POSTED SEPT. 10 AT 8:28 A.M.
Slightly Stoopid and G. Love & Special Sauce perfectly combined energy and funk on the last show of their Summer Haze tour at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on Sunday, September 2. The tour promoted Stoopid’s jazzy fifth album, Chronchitis, which was released last month.
These groups are relatively unknown because their eclectic sound is anything but mainstream. However, you may recognize their famous fans. Stoopid was first noticed by Sublime’s late Bradley Nowell, and signed under his Skunk Records. And after working together on the track “Rodeo Clowns,” Jack Johnson signed G. Love to his Brushfire Records.
G. Love took the crowd on a ride when they opened for Stoopid. The band’s risky performance proved they had no inhibitions by the last night of the tour. Front man Garrett Dutton flagrantly donned all white with a black vest. Despite his goofy dress and his similar-sounding songs, he captured every female audience member’s attention with his adorable looks and vocals, along with his guitar and harmonica skills.
G. Love played songs ranging from 1994’s cheesy “Cold Beverage” to 2004s sexy “Booty Call.” They also squeezed in a few new songs, such as “Holla!” off Lemonade, released last year. Jazzy covers of Snoop Dogg’s G-funk style “Gin and Juice,” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?” highlighted the performance.
G. Love was chosen for the tour after appearing on Stoopid’s Everything You Need and Chronchitis. The bands’ similar styles provided for smooth transitions between sets.
Headliner Stoopid, from Ocean Beach, California, proved to be anything but on stage. The contrasting vocals of Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald seamlessly complement each other.
They refreshed the crowd with new songs such as “Ocean,” and classics such as “Wiseman.” Following G. Love’s lead, they covered John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
Towards the middle of their set, however, the show deteriorated into short, unpleasant punk rock every other song. Bodies floated on top of the crowd and mosh pits reached up to twenty feet in diameter in the outdoor amphitheater; it was all part of the Stoopid experience.
Kimberly Rubenstein may be contacted at k.rubenstein@umiami.edu.