311 Concert Rocks New Orleans (August 04, 2017)

27 Years as a band from Omaha, 311 can still put on a kick-ass show

By: Peter Egan

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Hi, my name is Peter Egan. On Friday, August 04, 2017, I was privileged to experience my tenth 311 concert. Of the ten, two were 311 Day (March 11) shows in New Orleans, and the two are easily the two best concerts I've ever had the pleasure of being in attendance.

311 Performs in New Orleans

I'm a huge 311 fan, as you might have guessed by the fact that I know every lyric to every song they've ever written as a band, and have seen them in concert ten - TEN - times. To put that into perspective, the next closest bands for whom I've seen live performances, are Pearl Jam with three and No Doubt with two. I've always wanted to see an Incubus show, but the logistics have never worked out.

Peter Egan and friends at 311 show in NOLA

The concert wasn't among the best 311 shows I've been to (having seen two 311 days, albeit I've yet to make the 311 Day cruise when the band opts for that instead of a mega-concert, typically involving them performing for 4-5 hours. The set list was a mere 24 songs, nine of which were from 311's most recent album (it debuted about a month ago), "Mosaic."

I found it a bit odd that 311 did not play a single song from any of their most recent studio albums prior to Mosaic. I just hope the set list was assembled to make the most members of the audience happy, and not a reflection of the band's perception of their four albums preceding Mosaic.

311 Symbol at start of concert when the band first took the stage.

It was a good show. All things considered I'd rate it an 8/10. I've been to better 311 shows and I've been to at least one that left me unsatisfied.

Choosing Champions Square near the Superdome for the venue was a great idea. The acoustics were spectacular, and I found there to be better sound quality than any of the shows I've attended next door at the Smoothie King Center.

Nick Hexum singing at 311 concert in New Orleans - 2017 Mosaic Tour

As long as these guys keep making new music and going on tour, performing live, I'll keep buying those digital downloads and concert tickets.

Modern Poetry in the Age of Technology

Technology and Modern Poetry

Technological advancements of the past two decades have spawned what future generations may come to view historically as a great poetic Renaissance of sorts.
The ability for a writer to instantly publish his or her work and make it instantly available at light-speed to a given or potential audience, has allowed artists world-wide a historically-unprecedented wherewithal (and incentive) to write and publish regularly.

The unprecedented volume of material out there (which grows larger every minute) does make it difficult for an artist to make a name for his or herself, as well as for those who appreciate such art forms to quickly and readily identify the best of the best of today's poets.

Time will make up for these human shortcomings, and today's greats will ultimately be found and remembered.
The following is an excerpt from the previous post, including a brief poem I wrote about technology and poetry:

A Poem about Poets, Poetry and the Age of the Internet

From the perspective of a non-poet who has become a fan of an internet-age poet, I wrote the following in dedication to Mystic Dave, who was the subject of my previous post appearing on this blog entitled: Mystical Poetry: On MysticDave and W.B. Yeats.

I certainly do not possess Dave's poetic ability, so if you're expecting to be bowled over by the following, you may want to readjust your expectations before reading.

That said, I thought it would only be appropriate if I at least made an attempt at expressing my thoughts on the matter in an artistic form before wrapping up this post.  So without further adieu, I present to you the following:

On the Artists of Poetry

'Tis a shame and great many a pity
Taketh the world, often more than a century
To fully appreciate the writings so many
From the countless great linguists - the fine artists of poetry