Concert Reports

Grammy, ACM and CMA award winners Sugarland are back on the stage with their Still The Same Tour. After a short hiatus, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are back in the saddle, bringing their plethora of chart-topping hits with them at a stop at The Santa Barbara Bowl

All Photos : Steve Kennedy
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SugarlandMusic.com      Goldenvoice.com     SBBowl.com

Returning from a hiatus that saw both Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush release critically-acclaimed solo albums, Sugarland have debuted BIGGER, their first new album in eight years, via a joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville. Bush and Nettles co-wrote nearly all of the songs on the album, with the notable exception being their new single, "Babe," featuring and written by Taylor Swift. The song is currently in the Top 30 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart and at Country radio.

BIGGER embodies the musical spirit that fans have come to expect from Sugarland, combining upbeat tracks with powerful message songs that address specific issues facing the world today and spark conversations for tomorrow. "Our hopefulness and our sparkiness and our joy are things I think we do uniquely well, especially in the country format," says Jennifer of the set's sunnier material. "We offer that in a unique way." Bush added, "My daughter is turning 13. I wondered if there was a way to help her through the world she's growing up in. There are songs on this album that are inspired by the idea of that conversation, and I hope they will speak to people of all ages, no matter who they are or what they're facing in life."

The bold graphics of the album cover conjure up images of a circus tent, representative of both that fun side and some of the more enigmatic content on the project, which was written over and influenced by the course of the past six months. "This album has a whole bunch of mystery," says Kristian, who has been enjoying peeling back the layers of the production and the nuanced songwriting. "I'm listening to it every two days just to see what's in it. I have entire pints of blood in that thing, but I still don't know where it all came from, and I love that."

Since the band's inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, earned seven No. 1 singles to date and amassed more than 260 million on-demand streams, making Sugarland one of the most popular Country music duos of all time.

Lauded by Entertainment Weekly as one of the format's "most successful and beloved acts," both members of the duo say their time away from writing and recording together has only made them come back stronger and, yes, BIGGER.

"We have always enjoyed playing in the margins and stretching the format," says Jennifer. "But it's fun to have taken this time away and seen how the format has expanded and how music has evolved. Before, we were playing in the margins. Now, the margins have moved, and that's fun to hear."

"It's not like we stopped creating with [2010 album] THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE," adds Kristian. "We kept going, but like a good Netflix show you skipped seasons three and four and now you're seeing season five and you're reminded of why you loved it. We didn't really hit pause on anything. We both got on treadmills that were even faster in some ways. But we made a promise to come back, and we kept that promise."

Santa Barbara Bowl Mission Statement

The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation actively strives to create the leading outdoor performing arts center in the country. Dedicated community volunteers lead the charge in achieving this goal through pursuing the following major initiatives:

Facility Enhancement

Amplify the comfort and enjoyment of patrons and artists by continually enhancing Santa Barbara Bowl facilities and establishing long term-funding sources for ongoing maintenance and repairs.

Performance Diversity

Purposefully and continually broaden the musical spectrum of Santa Barbara Bowl performances as a reflection of our patrons’ diverse communities and interests.

Community Outreach

Provide support and funding for performing arts education in the Santa Barbara community.

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