311 jams their way into July at Stage AE

Summer is here (whether we like the way it arrived or not), and that means more than just scorching temperatures. There are also pool parties, long drives with the windows down and lazy, sunny afternoons to look forward to. And, of course, summer jams to soundtrack it all.

Few bands in the past three decades have perfected the genre as well as Omaha, Neb., reggae-rap-rock band 311.

After all, they’ve recorded a song called “Sunset in July.”

As the band’s co-lead vocalist Nick Hexum pointed out onstage at the band’s Tuesday night headlining show at Stage AE, 311 recently celebrated 35 years as a band. During that tenure, they’ve released 14 albums — several of which went platinum. They’re also celebrating 30 years since their breakout self-titled record.

With enduring hits including “All Mixed Up,” “Down” and “Amber,” the positive rockers have maintained a passionate following, as evidenced by the packed outdoor space at their Pittsburgh show.

No knock to 311, but their openers were just as delightful as the headliners. Sitting on Saturn was first up, dishing up a succession of earworms including “Creme Brulee” and “I Need a Nap.” They even added in a medley of “dad rock” (their words, not mine) that combined Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” and Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town.”

The second opener was greeted with a warm reception; quite a few fans seemed to be there just to see them. Hard rock band Badflower’s music is a little less of a party mood, but their lead singer had plenty of nice things to say about Pittsburgh. “There are two types of people in the world,” he quipped. “There are losers, and there are yinzers.”

They combined clever, sincere lyrics with killer guitar riffs to please their admirers and win over some new ones.

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The five-piece headlining band kicked off their set at just about 9 p.m., with a chugging guitar and Hexum’s shout of “Pittsburgh, are you ready?”

Hexum has a mellifluous voice that fits well with the reggae inclinations of the band, and his co-vocalist SA Martinez hit the turntable for some record scratch accents and to pump up the crowd with his fast rapping and energy. “Freeze Time” was a great first song, accentuating the band’s talents and the crowd’s eagerness to sing along.

While 311 has a wealth of tunes with infectious riffs and head-banging choruses — second song “Beautiful Disaster” comes to mind — they also have breezy jams that are perfect for a sticky summer night. “8:16 am,” from their 1994 album “Grassroots,” was a mellow, feel-good track, and toward the end of the show, early-aughts hit “Amber” got the whole crowd singing and swaying along.

Neither Hexum or Martinez were afraid to act as hype men for themselves or each other, bounding and dancing around the stage with pure enthusiasm and joy. The other three members rocked out, too, radiating a wave of positivity from the stage.

And bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Willis really got a moment to shine, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with a lengthy bass solo that found him silhouetted in a spotlight alone onstage. From funky licks to low notes that had the ground trembling, he showed off a range of skills with the instrument. Later, drummer Chad Sexton had a similarly epic solo run where he mesmerized with tireless movement — eventually being joined by the other four members of the band on multiple percussion instruments. They even tossed and juggled drumsticks to each other while keeping the fast-paced beat.

Lead guitarist Tim Mahoney shone in songs like “One and the Same,” where a ladder of a pre-chorus guitar riff combusted into an explosive chorus. He also added necessary flair to less hard-rock songs, especially 311’s hit cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong.” He also was the backstop of harder songs including “You’re Not Gonna Get It,” which had the crowd clapping along to the beat as he ripped through the verses.

In the bouncy banger “All Mixed Up,’ the whole band pitched in to create a live performance even better than the recorded version.

There were definitely a few filler songs that felt like they went on for too long, but the audience was dancing along and full of good vibes all along the way.

“We’ve had a great time rocking with your for awhile,” Hexum declared before ending the pre-encore set with “Creatures (For a While),” a tune designed to play over the end credits of a movie with a happy ending.

The encore highlighted the dichotomy of their discography, starting with the tropical breeze of “Stealing Happy Hours,” which grooved gently with some record scratchs sprinkled in from Martinez. At its close, Hexum dedicated the night’s last song to “the old-school 311 fans.” It was house party hit “Down,” which allowed Martinez and Hexum to tag team the vocals as they strode and bopped over the whole stage.

After bringing in July with a blast, 311 headed offstage with Hexum’s parting words: “Stay positive!”