Sugar Ray Rocks Yahoo! 10th Anniversary
Yahoo.age = 0x0A;
My ears hadn't been left ringing for a while, so I guess I was overdue for a good afternoon of loud music, celebration, food and drink. My prayers were answered: Yahoo! turned 10 years old on March 2nd, 2005, and I got to participate in the festivities. I've been working there for almost a month; it has been an honour to have the priveledge of receiving an offer and subsequently being hired.
An energetic Sugar Ray performance.
Around 3:45 PM, an announcement was made over the Yahoo! PA system. Everyone was humourously instructed to step away from their computers, hang up the phones, shut down the PDAs and come outside for some food, drinks and fun. I was happy to oblige.
A series of short speeches and presentations followed in URL's cafeteria, as "Yahoos" were reminded that the services they create and work on are used by millions of people, and sometimes make more of a difference to people than we might think. A number of real-life Yahoo! web surfers had been invited to come down and share some of their stories. I was reminded again that this whole Internet thing can be a very real and has had really changed the way some people work, play and live.
Sugar Ray: Still Going Strong
They've still got it, even after 14:59.
One might assume Sugar Ray was doomed to one-hit-wonder fame and subsequent failure, but they certainly don't seem to have allowed themselves to fit the mold. In fact, I wouldn't call them a one-hit wonder at all. Sugar Ray were originally more hard-rock/metal-sounding, and presumably by luck found their way to the radio with the successful "Fly" in 1997 - the prime single from "Floored," their second album.
Based on their performance, I'd say Sugar Ray is alive and well. The band delivered a pretty solid mix of lesser-known songs interspersed with crowd favourites. Some thought was presumably put into the setlist in this respect, as they opened with "Every Morning" and closed with "Fly". Some colourful commentary and humour was thrown in between songs as well, including an unexpected AC/DC "Hell's Bells" intro sequence.
Mark McGrath, lead vocalist, was working the crowd pretty well. People got into the swing of things and began dancing as time (and presumably, alcohol,) passed. A few people were invited on-stage for some impromptu freestyle rap, with mixed results. The freestyle performance may not have been excellent, but the entertainment value made up for the difference.
I was hoping to score an autograph for my vinyl copy of "14:59" (a great reference to the band's own opinion of their time being "up",) but unfortunately my records had not yet arrived from storage in Canada. Regardless, the band didn't stick around to socialize from what I could see.. They made a dash for the door, all the while being buffered by a few security guards. The entourage entered one of the main Yahoo campus buildings, and I left it at that. I might be able to get Mix Master Mike's signature in person (as I have done,) but DJs in groups with largely-visible frontmen are presumably out of the question.
Then and Now
Yahoo's campus has been decorated with various print posters, showing inspiring photos with "We Were" and "We Are" captions. It is clear the company has grown from its simpler roots, but yet is still relatively young. As re-iterated in the speeches, a lot of things have happened in ten years; I think the next few will bring about a lot of cool things. Who knows what we'll see ten years from now?
Perhaps Sugar Ray will play again at the 20th-anniversay gig.