Last night at the Foxwood’s Great Cedar Showroom, Ezra Ray Hart delivered exactly what their tour promises: “90s Hits and Christmas Riffs”—a joyful collision of nostalgia, holiday cheer, and pure sing-along energy. The “supergroup” combines the unmistakable voices of Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Connecticut’s own Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), and Emerson Hart (Tonic), creating a powerhouse lineup that feels like a living, breathing playlist of the decade. From the first notes of “Every Morning” through the final encore, it was nonstop throwback magic.
The setlist pulled generously from all three catalogs—“Open Up Your Eyes,” “Good,” “You Wanted More,” “A Lifetime,” “Desperately Wanting,” “If You Could Only See,” “Juicy”, “When It’s Over” and “Fly” —while also leaning into the fun of the holidays with “Little Saint Nick,” “Must Be Christmas,” and a crowd-pleasing “Last Christmas.” For those attempting Whamageddon, fear not: covers don’t count—only the original Wham version can send you to Whamhalla. The night also featured plenty of surprises, including Kevin Griffin’s hilarious holiday rewrite “Sacks of Candy,” inspired by his niece’s childhood mishearing of “Sex and Candy,” and a cheeky cover of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” with Emerson Hart rocking a kilt.
The band fully leaned into the party atmosphere with high-energy covers like INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart,” Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping. Ironically, the loudest reaction of the night didn’t go to one of the guys’ original hits—it went to “Tubthumping,” which absolutely exploded the room. Even the encore doubled down on the chaos with Blur’s “Song 2” and the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right,” sending the crowd out buzzing.
There was a slight delay to crowd entering at the start of the show—possibly due to Jessica Simpson lighting the casino’s tree on the other side of the property—and Mark McGrath could be seen mouthing “what the f—” toward the crowd, leaving everyone to guess whether it was impressed disbelief or playful frustration. Either way, once the music started, none of that mattered. Ezra Ray Hart transformed Foxwoods into a full-scale ’90s sing-along, proving that these songs—and this era—are still deeply loved. It was equal parts throwback, holiday party, and pure fun – even if Mark was the only one still rocking the frosted tips!
