a groovin’ horn heavy laid back tune, which I could easily see becoming a favorite of fans. 

            Slightly Stoopid also played some classic favorites and covers, including “Dancing Mood” featuring Jesse from Aggrolites, “Baby I like it Raw” an O.D.B. cover and “Express Yourself” a cover of the great Charles Wright song. The band also played “Wicked Rebel” a classic that could easily be heard at nearly any college town house party. Based on the fervor with which the crowd was dancing and a noticeable thick cloud of smoke overhead there was no question that they were in the stoopid mood.

            Slightly Stoopid always keeps up the energy on stage, transitioning between Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald who seamlessly swap between guitar, bass, and lead vocals from song to song. The sax and trumpet also permit enjoyable old school hip hop teases from the likes of Notorious B.I.G. and Outkast, and the constant touring to refine their performances ensures that almost all of their songs live are far superior to their album versions.  All in all Slightly Stoopid transformed what could have been a run of the mill Tuesday night into a fun loving dance inspiring evening.

Next up was 311, who has built a solid reputation for stylistic range, deft musicianship and a fiery live show and boy did these guys came out shredding with “Beautiful Disaster”. They moved into the wildly popular “All mixed up” which enthralled the crowd and “Sunset in July” despite it being August, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect as the song, with its tight timing and feel good lyrics which was playing contemporaneously with a sensational sunset.