Sugarland delivers sweet Utah performance
Just a week after the infamous Indianapolis disaster which involved a concert stage collapsing during the Indiana State Fair and killing five people, Sugarland put on its "Incredible Machine Tour of 2011" in Salt Lake City.
The Indiana tragedy, which occurred at a Sugarland concert, was a point of reflection during the band's August performance with Sara Barreilles at the USANA Ampitheatre in West Valley City.
The USANA Ampitheatre is one of my least favorite venues just because of the way the seats and stage are arranged. But luckily, when the show began, the venue did not matter. The sound of a piano started and I knew that meant that Sara Bareilles was ready to open the show.
Bareilles was at the keyboard on her giant piano which took up over half of the stage, and she played some of her most popular songs including "Love Song" and "King of Anything." Then, as she wrapped up her performance Sugarland was called out onto the stage to very big applause.
Sugarland started with a new song from their new album, "Incredible Machine" and kept the show going with their most popular songs like "Stuck Like Glue" and "Settlin'." As the band ended the show with an encore, they took a brief silence to remember the people of Indiana and made a dedicated performance of their song "Love."
The band's lead singer Jennifer Nettles spray-painted a white flag with the word "love" and a peace sign inside of the "O." The song made the whole night emotional for the audience and band, and I am definitely happy that I got to witness this performance.
Although I am upset that I did not get to hear one of the band's most popular songs and my personal favorite, "Already Gone," the show was especially entertaining with with Sugarland's covers of "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green and the '80s classic "Come On Eileen." Even though the band may have been devastated by the tragedy that they were part of at the Indiana State Fair, they still kept their usual fun and goofy personality that they have always had.
I first heard Sugarland in 2004 when their first single "Baby Girl" came out, and ever since I have loved their exciting and positive attitude. I also like Sugarland because Nettles is an activist in equal rights and in gay marriage. After the group's single "Stuck Like Glue" came out in 2010, the more silly side of Sugarland was revealed which caused me to like them even more.
In the end, the Salt Lake City concert wound up being a very good show that was definitely worth going to. I enjoyed lead singer Jennifer Nettles the most out of any of the band members because she is very entertaining and has a lot of fun with her performances.
Also, Sugarland turned out to sound even better live than when you hear them on the radio or on a CD. When it comes down to seeing them in person, there was nothing to be disappointed about except for their song selection.
Although the songs from other artists that the band covered were enjoyable, they also took away excitement from Sugarland's own songs. But I did like how both Sugarland and Sara Bareilles managed to keep the crowd happy throughout the whole show.
I am not the biggest fan of country music normally, but Sugarland puts a whole new mix to this genre. I had a strong emotional connection when Sugarland made the dedication to Indiana, and I am very happy that I was lucky enough to witness the emotion of the whole crowd and band.
Austin Miller-Anderson is a senior at Ben Lomond High. He enjoys writing, singing and dancing; in his spare time he likes going into the city and listening to Lady Gaga. E-mail him at austintylermiller@gmail.com.
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