Herald staff
The summer concert series at the Tulalip Amphitheatre continues Friday with the alternative pop-rock bands Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveler and Uncle Kracker. Tickets start at about $39 for the standing-room-only beer garden.
On Thursday, Aug. 21, the 1970s band Yes plays the amphitheater, with similar ticket prices.
Sugar Ray includes two original members, Mark McGrath and Rodney Sheppard. Their hits include “Fly,” “Every Morning,” “Someday” and “When It’s Over.”
Gin Blossoms had its start in Arizona during the late-1980s with hits such as “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You” and “Follow You Down.” Since 2012, Gin Blossoms has toured in the summer with other bands from the same era.
Blues Traveler’s beginnings also were in the late 1980s, starting as a New Jersey cover band led by John Popper. The group is considered a jam band owing to their long segues between songs and improvisational shows. The band’s hits include “Run-Around” and “Hook.”
Uncle Kracker, otherwise known as Matthew Shafer, played with Kid Rock. His best-known tunes include “Follow Me,” “Smile” and “Drift Away.” His music took on a more country rock feel in recent years.
On Aug. 21, people who went to college in the 1970s can return to the days when stereo speakers would blast from fifth-story dorm-room windows the symphonic rock anthems “Roundabout” and “I’ve Seen All Good People.” People who are a bit younger will remember “Owner of a Lonely Heart.”
Yes — with its current membership of singer Jon Davison, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Geoff Downes — is primarily made up of English gentlemen in their 60s. However, Davison is from Seattle. He studied audio and video production at the Art Institute of Seattle and toured with the band Sky Cries Mary.
More information about the Tulalip Amphitheatre shows can be found at www.tulalipresortcasino.com/Entertainment/TulalipAmphitheatre.
