Review by Rebecca Clark | Photos by Renee Clark Quade

From the moment Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush stepped onstage at Youngstown’s Covelli Centre on November 5, it was clear the bond at the heart of Sugarland hasn’t faded. The duo’s Ride or Die Tour celebrates 20 years of their album Enjoy the Ride, and over the course of the night they took fans on a trip through their catalog, revisiting old favorites, sharing stories from the road and reminding everyone why their partnership has endured.

Opening the night was Payton Sullivan, who made no secret of what the moment meant to her. “This is such a dream come true,” she told the crowd. Her connection to the headliners runs deep: Sullivan grew up listening to Sugarland in her mother’s car, and Bush went on to produce her record in Nashville. She introduced “Country to Me” as the song that started her story, which made opening for the duo all the more meaningful.

Her set blended original material with country favorites. She paid tribute to Dolly Parton with “I Will Always Love You,” then pulled the audience in for a new song, teaching everyone the lyrics and promising a shirt to whoever sang along the loudest. It didn’t take long for people to get on their feet, hoping to take home the prize. She also served up some ’90s nostalgia with “Cowgirls Just Want to Have Fun,” asking how many in the crowd had grown up on ’90s country.

Sullivan kept the interaction going to the very end, signing and giving away her setlist before heading to the merch booth. What stood out most was the time she spent with fans afterward. Hundreds stopped by to meet her, and she happily posed for photos, signed merchandise and handed out stickers and beer koozies, making each encounter feel personal and genuinely grateful. It was a great introduction to an artist who is clearly thrilled about where her music is taking her.

When it was Sugarland’s turn, Nettles and Bush entered with balloons in hand and tied them to a fortune teller booth, part of the carnival-inspired stage design. They met at center stage, shared a hug and launched into “Settlin’,” a fitting start to a night celebrating a record that has been part of their story for two decades.

From there, the set rolled through favorites including “County Line,” “Stuck on You,” “Babe” and “Already Gone.” With Sugarland, it’s the chemistry between Nettles and Bush that steals the show. Whether they’re singing, joking or swapping stories, they play off each other with an easy familiarity that makes the night feel less like a performance and more like two friends who still genuinely love what they do.

Midway through, the duo moved to a smaller B-stage for a more intimate look at their partnership. They performed “April Showers” and “These Are the Days,” which Nettles explained was written through messages sent back and forth between the two. On BlackBerrys, she joked, since iPhones didn’t exist yet. The story behind the song ran deeper, though. While they were making the record, people doubted them and insisted it wouldn’t work, and the song became a reminder to each other to tune those voices out. Given everything they’ve accomplished since, the message still resonates.

Nettles had played keyboard on “These Are the Days,” and she was still seated there when Bush started singing U2’s “Running to Stand Still.” She picked up a harmonica and played along, and after about a minute, the two began making their way back toward the main stage, still singing. By the time they arrived, the song had given way to a full performance of their own “One Blue Sky.” The mashup has been serving as the song’s intro on this tour, and it was another chance to see their musical connection in a different setting.

One of the evening’s more interesting stretches came when they talked about life outside Sugarland. Bush has been producing music, while Nettles has been writing and developing a musical of her own. Though they’ve followed different creative paths, they’ve never stopped cheering each other on.

Nettles shared that her musical, Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo, made its off-Broadway debut this summer and that she hopes to take it to Broadway. The production is based on a real woman in 17th-century Italy who created a poison to help women escape their abusers. Nettles was clearly excited to share the project, and Bush made sure everyone knew just how much he loved it. She then performed “Higher,” a song she wrote for the show. It offered a glimpse into her work beyond Sugarland and showed once again how much the two champion each other.

“Everyday America” brought the crowd right back to the hits, with a twist: midway through, the duo slid into a mashup of Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” which has become another crowd favorite on this tour. They also took a request for “Joey,” a song fans apparently ask for all the time, and their decision to add it to that night’s setlist was a welcome surprise.

The energy climbed again with “Incredible Machine,” which let Bush flex his rock side on guitar, followed by “It Happens.” As they’d pointed out earlier in the evening, they had essentially put everyone in a time machine and taken them back to 2006, and they were clearly enjoying the trip as much as the crowd.

One of the night’s sweetest moments came when Nettles spotted a sign from a fan celebrating her 80th birthday. She paused to acknowledge her, then she and Bush led the entire arena in “Happy Birthday.” Bush quickly did the math: the fan would have been 60 when Enjoy the Ride first came out. The spontaneous moment made the evening feel more personal, and it underscored just how much time had passed.

“Find Your Beat Again,” complete with a playful nod to “Sweet Caroline,” led into “You Can’t Go Home.” After introducing the band, Sugarland brought Payton Sullivan back out for “Something More,” giving the opener one more chance to share the stage with the duo she grew up listening to.

All night long, Nettles and Bush made it clear how much they appreciate the life they’ve built. Reflecting on how often people tell them they’re lucky to tour and play their music for a living, Nettles looked out at the smiling faces in the crowd and answered, “You damn right.”

It’s hard to disagree.

Twenty years after Enjoy the Ride, Sugarland still has that spark. Their songs have given fans plenty to sing along to over the years, but it’s the connection between Nettles and Bush that makes seeing them together such a good time. They’ve grown as individual artists, chased new creative opportunities and keep finding their way back to the music they make together.

The Ride or Die Tour celebrates where they’ve been, what they’ve built and the partnership that makes Sugarland what it is. For the Youngstown crowd, it was a night of familiar songs, a few surprises and plenty of reasons to keep singing along.

Sugarland Photo Gallery

Payton Sullivan Photo Gallery