Sugar are playing the Ulster Hall on the 26th of May and the National Stadium on the 27th 😁
They played the same set for the three New York concerts, so will be interesting to see if they will keep the same set list. Unlikely they'll change it up too much, they only had a few weeks of rehearsals.
For Dublin, wonder will they move the gig to a smaller venue? Still lots of tickets on Ticketmaster, including Block B and standing which would not be available now if It was even half sold (IMO)
academy has a show that night. Only sold a few hundred tickets
I see The Ambassador doesn't have anything on the 27th, no idea if that's a possibility though with promoters etc. Not that I doubt it, but what's your source on the few hundred tickets sold?
not sure they would want an all seated and greatest option might be a straight cancellation
MCD control the Ambassador so would not be an issue. The Button factory is also available on the 27th as per their website.
I hope they move it to a city centre venue.
Bob Mould played the Button Factory last time he was in Dublin, that would be 'a good idea' 😉 . Big question is how many tickets are sold for National Stadium, max capacity is 550 in Button Factory.
less than 500 I hear. Standing is available and standing area is only about 450 for stadium shows
Would be nice to see them in a small venue albeit it's a pity they aren't getting the sales. While Mould can make a solo gig in a small venue work given it's just him and his guitar set-up, it will obviously be different with a full band and all that comes with it so you have to wonder if the sums will add up. Hopefully they won't pull them altogether.
I guess they were relatively niche band at the time - over 30 years ago now - although Copper Blue was well received. A big ask maybe to expect big sales in this day and age.
they were asking uk/European promoters for big guarantees. I think the London shows selling out quickly gave false confidence on demand elsewhere. Nostalgia is a hard thing to judge in fairness for 90’s bands.
All in know is that Primus (another 90s niche guitar band) pulled their last concerts in Europe due to lack of ticket sales and now that they are back, have left Ireland off the circuit. Fingers crossed we don't see a repeat of that situation.
Yeah, I'd say a lot of the London take-up was folk like me thinking that would be the only chance this side of the pond and buying tickets - not just London-based people.
listening to Copper Blue for probably the first time in 30 years - A Good Idea really is such a blatant Pixies pastiche. I know it was pointed out at the time but I had forgotten how clear it is (I'm sure Bob would point out that the Pixies borrowed quite a bit from Hüsker Dü)
Have a ticket for this. Love Husker Du but tbh never listened to Sugar. Not sure why I bought one. It ticked all the boxes.
Ridiculously overpriced- check
Venue I don’t like - check
Bad day of the week - check
Have seen not 1 but 2 of his Solo Electric shows (let’s be honest it’s like watching someone rehearse in their bedroom)- check
And now my son is coming home from the US and is of course arriving that afternoon. 0% chance of selling the damn thing.
A simple solution - buy tickets for your son. There's plenty available.
A week to go and the Ticketmaster reminder email didn't say anything about a cancellation or a venue change. I presume it's going ahead as planned at this stage?
I think those Ticketmaster emails are sent automatically 1 weekly before an event. But it is getting very close for them to announce a change of venue. Or cancellation 😬
Really looking forward to this tomorrow night. Great setlist.
I have never been to the National Stadium before, any tips a handy place to park nearby?
Tomorrow? Isnt it on Wednesday? Or are you heading up the road?
I'm doing Belfast.
I've a ticket going spare for this for free if someone wants it . Pm me and I'll send it to your ticketmaster qpp
Wow…Belfast was superb. Could easily have been a let-down after 30 plus years and a watered-down version just for the sake of nostalgia…but not a bit. Bob is just a force of nature. He looks like your mild-mannered and friendly uncle but is a behemoth on stage - the passion is undimmed, his guitar-playing is exceptional and he gave it absolutely everything for 90 minutes.
I was mainly there for the Copper Blue stuff - a totemic album for me - and those tunes were all brilliant but the FUEL material really came alive for me. Gift was huge and Explode and Make Up a real show-stopper. Its definitely an under-rated album for being in the shadows of CB.
The Beaster trifecta of Come Around, Tilted and JC Auto were just an absolute assault on the eardrums but stunning and it was clear the guys were having so much fun.
Some of the B-sides I wasn't as familiar as I should but really enjoyed them and the David Barbe stuff made for a good contrast, showing another side to the band.
24 songs in 90 minutes - no messing. Worth over 30 years waiting. Would definitely go again if they do the festivals or come back next year.
Mind you…bring ear plugs if you're in any way worried about damage to your hearing 😄
This pretty much sums up my experience too. Ears were ringing afterwards. I did think the crowd was a bit flat and the vocal could've been clearer but a great gig nonetheless. No let uo from start to finish!
Yeah, fair point about the crowd. Definitely wasn't a sell-out and those there could've been more into it. Maybe a fair few just familiar with the Copper Blue singles or whatever…
What time did they come on stage last night? Was there support? Going to NS tonight.
Support was J Robbins, who came on a 8pm. He was pretty good. He's got a neat song about Trump you should check out. Sugar were on at 9 and played till 10.30.
Enjoy!
That was a fantastic night, what a trio of musicians. Mould has a great voice, but by god can that man play the guitar. 65 years old and you'd never know it the way he jumped around on stage. You can tell the measure of an act by the quality of the songs you don't know but still find yourself bouncing along to. That pure instrumental piece was outstanding. They seemed to grow into the gig as the night went on and it was great to see the big happy heads on them by the end of it all. The crowd was good, a good vibe, bar one little gobshite who thought he was 16 and slam dancing was appropriate. He got put straight pretty quick.
A really memorable gig and I'm delighted to make the effort to go along.
