Sugarland tour resumes in NM after stage tragedy

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Sugarland returned to the stage on

Thursday for their first performance since a stage collapse at the

Indiana State Fair killed five people.

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The Grammy-winning country duo asked its Albuquerque audience for a

moment of silence in honor of those who were wounded “and the

beautiful lives that were lost.”

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Sugarland members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were minutes

from performing at the fair in Indianapolis last Saturday when 60

to 70 mph winds gusts knocked the massive stage onto the audience.

Four were killed instantly, another person died later. About four

dozen others were hurt.

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On Thursday, the duo was joined on stage by their entire crew as

Nettles sang “Love,” from their 2008 “Love on the Inside” album.

Then they took a break and promised to return for a professional

show that would begin the healing through “the power of

music.”

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Because the band’s elaborate set and instruments were destroyed in

the stage collapse, Sugarland performed in front of the basic black

shell of the pavilion stage, with just lights and a little smoke.

They used new instruments that were delivered to Albuquerque

earlier in the day – even the media passes were generic.

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“This incredible machine is more than a tour and more than a set,”

the group said in a statement on their website. “We have always

celebrated music as a healer. While music cannot change the events

and losses at the Indiana State Fair, it can hopefully serve as a

ritual and a balm to provide comfort and facilitate healing in this

time of great sorrow.”

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Nettles and Bush weren’t injured in Saturday’s accident. Their

manager told The Associated Press earlier this week that a decision

by their touring manager to hold them back after seeing the sky

likely saved their lives.

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They canceled their Sunday show at the Iowa State Fair but said

earlier this week they were looking forward to getting their

“touring family” back together and using their music to help with

healing. Thursday’s outdoor show was before a half-empty pavilion

and featured scattered rain and views of distant lightning around

the Albuquerque area.

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“Our road family experienced its traumas together,” they said in

the statement. “While we all scattered to our given families for

their comfort, the trauma we experienced together binds us in a

unique way that we share only with each other, and those who were

there. There is healing in our being together. There is healing in

our working together.”

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The band plans a private memorial for the victims in

Indiana.

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—

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Online:

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