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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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