Sugarland, 40 Watt Club, 2/26/09

By Kelli Hilderbrand

There is something sweet about the Grammy Award-winning country duo, Sugarland, they are electric and downright sexy. Lead vocalist Jennifer Nettles and guitarist Kristian Bush kicked off their Love on the Inside tour Thursday night at the historic 40 Watt Club in Athens. Nettles, 34, and Bush, 38, impressed the sold-out crowd with their catchy tunes, flirtatious dance moves and instrumental talents.

As Nettles and Bush hit the stage, the crowd cheered and continued cheering for the entire 90-minute performance. To get the show started, the spotlight focused on Nettles as she began singing the uplifting song “Love” off their current album, Love on the Inside, which was released in July 2008. After they sang this first song of the night, Nettles and Bush didn’t slow down the pace one bit.

While pointing the microphone at the audience and dancing around on stage, Nettles sang three songs from their second album, Enjoy the Ride. Two of the songs, “Want To” and “Settlin’,” were Sugarland’s first No. 1 singles. The third single from Enjoy the Ride was “Everyday America,” and is still a popular choice on Atlanta’s country radio stations.

When Sugarland performed their newest upbeat single, “It Happens,” Nettles excited the crowd with her dance moves as she floated from stage right to stage left. This single was definitely a great addition to the show because of its fun-filled lyrics and rhythm.

A surprise guest in attendance was legendary country singer and song writer, Athens’ own Bill Anderson. The band honored him by performing the song “Joey,” co-written by Anderson and Nettles. Anderson has written countless songs for numerous country artists, with arguably his most famous being “Whiskey Lullaby,” a song performed by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss.

When Nettles toned it down to perform her emotionally uplifting song “Stay,” there was a calming hush that lingered over the crowd for the entire five minute song. Her high-pitched vocals and the touching lyrics of this song made this one of the most memorable songs of the night.

Another great addition to the show was “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” the duet Nettles and rock band Bon Jovi collaborated on in 2006. Bon Jovi and Nettles took home a Grammy for best Country Vocal Collaboration in February 2007. Bush did not have the raspy voice of Jon Bon Jovi when he sang the song Thursday night, but he did a good job as his stand-in.

Kristian Bush enthralled us with his instrumentals on the guitar and displayed an uncanny ability on the mandolin along with his deep raspy vocals.

The ladies in the audience sang along with Nettles when she performed their first single, “Baby Girl,” from their debut album, Twice the Speed of Life. Many women can relate to this song as it is about a daughter going off and pursuing her dreams as a singer while needing the support of her parents to stay afloat.

Nettles and Bush honored Athens’ very own R.E.M. when they played their 1987 mainstream hit, “The One I Love” for their encore performance. This song enthralled the crowd and they encouraged everyone to sing along.

The last song of the evening described the entire performance in two words, “Love Shack”. Sugarland’s cover of The B-52’s legendary song was a great ending to their show.

Sugarland fans praise Nettles and Bush for writing and composing every song on their current album, Love on the Inside and their previous album Enjoy the Ride. Nettles not only impressed us as a song writer, but she also has quite the instrumental talents. She sang and strummed on her guitar alongside Bush on a few of the songs and we also witnessed Nettles’ piano skills in a song that they have been working on for their next album.

On this particular visit to Athens, Nettles and Bush captivated us with not only their catchy songs but their ability to entertain and energize their fans. Sugarland’s dancing, singing and instrumentals dazzled us and they proved that they are one of the hottest country groups on tour.