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A ll Sugarland wants to do is guarantee its listeners a good time.
The award-winning country duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush aims for that on a bigger scale as the special “Sugarland: Live on the Inside” airs Monday on ABC. Filmed at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., the hour has a healthy dose of hits including “All I Want to Do” and “Stay.” The two stars also put a unique twist on the tradition of concert audiences passing beach balls around.
One of today’s most distinctive voices in music, Nettles says she and guitarist Bush “didn’t want (the special) to be different from what our live show is. We wanted to capture what that is, entertain people in their homes and allow them to see it if they aren’t able to get out to it. Maybe they’ll want to come to one of our shows if they like what they see.
“For those who already are fans, it’s something nice to watch on a summer night,” Nettles continues. “I remember watching concerts on television when I was a kid, and some of them really turn into iconic memories … not just for the fans, but for the artists as well.”
Bush isn’t worried about offering for free some of what Sugarland devotees pay to see in arenas and stadiums.
“I think we’re moving from a culture of acquisition of things to a culture of acquisition of meaning,” he reflects. “It’s like, ‘Can we go do something that means something?’ In being entertained by us, you’re hopefully bringing a little bit more of you to be entertained. We’re talking about humanity and the celebration of life, and that has meaning when you do it en masse.”
With Nettles and Bush among its executive producers, “Sugarland: Live on the Inside” was filmed before the ABC deal was made. It first was intended for a live performance CD/DVD package that goes on sale the day after the telecast.
Bush explains, “We approached a director who’s done a lot of our music videos, a guy named Shaun Silva. We paid for this, created it and edited it all by ourselves.
“ … When we finished this and looked at it, we decided it would make a good TV special. It was a real bungee jump, one show and 25 cameras; either you’re good or you’re not.”
With Grammys and awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association among their accolades, Sugarland has managed something few groups do: to survive – and, indeed, thrive – after losing a frontline member. Nettles and Bush originally found wide fame in a trio that also included Kristen Hall, who departed the act in 2006. The remaining partners then went on to score huge successes with the CDs “Enjoy the Ride” and “Love on the Inside.”
As Sugarland’s lead singer, Nettles always makes evident her pleasure in performing.
“I do love it, I have to say. To have a moment where a group of people are all there sharing music, that’s really what we want to do as songwriters. The hope is that we write every person’s story, or at least a moment they connect to. I get joy in that communion, that sharing.”
If there’s anything Sugarland enjoys more than making its own music, it’s teaming with other talents, especially when different styles merge. Arguably the best-known example is with rock’s Bon Jovi on “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” but Beyoncé, Little Big Town and Jake Owen also have been Sugarland partners – as have the B-52s, who helped refresh their “Love Shack” recently at Country Music Television’s CMT Awards.
“We are musicians, performers and songwriters who love music,” Nettles reasons. “We happen to be played on country radio because that’s where they said, ‘OK, we’ll play you here.’
“We’ve been influenced by all kinds of music and musical traditions, and that shows not only in our writing but also in the way we want to pay tribute to those who have inspired us.”
(The DVD version of “Live on the Inside” includes Sugarland’s cover of the R.E.M. song “The One I Love.”)
“I think this is a culture of all kinds of music,” Bush adds, “and you can’t figure out who a Sugarland fan is, normally. It’s not like a Grateful Dead fan, who you can identify at 10 paces. If you look around at our shows, you’ll see a Metallica shirt, a Beyoncé shirt and so on. We’re kind of like the kid in high school who everyone agrees on.”
Also showcased recently on PBS’ “Soundstage,” Sugarland is having what Nettles terms a “mishmash” year of touring, not only headlining its own show (which it took to Europe in March) but sharing bills with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney in other engagements. Along the way, Nettles and Bush are trying out material with a mind toward the next Sugarland album.
“We’ve been lucky,” Nettles says. “From the start, there’s been a trust in us from the artistic standpoint. Obviously, (Sugarland’s label, Mercury Nashville) has deadlines and numbers and all those things, but I think they’re also aware that if serving the art and the music doesn’t get the first and most respect, the deadlines won’t make any difference. We’ve had support from the beginning in doing this in our own way and on our own timeline.”
