311 delivers stirring funk-rock

August 25, 2005|Globe Correspondent

MANSFIELD -- As one of the funk-rock hybrids that rode to success in the wake of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311 never quite equaled that band in terms of record sales or public awareness. But if singer Nick Hexum lacks Anthony Kiedis's sex appeal and bassist P-Nut doesn't have Flea's oddball factor, Friday's performance at the Tweeter Center revealed how the band has managed a successful career while staying mostly under the radar.

A key factor is 311's musicianship. Drawing heavily on not only funk but also Caribbean forms such as reggae, ska, and dub demands a tight rhythm section, and P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton were easily up to the task. Sexton compensated for hiding behind his kit for most of the show by taking a drum solo during ''Applied Science" that showed off what he had been doing almost invisibly, with the rest of the band eventually joining in to pound on a line of toms and cymbals that had been added at the front of the stage.

The drummer seemed otherwise content to cede the spotlight to Hexum's easygoing singing, P-Nut's stomping around in baggy shorts, Tim Mahoney's slouched guitar playing, and S.A. Martinez's rapping. The band drew from each of its nine albums, paying as much attention to its debut, ''Music," as its latest, ''Don't Tread on Me," and acknowledging its biggest seller, 1995's ''311," just long enough to play ''Down" and ''All Mixed Up."

Nü-metal survivors Papa Roach were practically coheadliners, with an hourlong set and an audience that seemed to have come as much for them as for 311. With declarations like ''This is rock 'n' roll, this is not church, ladies and gentlemen!," singer Jacoby Shaddix drew heavily from the well of metal frontman cliches, but he managed to pull off most of them. During the aptly titled ''M80 (Explosive Energy Movement)," he wandered through the crowd, high-fiving and hugging fans while fiercely screaming out the lyrics without missing a beat.

Unwritten Law opened the show with aggressive but melodic hard rock that hinted at its Warped Tour past while incorporating enough rap, ska, and hardcore to fit in with the headliners.