The amazing country duo Sugarland, consisting of members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, made their Minnesota stop on the "In The Hands of Fans" tour last night. All day long before the concert there was rain and wind and cool temps, but by the time pregnant Jennifer and the rest of the band took the stage at Mystic Amphitheater , the clouds had parted and there was a beautiful sunset about to be part of the concert set-list. I'm sure this was a welcoming thought for Sugarland as they try to put behind them the terrible tragedy of last summer's concert in Indiana.
Jennifer Nettles is known for that beautiful and powerful voice as well as her physicality on stage, but now that she is with child and expecting in November, she was certainly less physical than in past shows. And speaking of children, a 4 year old by the name of Avery Evans joined by her mom, came on stage and got to sing "Baby Girl". They were winners of a radio station contest. Avery has been battling cancer at St. Jude's and even though her original diagnosis some years ago was terminal, she has defied all odds. Jennifer's down home goodness and stage presence really shined during what could have been an otherwise awkward moment.
The entire concert was pretty laid-back and their choice to put so much programming in the hands of the fans goes to show just how far the power of the blogosphere has become. They truly gave the audience what they wanted and created a sense of in the moment decision making, by selecting songs based on audience signs, twitter and their websites. Looking at all the people around me and especially the young girls in my row singing every word to every song, I'd say Sugarland connected with their audience.
