Sugar Reunites for First Show in 31 Years at Webster Hall

“Hi, we’re a band called Sugar,” Bob Mould told the packed house at Webster Hall on Saturday night. “It’s been a little bit since our last show.” That’s a bit of an understatement — this was Sugar ’s first show in 31 years — but Bob was running around the stage, spinning like it was 1994.

Mould, bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis are older now, but they were clearly having a blast. Bob had a massive grin on his face for most of the show. The crowd skewed similarly; if they weren’t thrashing in the pit, heads were bobbing and there was plenty of singing along. There were families in tow, too — Barbe told the crowd his kids were babies when the band started and now they’re grown and in attendance. He also shared how Sugar came to reform : he ran into Bob in San Francisco, they hung out for three hours, and as they were saying goodbye, Bob asked, “So: 2026?”

Sugar are a power-pop band with a punk engine, and on Saturday night they played pretty much everything you’d want to hear from their two albums, EP, and even a bunch of B-sides. Walking out to The Beatles’ “She Said She Said,” they opened with Copper Blue ’s first two tracks, “The Act We Act” and “A Good Idea,” and proceeded to tear through 24 songs in about 90 minutes. Classics like “Hoover Dam,” “Your Favorite Thing,” “Fortune Teller,” and “JC Auto” sat alongside deeper cuts, and they played both songs from their new 7″, “House of Dead Memories” and “Long Live Love,” which sounded great.

The group were one of the loudest bands of the ’90s, and Bob told me on our BV Interviews podcast that, volume-wise, “We intend to be forceful. I don’t think we need to punish,” which felt about right. You could feel it in your chest, but it never hit painful levels. For those who didn’t come prepared, Sugar did have branded, limited-edition earplugs at the merch booth.

The show ended with their biggest hit, “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” and before launching into it, Bob said he hoped to see everyone this fall when Sugar’s North American tour hits Brooklyn Steel on October 16 , which he noted is his birthday.

Some people might be back again tonight, as the band have three Webster Hall shows that wrap on Monday. More tickets were released for the run (and resale tickets are available too).

There’s no opening band for Sugar’s Webster Hall shows, but they do have DJs, and Saturday’s was music writer and Our Band Could Be Your Life author Michael Azerrad , who played a set that included songs by Mission of Burma, My Bloody Valentine, Minutemen and fIREHOSE, Teenage Fanclub, R.E.M., Urge Overkill, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, and more. Sunday’s DJ is WFUV’s Eric Holland, and Monday’s is comedian, actor, and indie rock fan David Cross.

Head below for the setlist, video and a few iPhone shots from Saturday’s show.

> View this post on Instagram A post shared by BrooklynVegan (@brooklynvegan)

SETLIST: Sugar @ Webster Hall 5/2/2026 The Act We Act A Good Idea Changes Company Book After All the Roads Have Led to Nowhere In the Eyes of My Friends Hoover Dam Where Diamonds Are Halos Running Out of Time Gift Your Favorite Thing Clownmaster Frustration House of Dead Memories Long Live Love Panama City Motel Can’t Help You Anymore Fortune Teller Anyone Tilted JC Auto Encore: Helpless Gee Angel If I Can’t Change Your Mind

> For those who asked, here's my DJ set at the sold-out opening show of Sugar's reunion tour last night at @WebsterHall . The theme was to set the context for their classic 1992 album _Copper Blue_. And good grief, what a ferocious, intense show Sugar played. Catch it if you can. pic.twitter.com/dJLr3UvpHH — Michael Azerrad (@michaelazerrad) May 3, 2026

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1 DJ Michael Azerrad

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

Sugar @ Webster Hall Night 1

_Originally reported by [Brooklyn Vegan](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/sugar-roared-back-to-life-at-their-first-show-in-31-years-webster-hall-night-1-video-pics-setlist/)._