First Sugar Show Since 1995! Sugar- Webster Hall, New York, NY, May 2, 2026

Screenshot photo from video (Concerts Hub)

 

Yes, it finally happened, Sugar is back! They played their first show since January 16, 1995, in New York City on May 2nd, for three reunion concerts before heading to Europe for a massive tour (May/June), before bringing the act to the US in August. The American portion includes, three nights in Minneapolis in September and the final show of the tour wraps up in Athens, GA (I think the first ever Sugar show was there) on October 24th. Very exciting news, I would love to go, but with no dates in Canada, I'll have to watch and listen to the shows second-hand, via live audio recordings and YouTube. 

 

I've always felt Bob Mould's strongest material, post-Husker Du was with Sugar. I bought Copper Blue on cassette when I was in Minneapolis (just after it was released) "sight unheard" and popped it in the car tape deck on the drive home and was instantly blown away! The first 4 tracks are killer, hell, it's one of the best debuts from the 90's and I played the hell out of that tape for the next couple of months. The live recording for the first reunion show is thanks to John Loughney who posted it to Dime and also provides some really good video from the show (The Act We Act, Changes, If I Can't Change Your Mind). The sound quality is excellent and though it would have been amazing to be there, I feel like this is a pretty incredible consolation prize. Thank you for sharing!

Enjoy! 

  

Already there are several outstanding videos from the first 2 nights:

Sugar- Full set (Concerts Hub)- May 2, 2026

Sugar- Full set (John Loughney)- May 3, 2026 

 

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Setlist photo by John Loughney

  

SUGAR

Webster Hall

New York, NY 

2026 05 02

Taper: lachtna productions
Location: FOB
Lineage: Schoeps MK4 > BabyNBox > Sony A10 > WAV (24/48) > SoundForge (levels, fades, declick) > CDWAVE (splits) > FLAC > MP3Tag (tags) 

01. She Said She Said [The Beatles] (tape)
02. The Act We Act
03. A Good Idea
04. Changes
05. Company Book
06. After All the Roads Have Led to Nowhere
07. In the Eyes of My Friends
08. Hoover Dam
09. Where Diamonds Are Halos
10. Running Out of Time
11. Gift
12. Your Favorite Thing
13. Clownmaster
14. Frustration
15. House of Dead Memories
16. Long Live Love
17. Panama City Motel
18. Can't Help You Anymore
19. Fortune Teller
20. Anyone
21. Tilted
22. JC Auto
>> Encore:
23. Helpless
24. Gee Angel
25. If I Can't Change Your Mind

Support:
Michael Azerrad (DJ set)

SUGAR- 2026-05-02 Webster Hall, NYC FLAC. rar

Husker Du- Live From The Ritz, October 17, 1987

 

Note: Greg and Bob do NOT play left-handed. The photo is reversed...duh!

 I admit it, I still play CD's. Though I tend to stream music throughout the day when I'm working, I occasionally slip in a silver disc especially when driving or if I'm in the mood for something that's not available on the streaming app. I've started to buy CD's again too, though truthfully I didn't really stop, because nowadays you can get some super cheap deals on used CD's (obsolete? Ha!), but again it's usually something I can't stream or it's nice to own. One downfall is that in the city I live in, potholes are so plentiful and annoying, so car CD skipping is at an all time high. Anyways, I was listening to Husker Du's, The Living End, a live compilation from their final tour that was released shortly after they disbanded. It's a good documentation of their live show with a career spanning song list that will satisfy most Du fans, but I prefer a complete live concert recording, preferably from the same show. I remembered one of their shows I downloaded, it mentioned in the notes this show (see below) was considered for a live posthumous album.

 

Notes from the original post:

The story behind this tape is that it was that Grant Hart compiled this tape (full soundboard tape + audience encore) and wanted Warner Brothers to release this as a posthumous live album.  The label didn't like that it wasn't complete, so the band went back and compiled live tracks from the fall 1987 tour.  I got this tape from someone in the music industry who said it was 2nd gen.  Assuming it was Grant's master tape > tape compiled for WB > copy for me. 

 

The Ritz recording was a good sounding soundboard and the setlist is stellar, so I would highly recommend it. The vocals are a little low in the mix and it's a bit too bass heavy for the first few tracks, but it gets better as it goes on. Unfortunately, the last two songs are from an audience recording, but it sounds fine. This recording has been kicking around for years as a bootleg and I don't think it's been officially released, though track 23 (Keep Holding On) is not including in this file because this version was included on The Living End (I have the CD, so I rip the song if you're a completest). To be honest the sound quality on, The Living End isn't perfect either, it suffers from"larger room sound boom" on some tracks and doesn't have the continuity flow as a single show, but if you can find a copy of the CD, buy it.

