Sugar Ray falls victim to own excess
Paradise, Boston, August 4, 2009
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
Sugar Ray was out of action for six years before releasing their CD, "Music for Cougars," a few weeks ago. The CD sounds good and continues their good-time, easy-going sound. After a few multi-platinum CDs in the late '90s, a long break and the music business being what it is, Sugar Ray is trying to restart its engine.
They seemed well on their way from the start with lead singer Mark McGrath taking over and singing with conviction. They did not waste any time delving into their hits either with Every Morningthe second song played. That could have been dicey playing such a big hit so early but they continued on solid footing with Answer the Phone and another hit, When It's Over.
Sugar Ray played very few songs from the new disc. The single Boardwalk sounded good, but they mainly relied on their catalogue.
While satisfying for a stretch, McGrath's initial strength pretty much became the band's downfall. He came off as a very affable appreciative sort. Even though the crowd may not have been large, he was glad that they were there. At one point, he ventured into the crowd to get a drink, shaking hands, doling out hugs and giving his John Doe.
But his appreciation bordered on being too much as he went on and on thanking fans. It wasn't quite pandering, but his sunny disposition eventually grew thin.
The low point came when he introduced the other four band members saying, "He's a registered sex offender." It wasn't exactly clear what the humor was in introducing his mates like that.
And why bother to play the songs courtesy of DJ Homicide of Journey, Guns 'N Roses and others in between their songs.
The energy level dissipated thanks to a karaoke contest between two fans who went on stage to demonstrate their stuff. Carlos clearly was better than his counterpart and came off as professional. Yet, it did nothing to add to the Sugar Ray's music and ultimately led to head scratching.
Too bad. Sugar Ray had been away for along time and showed they had not missed a beat. For a while anyway. The doorman on the way out may have had it just right when he said the music was fit for a college dorm room.
Fastball preceded Sugar Ray with an on-target 30-minute set. The trio (augmented in concert by a bassist) has been together with the same line-up for about 15 years and one huge huge hit to their names (The Way), but don't think of these guys as one-hit wonders (in reality, they have had other songs make the charts, but none were as big).
Fastball, which released its first album in five years, "Little White Lies," earlier this year, offers guitar-based pop songs. The melodies were catchy, with enough guitar to give the material the needed bite. Both vocalists Miles Zuniga and Tony Scalzo capably handled lead vocal chores.
To their credit The Way, a great, extremely catchy pop song, which could strangle a band, did not feel perfunctory. The crowd singing along doubtlessly helped contribute to what proved to be a most enjoyable set.
