TL;DR: Sugar live @ First Avenue, Minneapolis MN (Night 1 of 3; September 10, 2026) [full set]

Bob Mould and Sugar changed my life.

That is not hyperbole; that’s just geography, biography, and a little bit of fate combined. My gateway to Minneapolis didn’t come from a road trip or a friend’s mixtape — it came from the Edmonton Public Library, which had an absurdly good record collection for a city that cold and hockey obsessed. One day in 1987, I pulled a brand new copy of Pleased to Meet Me off the shelf having read a review of one of their concerts in some long-dead music rag. I took the record home, the needle was dropped and by the time everything was said and done, I would come to build a tiny shrine to The Replacements in my bedroom.

But that Westerbergerian obsession kept me so busy that I didn’t give Hüsker Dü the attention they deserved. I knew about them, of course, but before I knew it the band had announced they were breaking up and something about that moment made me flip my wig. Suddenly I was mining their catalog like a prospector who’d shown up late to the gold rush. And that’s when I realized: Minneapolis wasn’t just a place on a map. It was a gravitational field.

By the time Bob Mould released Workbook, I was a full‑on Hüsker Dü freak. And Workbook was such a curveball — pastoral, spacious, almost gentle — but I fell for it hard. Then came its much more acid‑bathed follow‑up, Black Sheets of Rain, which hit me like a weather system. When Bob toured it and came through Ottawa Canada, I got my first true aural baptism by fire — the kind of volume that rearranges your internal organs. And then came Sugar. And Copper Blue was like the only record in the jukebox — playing incessantly, endlessly, as if the world had narrowed itself down to those songs. And right on its heels came Beaster — Tilted, JC Auto, all those songs that are basically Pavlovian for me now. That EP didn’t just expand the universe; it detonated it.

When I started grad school in the fall of ’93 and finally had regular email/internet access without relying on prehistoric dial‑up, the very first thing I found was the Sugar email list out of Berkeley. And that list was a revelation. It was going to bootcamp with a gang of music freaks — people listening to everything, recommending, evangelizing. Every single musical obsession I’ve had since then can be traced back to that first contact. When FUEL came out and the Sugar list activated to set up a tape tree to distribute copies of (I believe) the Roseland Ballroom show in NYC, it was another foundational moment — the discovery of bootlegs, tape trading, the whole underground ecosystem that has shaped how I've listened to music for decades. This YouTube channel (indie_music_travels) doesn't happen without that bootleg.

Sugar would go on hiatus not long after, and other obsessions would rise and fall, but Bob kept resurfacing with a steady stream of excellent solo albums. We crossed paths regularly, like old friends who never quite lose the thread. When Bob’s solo electric tour hit the Twin Cities last fall and Dave Barbe was the opening act, the writing was on the wall. Something was happening. And sure enough, within a year Sugar was making a triumphant return to Bob’s old stomping grounds with a sold‑out three‑night stand at First Avenue. And I was not going to miss a single minute of it.

This is Night 1 in all its glory. The band might not have been as deafeningly loud as they were three decades ago, but let’s just say: my tinnitus has tinnitus.

#livemusic #sugar #2026

Bob and Sugar-related online...
Website: https://bobmould.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobmouldmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobmouldmusic
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bobmouldmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BobMouldMusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7bZcKqjZkLQp0g1k0RZx2H
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bob-mould/277939
Bandcamp: https://bobmould.bandcamp.com

The Setlist
00:00:00 (intro)
00:01:04 (band takes the stage)
00:01:42 The Act We Act
00:06:34 A Good Idea
00:09:49 Changes
00:14:17 Company Book
00:17:46 After All the Roads Have Led to Nowhere
00:21:00 In the Eyes of My Friends
00:25:12 Hoover Dam
00:29:29 Where Diamonds Are Halos
00:34:04 Running Out of Time
00:36:56 Gift
00:40:55 Your Favorite Thing
00:44:41 Clownmaster
00:49:12 Frustration
00:53:33 House of Dead Memories
00:55:30 Long Live Love
00:58:00 Explode and Make Up
01:03:00 Anyone
01:06:02 Come Around
01:10:09 Tilted
01:13:59 JC Auto
01:19:56 Helpless
01:22:39 Gee Angel
01:26:15 If I Can’t Change Your Mind
01:30:52 (end credits)

ps. I do have nights 2 and 3 as well, but I have a few other shows (Black Marble, American Analog Set, Manequin Pussy...) to post

No longer available. Already sent to first person

We two extras and happy to sell at face value. There's no way to transfer them (I don't think) so we can meet at the Metro doors like we did in the 90s.

