SUGARLAND
7:30 p.m., Verizon Arena. $25.75-$55.75
How in the name of Megachurch Jesus can two people make music so sickly sweet and so eggshell bland all at once? If you like your country music factory-made with extra layers of dull-eyed plainness, you’re not going to miss out on Sugarland, the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning, No. 1 single-manufacturing duo. The band’s 2004 debut, “Twice the Speed of Life,” sold a trijillion copies and set the Atlanta singer/songwriters on the fast track to big-time nu-country megastardom.
Since, Sugarland has released three more enormously successful records, a healthy spray of chart-topping singles and, in one of the craziest live collaborations in memory, buddied up with The B-52s during the 2009 CMT Music Awards for a cover of “Love Shack.” The same year, the group put a stop to the great Brooks & Dunn’s nine-year run as the Academy of Country Music’s best vocal duo award winners. But you have to credit the band for writing the bulk of its own songs: That’s an admirable feat that becomes more and more of a rarity in Nashville every year.
Sugarland is joined by fellow megastars (and occasional collaborators) Little Big Town and “American Idol” bronze medalist Casey James.
Take a look: “All I Want to Do” live at the 2008 CMAs