The tour where there’s no place for encores because they play all the hits anyway hit Meijer Gardens on Monday. It was all about nostalgia and ‘flashbacks to high school’ for many.
The “Under the Sun Tour” is unapologetic in its intentions.
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Since 2013, the ’90s nostalgia tour founded by Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray has brought out a collection of bands every summer to play all the hits from their heyday.
To be sure, the 2015 tour that made a stop at a sold-out Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park with Eve 6, Better Than Ezra, Uncle Kracker, and of course, Sugar Ray, seems like an odd line-up, one primarily connected by the peak of each act’s relevancy.
But maybe that’s all you need to bring out 1,900 people on a Monday night.
The show certainly lived up to its name with mostly clear skies and sunshine throughout the vening and just a hint of a breeze. The capacity crowd wasn’t just teens from the ’90s grown older but a mix of those too young to see the bands before, those who want to relive the glory days and those too old the first time around but don’t care anymore.
Still, nostalgia was the operative word, with most eager for an evening that transported them back in time, or as McGrath put it, back “when MTV still played music videos.” You know, flashbacks to high school, class songs, mock elections . . .
MOST SCHOOL SPIRIT: EVE 6
The guys from Eve 6, the trio from Southern California, kicked it all off by wearing the ’90s on their sleeves with tight jeans, punk hair and a steady flow of radio hits. The highlight: “Here’s to the Night,” which probably served as the Class Song for 50 percent of the audience. Out of all the nights’ performers, they remained the most visible product of the decade that brought them success.
CLASS CLOWN: BETTER THAN EZRA
The pop-rockers from New Orleans came equipped with as many jokes as they did chart toppers. Immediately, fans rose to their feet for renditions of “Good” and “Desperately Wanting” that sounded just as they remembered them. But playing their own No. 1 hits from the ’90s wasn’t enough for Better Than Ezra. Bits of “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground, “What I Got” by Sublime, and “Laid” by James added to the already overflowing MTV concoction of music. With the demeanor of a goofball in an unaired NBC comedy pilot, lead singer Kevin Griffin improved verses about meeting a woman in the botanical gardens and invited female fans in the crowd to join the band on stage to dance during a mash-up of hits, including “Rapper’s Delight.” Any band that closes its set with an all-cowbell drum solo is automatically the goofiest on the bill.
MOST THEATRICAL: SUGAR RAY
Frontman and show emcee Mark McGrath changed outfits three times during the 3-1/2-hour show, brought up his acting stints in three equally unnecessary sequels (“Joe Dirt 2,” “Sharknado 2,” and “Sharknado 3”), brought himself to tears in a short monologue about leaving his kids before tour, and covered more stage during Sugar Ray’s 45-minute set than any of the other bands. And the crowd loved it. The crowd sang along to sweet, ear-worm singles such as “Every Morning,” “Fly” and “Someday,” and the band couldn’t resist the urge to throw in some covers for good measure: EMF’s “Unbelievable” and Sublime’s “What I Got,” a song so nice, it got covered twice. Sugar Ray earned its keep as a tour mainstay and showed that, yes, people love the hits.
MOST LIKELY TO NEVER CHANGE: UNCLE KRACKER
The true oddball of the tour, Uncle Kracker’s hits technically didn’t climb the charts until 2001 and after. And he stood out in another way Monday night: Due to whatever reason, the Detroit native’s set began almost 15 minutes behind schedule. As such, zero space was given in between songs for banter or what not, each song rolling into the next. His spot closing the evening came with an equal amount of benefits as it did drawbacks. The crowd began to thin before and during Uncle Kracker’s set possibly to avoid traffic or just because they had gotten tired of playing how-long-can-we-wait-till-he-plays-“Follow Me.” Fortunately, those that did stay were in great spirits due to having a few spirits of their own, making the feel-good, relaxed-vibe signature to all of his songs resonate with the crowd. Uncle Kracker found what works for him a long time ago and stayed the the course, with minor twists and turns here and there.
QUIPS AND QUOTES
“This Meijer Gardens amphitheater is a classy joint.” – Mark McGarth
“I liked them when I was a lot younger. They put on a good show.” – Fan Jason Weller of Grandville on many in the crowd’s favorite, Better Than Ezra
“Thank you Michigan, it’s been a long time coming. Just as beautiful as I remember you.” – Uncle Kracker on time spent back in his home state
PHOTO GALLERY: Under the Sun Tour (Aug. 10, 2015)
Photos by Anthony Norkus