Sugar Ray @ The Catalyst 9/16/09

Mark McGrath takes center stage.

SANTA CRUZ - Arriving before the main event at a live gig is always a gamble. Apparently everyone decided to play it safe and wait to show up until Sugar Ray was on stage, because opening act Aimee Allen sang to a crowd you could count on two hands. Her lonely soulful voice was as sad as her numerous pleas for bar patrons to stand up and move closer. But, try as she might, she could not guilt us all into scooting forward. Decked out in a plaid shirt and studded belt, her slightly ska sound inspired one viewer to draw a comparison to Gwen Stefani. Her voice carried well over accompanying acoustic guitar, and the reggae and dubstep influences would have been well-received had their been more than 8 people present. Perhaps her single in the newly released horror film “Sorority Row” will bring her the spotlight she so desperately desires.

By the time Huntington Beach’s quartet the Dirty Heads made their way on stage, there were finally enough people present to call it a show instead of a band practice. Crowd-goers bobbed and swayed to an infusion of reggae, hip-hop,and Sublime-inspired ska punk. For a while, I was convinced that the band’s lead vocalist, Jared Watson, was actually “Jay” of “Jay and Silent Bob”, and while he did give off the same stoner vibe, there was no man-gina display; only organically rhythmic beats with that familiar laid-back So Cal surfer ambiance.

When Sugar Ray took the spotlight everybody was ready to dance, and Mark McGrath blasted onto the scene in classic black wayfarers and a swagger that let you know you were in for a real spectacle. “It feels like its time for a No. 1 song from 1999!” he shouted before busting out the catchy pop tune ‘Every Morning’ – the collective earworm for the better end of the millennia.

McGrath, at 41, is as sexy as ever, exclaming that he “even got [his] hair highlighted again!” for the tour – one which he obviously knows isn’t going to be on the cover of Rolling Stone again. There’s something to be said about not taking yourself seriously, and Sugar Ray knows this: their newly released album is called Music for Cougars. It’s been 21 years since the band formed and McGrath is still joking; in an interview with Rolling Stone by Steven Appleford, he says, “We're certainly not the most talented guys, and I can barely sing, but how about two thumbs up for just having fun?”

Indeed, it was less about high-quality tunes and more about entertainment, something McGrath knows a lot about after hosting Extra for 4 years.

The crowd this evening was a glorious mix of old and young, and as always, the Catalyst provided the perfect setting for a show.  Small enough to provide a sense of intimacy with the artist, big enough to allow ample space for dancing, and the option to sit or stand made for an ideal situation.  The stage is so close you could literally touch Mark as he belted out his catchy pop tunes.



Turntablist Craig "DJ Homicide" Bullock treated us to ridiculous classic fist-clinchers such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to fill gaps between songs; a tried-and-true method for heightening the intensity level of any average evening thanks to top-of-your-lungs scream-alongs and drunken camaraderie that simply cannot be beat.

Highlights of the evening include seeing Mark’s softer side with a tender performance of “When Its Over,” which he wrote after his first broken heart at age 21, a few crotch grabs inspired by the late great King of Pop, a freestyle karaoke battle between fans which may or may not result in some new record deals for one talented party, and, most memorably, a cover of Kid Cudi’s “Day and Night”. A memorable night and an homage to the nineties, the finale was an extended version of the hit “Fly”, and the only thing that topped that was UCSC student Bryan Strauss’s belly, which read “Do Me Mark!”





Publication on UCSC's City On A Hill Press website pending editorial approval.