311 | Ventura

After touring with Bryan Adams for 3 years as well as the Allman Brothers, Blues Traveler, The Spin Doctors, Sugar Ray, Shaggy, Sass Jordan, James Taylor, and Guns and Roses, among others, I was psyched to be heading out on the 311 tour.
The year was 1995 and a song called "Down" was being played all the time on the radio.
"oh that's 311 !"
Somehow I hadn't heard very much of 311's music, but everything I'd heard about them sounded great. Most of the artists I'd traveled with played practically, if not exactly the same set of music, night after night. I liken it to Chinese water torture. I had heard that 311 was different. Down, sounded good, although at the time, I think I still really liked Blues Traveler and Phish, and remembered fondly the days in the of the late '80's ,when I would spend a week or so following the Grateful Dead. I, at that young age, was not as “dead” a “head” as were so many whom I partied with during those summers. I didn't know the stats of the last time they played “St. Stephen”, when they apparently did, at Saratoga Springs NY one night. Jerry Garcia, was always gray when I'd seen the band. Still, those were some of the BEST road trips I'll barely remember. Those trips were made in the company of old friends, girlfriends, and usually new friends met at the last show. We had no backstage access, and traveled in an 1972 Dodge Econoline with a couch that was moved to the roof of the van at each concert parking lot. Those were the last summers that places like Oxford Plains Maine ever let, people camp for days around festivals, or the Grateful Dead to come back. Those were the best fireworks I have ever seen in my life.

I'd heard that 311 played a different set every night, that their music was positive and full of energy and power, and that people followed the tour.

When I arrived in LA, the first crew member I met , was Yeti. He was in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the bus to arrive. He wanted to be sure to beat Scotch (Ralston), Trevor, and the other crew to a good bunk. (A good bunk is an arguable matter. Though the top bunks do have their disadvantages, at least no one is ever using the edge of your bunk to climb, thereby wiping their nasty tour-toe cheese on the edge of your bed.)
Yeti immediately gave me an extra 311 laminate he had on his lanyard from the last leg of the tour, which was very generous and unexpected. I appreciated his immediate friendliness. Yeti was about 200 lbs and covered in tattoos, shaved head, and looked as though he could tear my head off with a backhand. He was in contrast kind of a gentle guy. Though an avid mouth breather, I think he was smarter than many of the others of 311's early crew. In retrospect, I think Yeti, always honest, wanted to make a gesture of good will toward me with the laminate, after divulging his otherwise covert intentions of beating the rest of the crew to the brand new tour bus. He knew I was no “bunk” competition as the new guy, especially since I'd be driving the truck. He also knew that I was now in charge of all the cool swag that 311 carries on tour. Having the last tours laminate was an unusual gesture to a new guy from another crew member. I liked collecting the tour passes I had gotten over the years, and rarely if ever acquired one from a tour I had not been on.

The next day was my first show with 311. I arrived driving a 24 foot Ryder truck, packed the night before by Yeti, Trevor, Yonnie, and others full of 311's gear and merchandise. I arrived at 8 am for a 9 o'clock load in. I walked out on the beach at the Ag. Center in Ventura and bought some coffee. I noticed some fans hanging around already. I went inside and met the local crew chief. I told him I expected the the bus with 311's crew to arrive soon, before 9 am................
At 9:20 20 local stagehands were standing on the stage doing nothing (being paid by 311 and the promoter ), and asking me where 311's crew was. Other than t-shirts, I had no idea, where any of the road cases were supposed to go. Additionally, I did'nt know the local stagehands any better than I know 311's crew, and I'd be damned if I was going to be blamed if anything came out of the truck and went missing on the first day, probably paranoid, but nonetheless. I waited......I decided at 9:45 to back the truck up to the stage, and sit on top of it, and watch the cases be rolled off by the locals and try to keep an eye on all of them. Soon there after came Yonnie, Adam, Yeti, the rest etc. late, and relieved that the truck was being unloaded. Adam (311's manager) turned to Yonnie ( 311 tourmanager) and said “he's hired”. Yonnie, stearnly retorted- "I Already hired him." It was so close to a "thank-you" that I have always remembered it.

The show that night was breathtaking to me. The crowd was so friendly, and in love with the band. The band played amazingly. After the show, the crowd waited patiently in line and bought a ton of merchandise. I heard many people mention how they had been fans of 311 way before "Down" was popular. They were the "Grassroots". Yet they seemed to welcome the new comers with smiles. They smelled like patchouli sometimes, but seemed to not mind Korn and Rage.
This was truly a different band, and their fans.
And so my trip began.


CHECK BACK SOON FOR SOME VERY RARE AUCTIONS OF 311 COLLECTIBLES FROM MY PRIVATE COLLECTION.