Grammy-award winning country duo Sugarland will be literally “down in Mississippi” at Davis Wade Stadium following the Maroon and White spring game for Super Bulldog Weekend this Saturday.
Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2004, Sugarland is the platinum-selling act consisting of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Chances are, if you have listened to country radio in the past eight years, you will recognize quite a number of Sugarland’s catchy hits, which are all written by Nettles and Bush. They have released four studio albums with several charted songs as well as five No. 1 hit singles including “All I Wanna Do,” and “It Happens.” The band’s latest radio hit, “Stuck Like Glue,” also showcases its ability to blend both country and pop music.
In the Hands of the Fans, Sugarland’s sixth consecutive headlining tour, began earlier this month. The tour allows fans to send requests to determine the set list of each city. An announcement was released on the Sugarland website in February with a statement from Nettles about the importance of fan interactions on this tour.
“They will make the requests that will help form the set list and guide the show,” she said. “Through texts, handwritten signs, the Internet, phone calls made during the show and selections directly from the stage, the fans will become the conductors as well as the audience. If it’s on one of our records or if we’ve played it on a stage, it is fair game.”
Song requests can be submitted online through forms on the Sugarland website up to two days before each show. Filling out the form entirely also ensures the sender will be emailed the full set list the day after the show. Requests will also be taken the day of the show via Twitter with the hashtag #inyourhands.
Sugarland also gets the honor of being the biggest and only concert to ever take place in Davis Wade Stadium. Shortly before Super Bulldog Weekend 2011, the Mississippi State University Athletic Department approached Music Maker Productions with the idea of having a concert inside the football stadium. This event marks the first time MMP and MSU’s Athletic Department have collaborated.
Brice Lambert, senior and student director of MMP, said the planning for this year was centered around the idea of bringing people to MSU who do not usually visit.
“It’s not just an event for Bulldog nation, but also the region, the SEC conference and even the nation. We want everyone to be watching and paying attention to this event,” he said.
Fans need to take notice of which side of the stadium their seats are located. Due to stage placement, the north end zone that typically serves as a pathway between grandstands will be blocked off for equipment and event services. Unfortunately, because of this, fans will not be able to go from one grandstand to the other. Also similar to football games, once fans have left the stadium reentry will be prohibited.
            The cheapest ticket on Sugarland’s last tour was a nosebleed seat for $59.99, and the most expensive ticket for this event is $50 for a Field Pass for both the spring game and the concert. General grandstand and student section seats are both $25 per ticket. Tickets will continue to be sold until the show and can be purchased Saturday starting at 10 a.m. on both sides of Davis Wade Stadium. The gates open for the event at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Following the spring game, the concert will begin near 7 p.m. with opening act Canaan Smith, brought by Sugarland. Nettles and Bush will take the stage at 8:30 p.m.