311, the funk alt rap rock band from Nebraska, has been around a lot longer than you might imagine, and their last original hit is now 21 years old.
"Amber," the gentle, reggae-infused soft-rocker as heard on the 2004 Drew Barrymore + Adam Sandler romance flick, 50 First Dates, actually came out two years previous on the band's album From Chaos.
Recently when singer Nick Hexum sat down with Bree Wilde he seemed startled the 2002 single that went triple platinum had only just broken the top 5 of most-played 311 songs.
"I'm surprised 'Amber' is number five. Can't not play that song," he said.
"We didn't play it live at all when that album came out until it started to get a lot of radio play and we were like, 'We have to start playing this song.'" he recalled.
The band was over a dozen shows into their Fall 2001 Tour when on Sept 29 they decided to add "Amber" in the set that included faves like "Beautiful Disaster" and "All Mixed Up."
Right after the played the radio darling, "Down," the band introduced "Amber" at the Nautica Stage in Cleveland.
The tune would soar all the way to #3 on the Hot 100 chart. In 2020 the song became the band's first tune to have over 100 million streams.
Written by Hexum, the singer has never officially said who Amber is, but most speculate it was inspired by his then fiancée, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger.
311 is on the road with Awolnation. The next stops are in their hometown of Nebraska, then Kansas and Kansas City.
On October 7 they will be at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento that'll feature Guns N' Roses, Rancid, Babymetal and so many more.
Tickets available on the 311 website.
