311 and BADFLOWER "Show Review" - A Parent's Perspective

The Pop Punk Dad
Jul 10
2 min read

311 to me has always been a band synonymous with the somewhat modern hippie culture. A band, to be honest I never really got into or appreciated until after I got out of high school.

The first time I saw the band was at the 2019 Vans Warped Tour in Atlantic City right after a hurricane warning derailed the show for over an hour. The way 311 brought the crowd back to life after a hurricane nearly ripped through the Atlantic City boardwalk made me an instant fan an a forever appreciator of their music.

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025, 311 along with opening acts BADFLOWER and SITTING ON SATURN came through to Pittsburgh PA to STAGE AE on 311’s Unity Tour.

Opening supporting act SITTING ON SATURN took the stage right after a slight, random south-western PA rain drizzle. The four-piece act were the perfect blend of rock and indie, their sound landed somewhere between 311 and following act BADFLOWER. The band definitely had all of the good vibes of 311 with the aggressiveness of BADFLOWER, warming up the crowd with an around half hour set.

Next act, BADFLOWER blew me away. I recently saw them on the final day of the Sonic Temple Festival in Ohio and the way that lead singer/frontman Josh Katz could command a crowd was simply amazing. The band to me is reminiscent of a less electronic version of Twenty One Pilots with more aggression and less hip hop, but all of the heart and soul is still there. BADFLOWER ripped through a near hour set including fan favorite tracks PAWS, 30, NO PLACE LIKE HOME, and DETROIT.

311 hit the stage just as the day hit sundown. The weather was a perfect mood setter as the band jumped into opening track of the night FREEZE TIME, immediately jumping into fan favorite BEAUTIFUL DISASTER.

The entire night felt like a thank you to fans for over 20 years of dedication. 311 didn’t skip a beat and brought all of the fan favorites and even deep cuts to the forefront, with the newest song being from 2024’s Voyager album, playing track “What The?!”.

Right after that track, being a bassist myself, was a bass solo by Aaron Wills.

Check out photo gallery, highlights, and more below!

GALLERY