Sugar Ray
Orlando Florida Guide
Sugar
Ray
Concert Review
Sugar Ray at the TD Waterhouse Centre
July 2, 2003
Bouncing
out underneath a neon Sugar Ray sign, Mark McGrath stood in front of a
stage that could only belong to a band with the eclectic mix that Sugar
Ray features. Red chili pepper lights hung from over top of a bar, where
a
bartender in a light-up sombrero made what McGrath called “Gatorade…with
a kick!”
So was the beginning of the set from Sugar Ray Thursday night at the T.D.
Waterhouse Center. The crowd came to see Matchbox 20, but seemed excited
to see McGrath and his cohorts perform as well. Their first song had a
dance feel to it and the crowd jumped to their feet as DJ Homicide scratched
and McGrath began dancing. Moving right into familiar material, they moved
into catchy tune
“Answer the Phone” and “When it’s Over.” It was
during the third song when I began to wonder when Sugar Ray began using
a DJ for ALL their songs. They used the DJ so much that their drummer,
Stan Frazier, actually came out from
behind the drum set and played guitar for a good portion of the evening.
In
what might be a controversial statement these days, McGrath followed the
hit “Someday” by telling the crowd to go out and pick up their
new album, “In the Pursuit of Leisure,” but if they couldn’t
pick it up, to download it!
After a few more songs, the band decided to confuse the crowd by going
back to their 1995 album “Lemonade and Brownies” by playing
“Mean Machine.” The song hits hard and fast and its punk rock
roots show why McGrath dedicated it to the Ramones, but it left the crowd
looking bewildered. But no worries- Sugar Ray just had to let off a little
steam before finishing up their set with “Fly.”
The crowd recovered quickly and loved the fact that McGrath walked to
the back of the floor area and let a little girl sing into the microphone.
Overall, Sugar Ray did just what they came to do- please the crowd with their hits.
By April Kieffer - Orlando Florida Guide - All Rights Reserved
Visit the official Sugar Ray web site.
Visit our Orlando Music Calendar.
