Fans in Niagara Falls Canada enjoyed the sweet songs of Sugarland as part of their 2012 “In Your Hands” tour. The dynamic duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush proved once again that they have surrounded themselves with a top notch backing band, and put on what could be a clinic for aspiring musicians, demonstrating what makes for a great live performance.
In five short years, Sugarland has established a reputation as one of the best live groups of all time, regardless of genre. Nettles has a stage presence comparable to Mick Jagger and Bush is a non-stop bundle of energy, setting a frenetic pace for the rest of the band to follow.
Just two tours ago, in support of their “Love on the Inside” album, Sugarland created a lavish set and visual spectacle to go along with their performance. For “The Incredible Machine” tour they presented a darker, but still lavish set that was tragically destroyed.
While the intimate Niagara Falls venue isn’t large enough to house the current set (it holds around 1400), I did have the advantage of seeing the band’s full stage set in Youngstown Ohio a few days earlier (The Youngstown venue had a capacity of around 6,000), and it marks a return to a focus on the music with less emphasis on the production.
Sugarland are not Lady Gaga, and if there were ever a band that could play on a bare stage and still give the fans their money’s worth, it’s Sugarland, simply based on their incredible musicianship and ability to connect with an audience.
A solid portion of the show is fan driven. It appears the beginning and the end of the set will remain the same, with individual fan dedications made on some of their concert staples. Up to this point, it seems as though the band will be performing at least four unique songs in each market based on fans votes on the internet and signs displayed in the audience. In Niagara Falls one of those songs was a wonderful rendition of “Come on Get Higher,” a Matt Nathanson cover that appeared on the bonus edition of “Love on the Inside.”
The “In Your Hands” element will make this tour appealing to fans willing to travel to other markets, and make that trip worthwhile as Sugarland breaks out some deep cuts, a practice that not only will make the shows exciting for the audience, but for the band as well.
Moreover, in just a few short years Sugarland has yet to produce a single song that is a dud. While some artists pad singles with a bunch of filler to make an album, even Sugarland’s bonus material and well chosen cover songs never seem to miss the mark. One can only imagine what another ten years of recording will produce.
Sugarland’s musical themes are universal, touching on the hopes and fears of everyone. Songs like “Stay” rip your heart out while “Something More” inspires. Newer songs like “Tonight” and “The Incredible Machine,” highlight how the band is not a flash in the pan, and willing to take some chances.
One other thing of note from the Niagara Falls show, the bank tinkered with a few arrangements including a wonderful intro to “Love” featuring Jennifer Nettles on piano for the opening verse, and other songs beyond “Stay” featuring stripped down arrangements for at least part of the song.
Taken as a whole, it was a stellar performance, and refreshing to see a band of Sugarland’s stature and success still so in tune with its fan community. The “In Your Hands” element is not a gimmick, just another reason why Sugarland will never fall into the category of bands that you have “seen before,” instead they will be the band you can’t wait to see again.
Set List:
Wide Open
Stuck Like Glue
Settlin’
Everyday America
It Happens
Tonight
Take Me As I Am
Come on Get Higher (Matt Nathanson cover)
Every Girl Like Me
Little Miss
Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Incredible Machine
Stay
Love
Baby Girl
All I Want to Do
Find the Beat Again w/excerpt of Faith (George Michael cover)
Encores:
Something More
Sugarland
All Photos by J. Ritz
We would like to thank Kelly Russell of Sandbox Management for allowing BackstageAxxess.com to review the show.
