311 with Dirty Heads, Ocean Alley and Rome

Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY

July 16, 2026

By Mike Perciaccante 

On a pleasant, breezy Thursday evening in mid-July, just as summer concert season reached its peak, the “So Glad You Made It Tour” rolled into Long Island’s iconic Northwell at Jones Beach Theater. 311 and Dirty Heads, with special guests Ocean Alley and Rome provided the crowd at the intimate venue by the water with a high-energy performance that evolved into a tour de force party that had near-capacity crowd dancing in the aisles. 

While many opening acts are treated as background noise while the audience members find their seats, Rome (Rome Ramirez, the former frontman of Sublime with Rome) proved that that is not always the case. Striding onto the stage as the sun began to set, his soulful vocals immediately resonated across the bay. Delivering a tight, vibe-heavy set that fit naturally into the evening's spirit, the highlights were “Break Free, “Rock You” the cover of Sublime's classic “Badfish.” Following him was the Australian outfit Ocean Alley, who brought a swirling, psychedelic jangle-pop flavor that gave the venue a dreamy, atmospheric mood.

When the lights dimmed Dirty Heads hit the stage with a relentless onslaught of hip-hop rhythms and rootsy reggae grooves. Frontmen Jared Watson’s and Dustin “Dusty” Bushnell’s energy was infectious. The audience fed off their powerful chemistry. The set was filled with feel-good, toe-tapping tunes that featured crunchy guitar riffs that kept the audience members excited and on their feet.

Finally, 311 emerged to a rapturous round of cheers. Emerging on stage a little after 9:30pm, the band again proved how and why they have a loyal fanbase. Frontman Nick Hexum and rapper/hypeman SA Martinez owned the stage stomping dancing and bopping with frantic energy. On this evening, 311 blended its patented heavy guitar riffs, rap verses, reggae grooves, and melodic hooks providing the audience with exactly what they hoped to see and hear. They opened their set with a blistering and intense rendition of “Beautiful Disaster.”

The performance was a career spanning “greatest hits” show. The expected staples like “All Mixed Up” and “Come Original” were met with ear-splittingly loud cheers. The cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong” was excellent and another  wonderful highlight. Then audience went absolutely crazy when “Applied Science” way played. The song featured an amazing and spectacular drum solo during which the other group members added themselves into the percussive spectacle.

The main set ended with “Amber” and the funky, hard-edged “Creatures (for a While).” When the band returned for a grand finale, they hit the audience with, “Down,” punctuating and ending the party at the beach on the highest of notes.