Photos by Rebecca Clark | Review by Renee Clark Quade

Some bands lean into nostalgia. Sugar Ray turns it into a full-on party. On June 18, Sugar Ray hit Tioga Downs Casino and somehow made a Thursday night in 2026 feel like the best parts of 1999.

The band took the stage in matching white suits and kicked things off with “Get Up,” with front man Mark McGrath immediately working to get the crowd on their feet, throwing in a little shimmy during the chorus to sweeten the deal.

McGrath was quick to acknowledge the local crew, praising them for pulling off the show after weather caused some serious stage issues earlier in the day. He joked that he had been watching the whole thing unfold from his hotel room, room 602, specifically, and jokingly invited anyone who wanted to come knock on the door later.

“Every Morning” had the crowd singing along immediately, and things got more personal with “Empty Yesterday,” an acoustic version McGrath reworked with his brother for Surf’s Up. He talked about having 16-year-old twins and joked that “God hates me,” but said the film at least gave him a brief moment of “cool dad” points.

Between songs, McGrath was in full storytelling mode. He reflected on being named one of the sexiest men of 1998, noting he had some tough competition, calling out Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace and Stephen Jenkins from Third Eye Blind. He also talked about “Someday” sitting at number one, sharing the charts with some of the biggest songs of the moment, including Cher’s “Believe.” He did a verse of TLC’s “Waterfalls,” called it one of the greatest songs of the ’90s, and added that it was basically written about guys like him. He also joked at one point that he was considering replacing his band with Everclear’s.

Before “Answer the Phone,” McGrath mentioned it hit number four on TRL, then joked that he “unnecessarily” plays guitar on it before grabbing one anyway. He also brought technician Dickie to the front of the stage to thank him personally for getting power to the stage, and later called out Brian by name for helping with the drum kit situation. The crowd gave both of them a well-deserved round of applause.

McGrath then introduced what he called the band’s “unnecessary ’90s medley,” warning the crowd that his bandmate Dean was supposed to know all the songs and knew them well enough to sing them. They went into “How Bizarre” by OMC, then “Steal My Sunshine” by Len, then “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, getting the whole venue singing along.

A woman in the crowd holding up a sign caught McGrath’s eye, and he paused to say she made him want to be a better man. Then he introduced “Falls Apart” as their version of “Free Bird,” off the 14:59 record, picking up his guitar again for it.

“When It’s Over” was introduced as the band’s last major chart success, and McGrath made a point to thank everyone for giving them more than they deserved before going into it. When the song ended, he was jumping up and down with his mic stretched toward the crowd, letting them take the final chorus.

Their guitar player, Rodney Sheppard, started playing notes of “Blister in the Sun” and things got a little playful. McGrath pretended to drop the song into a blues detour before the band cut him off and pulled it back. After the quiet section, the whole band froze in place while the crowd cheered, and McGrath milked every second of it, hand to his ear. He even stopped to announce he wanted to talk politics while his bandmates were still frozen solid. Eventually, things unfroze, and the song thundered back in.

Before playing “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” a Tears for Fears cover, McGrath reminded everyone that before the ’90s there were the ’80s. McGrath reflected on how things were so much simpler then before going into another ’80s track.

One of the more surprising moments of the night came when Sugar Ray pulled out “Mean Machine,” their very first single, which is so much heavier rock than their pop hits. McGrath reminded the crowd that before all of their pop hits, the band was out on the road with Korn and other hard rock acts. The song ended with a burst of “Blitzkrieg Bop,” which nobody saw coming.

The night closed with “Fly.” Before going into it, McGrath thanked the crowd for helping make their dreams come true even 30 years later, and encouraged everyone to chase their own dreams. The song had the whole crowd singing every word, with a verse of Sublime’s “What I Got” woven in near the end before the band wrapped up the night.

Thirty years in, and Sugar Ray still knows exactly what a crowd needs. A big part of that is McGrath himself; his energy, humor, and genuine connection with the audience are what set a Sugar Ray show apart. He never stopped moving, never stopped engaging, and made every person at their show feel like they were part of the night. The whole band was firing on all cylinders, but McGrath is the kind of frontman who reminds you why live music is still so special. At Tioga Downs, they played their hits, made everyone laugh, and had more than a few moments that reminded everyone why this band is still going strong

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