311 has lived up to their name with their performance at Wave in Wichita, KS on September 30th. While their set stands on its own, the show’s entire lineup was rounded out well with two opening bands that complimented the headliner.

First up was Blame My Youth, a loud and bombastic rock band that was a real crowd pleaser. The rowdy nature of their stage presence gave those in attendance the social permission to really cut loose. Lead vocalist/guitarist Sean Van Vleet remarked that, “it feels like one of those Saturday nights.” This comment was met with its fair share of cheers and drinks held in the air.

Next up on the lineup was a band that at one time may have headlined a lineup like this one, AWOLNATION. Their set was pleasing to the many fans in attendance, playing fan-fave songs like “Run” and “Sail.” The sound quality and stage presence of the entire group was good-as-ever, and the crowd pleasing set lead well into the evening’s headliner.

311 needs no introduction when it comes to live performances as this is how they’ve made a name for themselves over the last 30 years. This Wichita show was no exception, as they made very clear from the very first song, starting with “Beautiful Disaster”. This opener towed the throughline from AWOLNATION as they ended their set with “Sail” which has a similar head-banging quality to it. In keeping with this theme, they followed up “Beautiful Disaster” with even more chuggy hard-leaning songs “Freeze Time” and “Do You Right”. This is not to say that only fans of the harder stuff got their fix, as 311 is also known for their more original blend of jazzy r&b rhythms. They brought this to the table with their hit songs “All Mixed Up” and the now TikTok famous “Amber”.

Overall, the show proved to be a great way to spend a Saturday night. Something should be said for the venue, Wave for contributing to the good times. The indoor-outdoor feel of the venue along with the unique environment situated next to a train track really lent well to the vibe. This venue is quickly earning itself a reputation for bringing quality music to Wichita. This 311 show will certainly help this word-of-mouth and music fans from the area can look forward to big things coming from the scrappy independent venue.

Review & Photos by: Mitchell Arias-Elmore

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311 Throw Down a Perfect Set at Wichita's WAVE