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

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HUSKER DU

The Ritz

New York City, NY

October 17, 1987 

Lineage: Soundboard Master > 2nd gen tape > Tascam 202MKVII USB out > CDWAV > Audacity (normalization, fades, merges) > CDWAV (splits) > DBPowerAmp (FLAC) [loughney xfer]
*audience recording

1 New Day Rising     
2 The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill  
3 Standing In The Rain    
4 Back From Somewhere    
5 Ice Cold Ice     
6 It's Not Funny Any More    
7 From The Gut     
8 Target      
9 Everytime     
10 She Floated Away   
11 Find Me      
12 Books About UFOs    
13 Chartered Trips   
14 Diane      
15 Hardly Getting Over It    
16 Dead Set On Destruction    
17 Eiffel Tower High    
18 Green Eyes     
19 Divide And Conquer    
20 Actual Condition    
21 Sheena Is A Punk Rocker    
22 Makes No Sense At All   
23 Keep Hanging On [The Living End]
24 Pink Turns To Blue*
25 In A Free Land*

HUSKER DU- 1987-10-17 NYC FLAC. rar

Bob Mould- Rock for Karl Benefit: Quest Club, Minneapolis 2004

 

Here's another set from the Rock for Karl benefit in 2004, with former Husker Du co-founder, Bob Mould, who performed a solo set. He played songs from his solo records as well as songs from his band's, Sugar and the aforementioned, Husker Du. One of the highlights of the show and definitely the most talked about surprise of the night was the appearance of Grant Hart (of Husker Du) during the final two songs of Mould's set. As far as I know, this was the first on-stage appearance for the two together since Husker Du's last show, December 11, 1987 and sadly it was the last. There was speculated "bad blood" since the split, so this reunion was most unexpected and exciting for Husker fans. It was a moment I would have liked to be there for since I'm a big fan (and still am) of the Minneapolis band, but at least someone captured this live audio recording. The recording sounds good, with the usual audience chatter, but it doesn't distract too much from the concert. It's also a treat to hear Mould in a small venue, as well as his playing in his hometown where he still has a huge fan base. A must-hear for Husker Du fans!

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

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BOB MOULD
Quest Club
Minneapolis, MN
October 21, 2004
Rock For Karl Benefit

solo electric set
audience recording

01. Intro <tuning>
02. Your Favorite Thing
03. Egoverride
04. If I Can't Change Your Mind
05. <thanks>
06. Circles
07. Paralyzed
08. Chartered Trips
09. Celebrated Summer
10. Celebrated Summer (cont'd)
11. <tuning>
12. Never Talking To You Again
13. Hardly Getting Over It

tracks 12 & 13 with Grant Hart- guitar, vocals

 

BOB MOULD- 2004-10-21, Quest Club, Minneapolis, MN. FLAC. rar 

 

Grant Hart, Bob Mould, Dave Pirner- Live At Garage D'or Records 1985

 

Saturday, April 23rd is Record Store Day 2022. In addition, there will be a RSD drop date on June 18th for releases that couldn't make it into to stores in April. I expect things will be close to normal with events, sales and maybe live performance in the the actual store. Personally, there aren't a lot of releases that I need to rush out and buy and in some ways the RSD releases are over-rated. Items are over-priced and they create a false demand with small limited runs and exclusive releases. A few titles interest me, but a majority of the records are re-issues and items previously not available on vinyl. I love the idea of Record Store Day to bring awareness that record stores are still in operation and need you support to stay open, especially after the pandemic. It's also a great excuse to get out of the house (or apartment etc.) to do some record browsing, which is definitely my favourite habit! I might peruse a store or two on Saturday to help support my local stores...you should too! 😉 (Record Store Day Canada)

One of the things that Record Store Days has brought back is live performances. I remember a time when record stores would have more live in-store shows. It may have been a band on tour and the day of the show would play the local record store to promote their latest release and to remind people they have a concert that night. Sometimes the band will cram into a small store with full gear, while other times an acoustic unplugged show is more appropriate. Some larger stores (Tower Records Amoeba), have a mini-concerts with big names as draws while customers continue to browse the stacks. In honor of RSD, I have a cool in-store show from Garage D'or Records in Minneapolis, featuring a trio of local rock heroes from two legendary Twin Cities bands. Grant Hart and Bob Mould from Husker Du and David Pirner from Soul Asylum did a rare acoustic set inside the store. At this time, Husker Du had released, Flip Your Wig a couple months earlier and Soul Asylum's second album, Made To Be Broken would be released the next month. By coincidence, Bob produced Made To Be Broken, so he and Dave have been working together around this time. Interesting setlist with some covers, a couple of Husker Du songs, a Soul Asylum song and Grant Hart performing 2541, a song that would see light years later after Husker Du broke up on his first solo EP in 1988 and re-recorded for his debut album, Intolerance in 1989. Really wish I could have been there!

