Under the Sun Tour – 7.26.2013 @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion – Columbus, OH
The reminiscent crowd at the LC was in for an amazing stroll down memory lane Friday night. Fastball opened the concert with “You’re an Ocean” as the audience was still rolling in to the venue. The band stayed true to their sound that landed them at the top of the American rock and pop charts in the 1990s. Fastball closed their set of seven songs with the hit “The Way,” which brought the lawn audience to their feet.
Vertical Horizon took the stage next opening with “You’re a God.” Even though the band only played five songs, Columbus truly seemed to enjoy VH (and vice versa). Before closing with my personal favorite of theirs, “Everything You Want,” Vertical Horizon played “Broken Over You” – a single off their new album “Echoes From The Underground” scheduled to be released this fall!
Following Vertical Horizon was the Arizonan band, Gin Blossoms. The band opened with “Lost Horizons,” and the audience on the lawn finally seemed to be on their feet for good with at least four beach balls in the air. Hit songs such as “Found Out About You,” “Hey Jealousy,” and “‘Til I Hear It From You” made the set on this sunny evening. And of course, you can’t have a Gin Blossoms concert without “Follow You Down,” the closing song for the band.
The audience had no idea what they were in for when Sugar Ray took the stage. From Newport Beach, California, this energetic band seemed to transport us back to 1999 with “Every Morning,” “Someday,” “When It’s Over” and the song from which the tour name hails, “Under The Sun.” No one would guess that lead singer Mark McGrath is 45 years old based solely on his youthful energy on that stage. Had I not already known his age, I would have guessed the man rocking the beach shirt and shades was in his late 20s/early 30s! Before closing their set with one of their most popular songs, “Fly,” the band performed a lively cover of “Blister In The Sun” by Violent Femmes.
Smash Mouth was the final band to take the stage. Songs that every 90s kid grew up knowing were played Friday. “Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby,” Come On Come On,” “Walking On The Sun,” “I’m a Believer,” and of course, “All Star” were just a few of the songs that made the set for the night. I half expected to see ogres walking the stage because of all the Shrek related songs.
All in all, the Under the Sun tour was a fabulous blast to the past. To say the concert was just fun would be a severe understatement!
Concert Talk 