Sugar Ray, Everclear, Lit, Sponge – Utica NY

The Summerland Tour featuring Sugar Ray, Everclear, Lit and Sponge rolled into the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Thursday night. Summerland is the brainchild of Everclear vocalist, Art Alexakis, that began in 2012 as a way to bring those 1990’s hits back on the road to an arena near you….

The lights went down and it was like stepping back in time to 1998 – to a place that no matter where you were, what you were doing, you would hear Sugar Ray, Everclear, Lit or Sponge’s hits being played! And now you can relive those moments as the Summerland Tour is coming to a city near you.

Sponge was first to take the stage…Kicking off the night with ever popular “Wax Ecstatic” and then going straight into “16 Candles” The night was off to a great start, and it only gets better from here. I forgot that they did the theme song to “Speed Racer” cartoon, that was popular on MTV in the 90’s. They closed out the night with the infamous, “Plowed” that left you wanting more.

Live they were tight as ever and entertaining to watch. Vocalist Vinnie Dombroski would whip his mic cord all around creating giant waves on stage, slamming his mic stand to the closing beats and eventually doing something more rock-n-roll than ever, at the end of Sponge’s set, he broke his mic stand, bending the bar in two. I’ve seen smashed guitars but a smashed mic stand, that was a first!

Sponge returns to the studio to record their 8th studio album. You can get a look into their recording process as they are running a pledge music campaign, “The Beer Sessions” where they take you behind the scenes and show you the bare bones of recording each song. More info here.

Next up was Lit! Hailing from sunny California, these guys still know how to rock! They had alot of energy on the stage, getting the crowd pumped. They would jump up and down on stage, getting the crowd to jump with them. They are a fun performance all the way around.

They played those Lit faves – “Zip-Lock” and “Miserable,” adding in a few new songs “Bikini Top” and “Easy” before closing out their set with the ever timeless “My Own Worst Enemy.”

Lit is currently out on tour in support of their latest album, “The View from the Bottom.” They have been working on new music since last fall in Nashville, TN – Let’s hope a new album will be around the corner.

Third on the stage was Everclear! They came out to rock and rock and its what they did! They performed hit after hit like “So Much For The Afterglow,” “Everything to Everyone,” ” Wonderful,” “AM Radio,” “I Will Buy You a New Life” and “Father of Mine” – just to name a few. They had wonderful crowd interaction, addressing the audience in between songs which made a more personal and memorable night. You could tell that they truly love what they are doing and it poured off the stage into the crowd! Their energy was infectious. A highlight was when they started doing mini solos and shredding guitars on stage. They really had an engaging set to watch and sing along to. They closed out the night with the song that really put Everclear on the map – “Santa Monica.”

Everclear is out in support of their latest album, “Black is the New Black.” After Summerland, Everclear will be returning to the NorthEast as they will be performing at Taste of Greater Danbury in Danbury, CT on Sept 10 and 11th, 2016.

Headlining the night was Sugar Ray. Full of energy, they took the stage with the summer classic “Someday” before going into “Answer The Phone.” Vocalist Mark McGrath explained how it was written back in the day when people had landline phones, before social media, for the younger fans. They continued on with the hits – including “Every Morning,” “When It’s Over,” before doing their renditions of the EMF’s song “Unbelievable” and Ramones’ “Mean Machine/Blitzkrieg Bop.” Winding down the evening, Sugar Ray closing out the night with their infamous song “Fly” which left you singing their songs for days after the show.

Live, Sugar Ray captivates their audience from start to finish! Sound wise, they were right in the middle of the bullseye target, providing a solid strong performance. McGrath is extremely charismatic on stage and engages his fans – from pointing out to the banners fans made, to finding ways to tie in Utica’s beloved hockey team, The Comets.

Sugar Ray will be coming back to New York State on Sep 10, 2016 at Colonel’s Row Governor’s Island in New York City, NY.

Overall, the show was fantastic! I think nearly everyone at the show was singing and nobody wanted it to end. So check the tour dates listed below and get your butt out to the show! You’ll be glad you did!

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PHOTO GALLERIES :

SUGAR RAY :: PHOTO GALLERY :: UTICA, NY

EVERCLEAR :: PHOTO GALLERY :: UTICA, NY

LIT :: PHOTO GALLERY :: UTICA, NY

SPONGE :: PHOTO GALLERY :: UTICA, NY

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TOUR DATES :

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REMAINING SUMMERLAND TOUR DATES:

JULY 24, 2016 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
JULY 27, 2016 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Event Center
JULY 28, 2016 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Riverfront
JULY 29, 2016 – Royalton, MN @ Halfway Jam Festival
JULY 30, 2016 – Kansas City, MO @ CrossroadsKC
JULY 31, 2016 – St Louis, MO @ Ballpark Village
AUG 02, 2016 – Casper, WY @ Casper Events Center
AUG 03, 2016 – Billings, MT @ Zoo Montana
AUG 05, 2016 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
AUG 06, 2016 – Eagle, ID @ Crooked Fence Brewing Co
AUG 11, 2016 – Beverly Hills, CA @ Saban Theatre
AUG 12, 2016 – Las Vegas, NV @ Downtown Las Vegas Events Center
AUG 13, 2016 – Fountain Hills, AZ @ Fort McDowell Casino
AUG 17, 2016 – Laredo, TX @ Laredo Energy Arena
AUG 18, 2016 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street
AUG 19, 2016 – Fort Worth, TX @ Billy Bob’s Texas
AUG 20, 2016 – Norman, OK @ Riverwind Casino
AUG 21, 2016 – San Antonio, TX @ Cowboy’s Dance Hall
SEP 03, 2016 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
SEP 04, 2016 – Naperville, IL@ The Last Fling
SEP 05, 2016 – Duquoin, IL @ DuQuoin State Fair