Enjoy!

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

 

 

GRANT HART, BOB MOULD, DAVE PIRNER

Garage D'Or Records 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

December 21, 1985

 

From The Teddy Ballgames Archive

acoustic in-store performance

1. There You Go (Johnny Cash)
2. Home Of The Blues (Johnny Cash)
3. 2541
4. Flexible Flyer
5. Too Far Down
6. Never Really Been
7. Puff the Magic Dragon
8. Rain (The Beatles)

Show featuring:
Grant Hart (tracks 1-4) guitar, vocals
Bob Mould (5,7,8)  guitar, vocals
Dave Pirner (6,7,8) guitar, vocals

GRANT HART, BOB MOULD, DAVE PIRNER- 1985-12-21 Garage D'or, Minneapolis FLAC. rar

 

(note: Back to using Adrive, added more storage space so more shows to come soon! Let me know if there are any problems. Thankx!)

Remember The Albert? Day 2: Husker Du Live In Winnipeg 1984

Yes, you must remember the Albert? The iconic scuzzy punk rock club on Albert Street inside the Royal Albert Arms Hotel in the historic Exchange area of downtown Winnipeg is back! This club played host to many a crazy show throughout the 80's to well into the 2000's, but with much uncertainty about ownership and many unsuccessful attempts to re-open it finally relaunched as a music venue this past June.

I've written before about some the great bands I've seen pass through the Albert. I've recorded and posted a few, but I also saw bands such as Green Day before my taping days and if I was more in the loop at the time I could have seen Twin Cities bands, Soul Asylum and Husker Du in the mid 80's. The closest I came to seeing the Du at the Albert was Grant Hart's post Husker Du band, Nova Mob who played to a handful of dedicated fans there. My most vivid memory of the show is before the band started playing Hart was peering on the TV screens at the bar watching a music video of Bob Mould's band, Sugar and probably mumbled something sarcastic. Which was a perfect analogy of the two opposite directions each man's career went after the break up of Husker Du. Hart playing small venues in front of dozens of people versus Mould with videos on MTV touring theatre's and concert halls with Sugar or solo around the world.

I came upon this gem on Dime a while back, a live audience recording of Husker Du from early 1984 before the band broke it big (by alt-punk standards of the time) before the release of their classic double album, Zen Arcade. This album was the game changer for the band, though it was not commercially successful, it was the record that took Husker Du from hardcore punk to a more wide range melodic alt-rock punk sound. That album along with the following two records, New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig, I consider the perfect hat trick of LP's. This show previews many songs from Zen as well as songs from their previous discs Metal Circus and Everything Falls Apart. Highlights include some non-album songs, Eight Miles High, Drug Party, Statues and In a Free Land. I didn't record the show, but whoever did, did a decent job despite probably being tossed around by flying bodies in the jam packed Albert. A recording definitely worth a listen at least for historical purposes. This was a soon to be legendary band getting it's feet wet in Winnipeg, Canada in the middle of winter in 1984...doesn't get much better than that!
Enjoy!

Wow! an actual review in the newspaper. Thanks you Winnipeg Free Press!

#13yearsoftrouble

Please do NOT sell!
Do NOT trade this in lossy format.
Convert to lossy for personal use only.

HUSKER DU
Royal Albert Arms
Winnipeg, MB
January 21, 1984

01. Something I Learned Today
02. It's Not Funny Any More
03. From The Gut
04. Wheels
05. Everything Falls Apart
06. Sunshine Superman
07. What's Going On?
08. Diane
09. Masochism World
10. Bricklayer
11. Tired Of Doing Things
12. Data Control
13. Recurring Dreams
14. Chartered Trips
15. Broken Home, Broken Heart
16. Eight Miles High
17. Drug Party
18. In A Free Land
19. Target
20. Helter Skelter
 21. Statues

HUSKER DU- 1984-01-21 Royal Albert, Winnipeg, MB FLAC. rar