311

Each year 311 is on tour, they make a stop at the Comcast Center to their large New England fan base’s pleasure. This past year was no different when Sublime graced the stage along with 311 in Mansfield this July.

Expectations were high, as they always are for the signature concert, and 311 did not fail. The energy was pulsing in the stadium nonstop throughout the night whether it was their calming single “Amber” or the more intense single “Jackpot”.

Lead singer Nick Hexum belted his notes as a laser show erupted on stage completely captivating the audience.

The night mounted to a standing ovation-worthy climax as lead guitarist P-nut brought the crowds to overjoyed screams at his guitar solo. Junior Gideon Bernstein said, “P-nut’s bass solo was so crazy I completely forgot where I was and everything around me.”

Countryfest

    Countryfest: the concert at Gillette Stadium the end of every August that country fans flock to from all over New England.

Most country fans honor this concert as the highlight of their summer and this year as Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney lived up to that standard on both nights of Aug. 27 & 28. With the threat of Hurricane Irene so imminent that weekend, the Sunday show was moved to Friday, much to the pleasure of the fans anxiously awaiting the arrival of the concert.

Zac Brown Band played while the sun was still up and despite the fact that not everyone had taken their seats for the main event, Kenny Chesney, the audience was still heard singing along with the up-and-coming country band.

As the sun set, the audience settled in their seats, but not for long. As soon as Kenny Chesney and his cowboy hat appeared on stage, Gillette was on its feet and screaming.

Kenny opened his act by sitting in a chair that was suspended from above and pulled him out above the heads of the crowd. After making his way back to the stage he continued to play without a break until the end of the official concert around 9:45 pm.

Although his official set was over, the concert did not stop there. Hoots and hollers were constant as Kenny walked off the stage until, eventually, amidst all of the racket, Kenny emerged again. The crowd reacted as if it was the first time they’d seen him all night.

The crowd was on its feet with lighters in the air for the sentimental single “She’s From Boston”, after which Kenny expressed how important his Boston fan base was to him and how much he enjoyed playing, especially for this crowd.