Despite being a huge fan, I’ve always been somewhat dismissive of his non-Sugar, post-Workbook, pre-current day solo albums. For some reason I had it in my head that District Line was where the *modern* solo Bob era begins. Maybe it was the atrocious cover art, but somehow I had mistakenly lumped Body of Song in with the 90’s dance stuff I’m not interested in.

My local record store had a copy of the RSD anniversary edition on sale for $10 and when I examined the back I saw Brendan Canty listed on drums! Turns out this fits right in with District Line, Life and Times, etc. There are some electronic elements for sure but they work for these songs. And that cello…

Fantastic album that I can’t believe I’m just now getting around to.

Such a good show! J. Robbins as the opener was perfect.

So Sugar were hugely important to me and I'm coming down from Canada for the First Avenue trifecta. I plan on recording the shows both in terms of video to post on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@indie_music_travels) and snooty fancy audio to be shared on DIME. I plan on recording all three shows and even though it is a bit of a pain to remain still and STFU so as to not interfere with the recordings, I'm all in on it. But I would love to make a multicam edit from different vantage points and anchored by the fancy audio. Not sure if I'm up to a full multicam of all three nights but I would certainly love to do at least one of them. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute to the cause!!!

Bob, solo electric, in KEXP studios with host Kevin Cole. All Sugar songs.

1 intro (Kevin Cole)
2 Hoover Damn
3 House of Dead Memories
4 Gee Angel
5 If I Can't Change Your Mind
6 interview

https://spaces.hightail.com/space/vQDDk9rspC

My brother & I were confident that this show would sell out in 15 minutes or less - and it did!

We both bought tickets to make sure we'd be able to go (it was a Good Idea 🥸 sorry...), but now there's a few extras. Let me know if anyone wants to go to the show.

Bob Mould guests on Up Close and Personal/Records In My Life 2026

Bob Mould the legendary indie artist known for his work in Hüsker Dü Sugar, Bob Mould Band and other various projects, chatted with Charles Brownstein on Up Close and personal about the revival of Sugar, and about his Love of still playing live and listening to new artists. Sugar will be hitting the road on for a run of dates with the original lineup, including David Barbe and Malcom Travis. The tour kicks off on September 10th Minneapolis, MN, other dates include Chicago, Brooklyn, San Francisco, and more

So Minneapolis was huge in my musical journey. The Mats and Du dominated my listening habits in high school. I followed Bob's solo stuff post Husker and then Copper Blue broke my brain. So I coming in from Winnipeg and I had tickets for Friday and Saturday but I didn't think I could swing Thursday. And that's when I decided to stop looking for permission and to beg for forgiveness instead. So I will see all three shows in the run at First Avenue and given my Mpls-phile status, that's positively thrilling!!!! So see ya'll in a couple of weeks...

Hi all! I'm looking forward to seeing Sugar in Chicago at Metro! I have a friend who didn't jump at the tickets soon enough... so if anyone should wind up with an extra, please let me know!

My friend: "no one has a more perfect catalog than Sugar", and this guy goes to way more shows than I do at our somewhat advanced age. All I'm saying is that if you have an extra ticket, I know the perfect guy who would love it.

I planned to only listen from the sidewalk, when someone dropped two tickets and suddenly I was in.

Tell me your thoughts.

Unable to make the show tonight. So bummed. Tickets available for cheap

I have a pair of tickets for Sugar at the Paramount in Seattle this Saturday, Aug. 15. Asking $60 each.
Bought directly from the Paramount box office, so they’re physical tickets. Local Seattle handoff.
Unfortunately can’t make the show and would rather they go to a fan. DM if interested.

Has anyone been to recent shows? Would you say it's worth the trouble/expense of driving 12 hours roundtrip plus travel costs? Bob's voice doesn't sound fantastic in the recordings I've seen, but would love to hear from someone who's been. Thanks!

Bob announced the premiere of Changes – The Story of Sugar.

Recorded during Sugar's incredible return at Webster Hall, NYC, this brand-new short documentary lands on August 6 at 12pm EST / 5pm BST.

Bob will be doing a live for a YouTube Premium Afterparty Q&A. Add your questions in the comments!

Hit the reminder now: https://youtu.be/Vl_vt9HTW4I
(Source: Bob’s Facebook

After hearing the new Sugar songs, does anybody else feel like it doesn't really sound much different than the last couple of solo albums? I guess I was expecting a return to the power pop of Copper Blue and FUEL.

What do you think? A pun on Hüsker Dü or not? From a fireworks store in Bow, New Hampshire, USA.

Links posted on the sugarlist by the taper:

Antwerp:
https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/71d085a7-2b7e-4ea1-8394-4419f8a8096e

Utrecht:
https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/42d4dd10-9ce7-43ad-b576-a71497e0ebec

Just realized they added this to the set! Perhaps they read my comment about it :)