With his spiked blond hair, sun-glasses and ridiculous Hawaiian shirt, it’s clear that Mark McGrath’s goal for the evening was simply to have fun with his friends on a beautiful summer evening, and he succeeded, as the first (or second if you consider this a the split of the Summerland tour) “Under the Sun” tour came through Columbus to give those in attendance an evening of radio hits from the alternative friendly ’90s.
Opening the show were Austin band Fastball who put on a hugely enjoyable set of guitar led songs that included a few old familiar ones, a newer one and the massive sing-a-long hit “The Way” that gave those that turned up early a taste of what was to come throughout the evening.
Next up were Vertical Horizon, who put on a short five song set that closed with the bands most popular song, “Everything You Want.”
The Gin Blossoms were far and away the best band during last years Summerland tour at the LC, and again they were brilliant. Front man Robin Wilson absolutely oozes charisma and his captivating stage presence makes it impossible not to love the band. Oh, and the songs aren’t too bad either.
Pulling from the vast catalog of hits, the band played for close to an hour, belting out songs such as “Follow You Down” and “Hey Jealousy” the band sounded spot on and Wilson’s vocals yet again made them the perfect band for a summer evening on the lawn.
The thought of seeing Sugar Ray indoors on a winter evening really doesn’t entice me, but put the band outside under a summer sky and everything just falls into place. Putting on one of the best shows I’ve seen on the outdoor stage, Mark McGrath and company absolutely owned the crowd. The band performed their small collection of hits, sprinkled in a few lesser known songs, and even treated the crowd to a rousing cover of “Blister in the Sun.” But it was McGrath’s obvious delight to be on stage that fully encapsulated what this tour is all about.
Finishing up the evening were California’s Smash Mouth, the band that made the movie Shrek a hit, as McGrath excitedly stated before their set. The band played an energetic set full of old favourites and ended with the sing-a-long classic “All Star.”
And that was that — four hours packed full of bands you probably don’t really listen to anymore performing those songs you used to love. McGrath put together a celebration of the last great era for alternative music into a summer tour that delivered exactly as expected, all with the promise of another show next year that could again become one of the highlights on the LC summer calendar.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found at Matt Ellis Photography.
