In 2017, my cover band Maggie Speaks started a new program called Celebrity Sit-In. It has been an incredible addition for corporate events, charity galas and fundraisers, high-end weddings, and music festivals.
Celebrity singers from world-famous bands join Maggie Speaks on stage to perform their top four to six hits. I have been fortunate enough to do this over 30 times in the past few years and each time, I seem to learn something different from each of our guests. Here is what I learned from Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray:
The first Celebrity Sit-In we ever did was at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles for a charity gala for the young professional group within the organization. Because of this, the age range of attendees was anywhere between 25 to 45 years old. The organizer of the event and I brainstormed ideas that would be impactful for the younger, short attention-spanned crowd, while still fitting into the events budget.
As prices for celebrity talent continued to rise, it became more difficult for organizations to get the most bang for their buck. Affordable, full bands did not necessarily have a robust enough catalog to hold peoples’ attention for a sixty-to-seventy-five-minute set. Many times, the acts have 3 to 5 songs that the general population will be familiar with, but they would need to perform 10 additional songs to fill out their setlist which runs the risk of losing the audiences’ attention.
We felt that it would be truly impactful if a celebrity could just come out and do their four to six of their biggest hits and nothing more. So, Magnificent Events set out to find celebrity entertainers that were willing to sit-in with Maggie Speaks for their big hits, thus creating the Celebrity Sit-In concept.
We landed on Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray, the band best known for their hits that shaped the ‘90s music scene. The band had four top ten hits including two number hits: “Fly” and “Every Morning”, that we decided to perform together with Mark.
Mark created a great career outside of Sugar Ray as the co-host of television shows Extra and Don’t Forget the Lyrics. On top of that, he was also the most successful celebrity contestant on Rock and Roll Jeopardy, all these things made Mark the perfect choice for our first Celebrity Sit-In as he truly had the entertainment and hosting ability for our young crowd.
We had a long soundcheck and rehearsal that day which gave us the chance to talk and get to know each other. I was struck by how comfortable Mark made me feel in our conversations; although we had just met, it felt like we had known each other for years. His insight into the entertainment industry was truly profound, he pointed out a few things that I have taken to heart since our meeting.
He told me, “Dave, I may not be the best singer out there, but I can guarantee that I have the most fun and that certain projects on the audience and level of engagement I get at my performances.”
We also talked about corporate events and charity galas, he imparted his philosophy in these markets by saying, “I always make sure the event producers, the sponsors, and the VIPs at these events know how much I appreciate being their entertainment. I try and remain as flexible as possible and I take the time to ask them questions and engage in conversation. If I make them feel good about their entertainment booking decision, they will remember me for future events and recommend me to others.”
While it sounds simple, it is the foundation of which the music industry is built. Having a great network, being trustworthy, professional, reliable, and entertaining is the key to a long and successful career. Maggie Speaks loved performing with Mark McGrath and we cannot wait to do it again.
