This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The scene seemed straight out of a horror movie:
On Aug. 13, between Sara Bareilles' opening set and Sugarland's headlining set at the Indiana State Fair, high winds caused the collapse of the stage at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, killing five people and injuring about 40 more.Sugarland — the duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush — canceled its Sunday show in Iowa. Early this week, it seemed uncertain whether Sugarland would perform its scheduled show at Utah's Usana Amphitheatre this weekend. The duo declined to talk to the media this week, but posted messages on its website.After expressing condolences to the victims' families, the group said it's planning a private memorial and benefit concert to honor the five people, including a stagehand and a security officer, according to The Associated Press.The band also wrote about its road family on the tour: While we all scattered to our given families for their comfort, the trauma we experienced together binds us in a unique way that we share only with each other and those who were there. There is healing in our being together. There is healing in our working together.The accident destroyed not just Sugarland's touring set, but also the band's instruments. Music, of course, can't change the losses at the Indiana State Fair, the band wrote, but it serves as a "ritual and a balm" to provide comfort in a time of sorrow.In happier times, more than a month before the tragedy, Bush and Bareilles talked in separate interviews about their excitement for the tour and their personal lives, while looking ahead to their musical futures. And both talked about movies — but not horror movies.
To read the interviews, go to: