Line-up

Venue

Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds

225 Edward St., 54729, Chippewa Falls, WI, US

www.nwsfa.com/

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Additional details

Tour name: Northern Wisconsin State Fair

Doors open: 03:30

Concert in your area for Rock, Metal, Indie & Alt, and Country.

Find out more about Rock, Metal, and Country.

Sugar Ray biography

Formed in 1986 Sugar Ray started off as a funk-metal band, but later came into fame once they shifted their sound in a more fun and airy direction. The group’s realization of the success they achieved with the 1997 single “Fly” prompted their stylistic change.

The members of Sugar Ray grew up in Orange County, California, US, but initially pursued differing musical paths. Rodney Sheppard the band’s principal guitarist had played in several reggae band’s and had even collaborated with Dean Butterworth (the drummer of Good Charlotte). Later on Sheppard formed the band the Tories with future Sugar Ray drummer Stan Frazier. With the addition of bassist Murphy Karges and vocalist Mark McGrath, the group changed its name to Shrinky Dinx, but eventually settled on the name Sugar Ray.

Though the origins of the band date back to the mid 80s the group’s debut album “Lemonade and Brownies” did not come out until 1995. The album did not produce a hit single; however, it did grab the attention of several critics and acted as a platform on which the band showcased their unique blend of hip-hop, funk, and metal.

The group struck gold with their next album “Floored”. This release featured songs written in a similar vein of their previous material; however, their single “Fly” went in an entirely different direction and went on to be the band’s most successful song to date. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard’s Airplay List and pushed album sales to double platinum status. The hype surrounding this single also landed the band a cameo in the Billy Crystal and Robin Williams’ movie “Father’s Day”.

The group released their sarcastically titled follow up “14:59” in 1999. The album’s title was a statement against the criticism of those labeling the group as a one hit wonder. It was a hint that their 15 minutes of fame had not yet expired. The band’s assessment seemed to be spot on. The album debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and contained two standout singles “Every Morning”, which entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart at No. 3 and “Someday” which entered at No. 7.

Sugar Ray started off the turn of the millennium recording a cover of John Cale and Brian Eno’s “Spinning Away” for the Danny Boyle dystopian film “The Beach”. They also made another appearance in the 2002 film “Scooby-Doo”, but before that they released their 2001 self-titled album that rose to commercial success thanks due to the hit single “When It’s Over”.

In 2003 the band issued their album “In the Pursuit of Leisure”, which featured a cover of Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out with Him” . In 2005 they put out a greatest hits album that contained previously unreleased material.

Following the release of their greatest hits album the band took a break from recording and touring. They were also released from their contract with Atlantic Records during this time. The group broke this period of inactivity with the release of “Into Yesterday” which was specifically written for the “Surf’s Up” soundtrack and they also went on a small tour in Asia. Sugar Ray put out their long awaited follow up “Music For Cougars” in 2009 and subsequently did a round of nostalgic tours with artists such as Smash Mouth and the Spin Doctors.

Uncle Kracker biography

Matthew Shafer (Born 6 June 1974) is American Rock and Pop singer songwriter and occasional rapper, often known by his stage name, Uncle Kracker.

Uncle Kracker was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in the early 70’s. After early attempts at rapping in his early years, his first taste of performing came after meeting a young Robert James Ritchie aka Kid Rock at a turntable competition his brother was playing at. After hitting it off with Kid Rock, he agreed to perform with his then band “Twisted Brown Trucker”.

As Kid Rock blew up, he kept Shafer on as his tour DJ and also used him as a back up vocalist for his 1996 album “Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp”. After continuing DJing for Ritchie over a number of years, Shafer decided to begin work on his own solo album.

In 2000, Shafer released his debut LP, “Double Wide” under the moniker Uncle Kracker. The albums rock and rap blending sound was a hit around the world, proven by its success in the charts, as Double Wide rose as high number 7 in the US, as well as charting in many European countries. This album remains Shafer’s most successful to date and has been certified double platinum.

Following the release of his first effort, Uncle Kracker went on an extensive tour around the US, before writing and recording his follow up album, “No Stranger To Shame”, which came out in 2002. Shafer’s sophomore effort was also a success commercially, especially after the release of it’s first single, “Drift Away” was an instant hit. The track is a cover of Dobie Gray’s 70’s hit song.

Moving forward, Uncle Kracker ditched his rap rock leanings and moved into the world of country music, releasing a further three albums in that genre, the latest being 2012’s “Midnight Special”.

Live reviews

I have had the pleasure of seeing Sugar Ray in concert several times since the 1990s and most recently saw them at Coachella.

They are truly a band that is best experienced live because they lose a lot of their luster on the radio. During their live performance they bounce around the stage, interact with the audience, and infuse the crowd with an energy to just jump around and be happy.

You would never believe that Mark McGrath is almost 50. He still has the energy and stage presence of a much younger man. He was dancing and running all over the stage at Coachella. The Sugar Ray shows that I have seen have kept it simple on stage. It is usually just the band, some lights, and maybe a few fog machines.

Every time I have seen them they mixed in fan favorites like “Fly,” “Someday” and, of course, “Every Morning” with their more recent music, as well as a few covers. The line-up that I saw at Coachella was not entirely the same as it has been in the past, but the music is basic and enjoyable, and Mark McGrath is still writing and singing the songs, so nothing has really changed.

Every time that I have saw them they have also performed for at least an hour or two, unless time was limited by a festival schedule. Sugar Ray is just a classic band that is guaranteed to give you a good, entertaining show, no matter what.

Anonymous

While his name doesn't inspire much hope for the quality of his music, do not be fooled, when it comes to producing cool, calming and chilled out hits, this guy is definitely not cracked. Being a close and personal buddy of the amazing Kid Rock not only gives Uncle Kracker instant cool points, but it also helped this smooth singing Southerner break onto the music scene having originally started out as a DJ. Switching his style to a more country rock vibe, he thus gave us one of his most well known songs, 'Follow Me' taken from the album 'Double Wide', which was not only produced by Kid Rock, but also, unsurprisingly went double platinum.
With his incredibly mellow stage presence, Uncle Kracker is able to instantly unwind and cool down even the most crazed and overly caffeinated crowd, which is exactly what he did when he performed with old friend, Kenny Chesney in Knoxville, Tennessee. Duetting with long time pal and fellow country music star, they serenaded their audience with the sweet sound of one of Krackers biggest hits, 'Drift Away', with the title of the song emulating the nights atmosphere, which consisted of arms swaying to the light of the full moon, a sea of contented smiles all around and completely harmonised sounds all culminating in a night of total relaxation.

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