On Saturday (5/2), Sugar reunited for the first time since 1995 to play the first of three dates at Webster Hall.
Led by guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, the trio which features bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis, debuted a pair of new songs at the historic NYC club,
During the last night of their residency (5/4), alt rockers were joined by guest singers Craig Finn, Patterson Hood, and Jason Narducy.
It was such an overwhelming scene 73-year-old Travis fell over his set about 40 minutes into the show on opening night, but got back in the saddle and rocked on.
Formed out of the ashes of Hüsker Dü's dramatic breakup spurred by the drug abuse of its drummer and suicide of their manager, Mould created Sugar and released two stunning studio albums Copper Blue (1992), File Under: Easy Listening (1994), the EP Beaster (1993), and the perfectly titled collection of B-sides, Besides (1995).
All of those records got their just due in the 24-song sets, which is a rare treat for bands who make comebacks like this. Typically the group plays their one big album of hits and skims over the rest.
But Sugar and Hüsker Dü before that were different animals. The Hüskers came out of Minneapolis in the '80s and were signed to Twin/Tone alongside Soul Asylum and The Replacements.
All of those groups were major influences on the grunge groups that would follow and their sound can be heard in the Seattle Sound.
Sugar's, naturally, was sweeter, with tight harmonies, solid hooks, all based in the fat guitar sound of the midwest. It is no surprise that now as rock music is hard to find, other than from veteran groups, Sugar has chosen this time to fill that void.
Webster Hall attendees were fortunate to hear the two live debuts from the "Long Live Love" single that also includes "House of Dead Memories."
The single was released on May 1 right before the shows.
"SUGAR was a meteorite," Mould wrote on this website late last year as he announced a collection of Copper Blue singles.
"I spent all of 1991 writing and performing new material at solo shows. David and Malcolm had never met but I was certain we three would work well together. SUGAR was a workhorse. After weeks of rehearsal in early 1992, we spent three months recording Copper Blue and Beaster. By summer 1992, the musical climate was perfect for what we created.
"SUGAR was a phenomena. No one could have predicted the results. We held onto the wheel and did our best to enjoy the wild ride. SUGAR was part of a pivotal era in popular music, and a special time in my life," he wrote.
Tuesday Mould took to Facebook to tell his followers what a great time they had. "Thank you NYC! Three sold out NYC shows. It’s great to see everyone having a fun time. We the band are having a blast."
Sugar is going across the pond for their reunion tour, first to London and Europe at the end of May, then to the States in August to rock their hometown's First Avenue, later the Hollywood Palladium, and then wrap it all up in Athens, GA.
Grab your tickets on the Sugar website.
Sugar Love You Even Still World Tour
May 23 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
May 24 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
May 26 - Belfast, UK - Ulster Hall
May 27 - Dublin, IE - National Stadium
May 29 - Manchester, UK - New Century Hall
May 30 - Bristol, UK - Electric Bristol
May 31 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Jun. 02 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland
Jun. 03 - Leeds, UK - Irish Centre
Jun. 04 - London, UK - Clapham Grand
Jun. 07 - Oslo, NO - Rockerfeller
Jun. 09 - Stockholm, SE - Debaser Strand
Jun. 10 - Copenhagen, DK - Vega
Jun. 11 - Berlin, DE - Huxleys
Jun. 13 - Paris, FR - Elysee Montmartre
Jun. 14 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma
Jun. 15 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
Jun. 17 - Lausanne, CH - Les Dock
Jun. 19 - Álava, ES - Azkena Rock Festival
Aug. 11 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
Aug. 15 - Seattle, WA - Paramount
Sep. 10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Sep. 11 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Sep. 26 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Sep. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
Oct. 08 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Jack White Theatre
Oct. 09 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
Oct. 10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
Oct. 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Oct. 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Oct. 14 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
Oct. 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 17 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner
Oct. 18 - Hudson, NY - Basilica Hudson
Oct. 20 - Cincinnati, OH - MCL Pavilion (Indoors)
Oct. 21 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
Oct. 23 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
Oct. 24 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
