Sugarland brings a piece of home to servicemembers

Story and photos by Senior Airman Nathan Lipscomb


Sugarland stepped out onto the stage March 14 on Ramstein to bring a piece of home to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in attendance.

The tour, hosted by the Army, Navy and Armed Forces Entertainment groups, is visiting military installations in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
In addition to Sugarland, the event included performances by Katie Rae Davis, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers.

More than 3,000 members of the KMC piled into Hangar 1 to fill their craving for the country music sensation, Sugarland. More than a third of those in attendance waited in line two hours before the doors opened in hopes of finding the best seats.
“As soon as I heard Sugarland was coming I volunteered to help setup,” said Airman 1st Class Nicole Link, 435th Security Forces Squadron. “I knew if worked the event I would get one of the better seats. All the band’s performances have been more than worth the effort.”

Even though Sugarland has won multiple awards this year for their music, they still find performing for the troops just as gratifying.

“You wouldn’t believe how rewarding it is to hear how thankful everyone is, and it’s really a gift for us, because we love what we do,” said Jennifer Nettles, Sugarland’s lead singer. “We love to play our shows and sing our songs and to be able to give them a little bit of home.  That’s a real gift.”

“If for two or three minutes you can forget your troubles, I think we have done our job,” said Kristian Bush, Sugarland’s guitarist and vocalist.
Fans came to the concert with high expectations and did not leave the concert disappointed.

“Both of the opening performers were great; I was really impressed,” said Brandi Dearmon, 435th Services Squadron. “I have been a fan of Sugarland since their debut album. Now, after meeting and seeing them in concert I am even more of a fan. Their vocals sound just like they do on their CD, which proves to me how talented they truly are as artists.”

Before the performance, Ms. Nettles expressed her sincerest thanks to all the men and women in the armed forces.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you do and for what your families do both here and back at home,” she said. “While we don’t necessarily understand the sacrifices you make and the gravity of them, we do understand what it’s like to be away from home, and we hope our performance helps bring a piece of that to them.”