Many in the crowd are requlars at Mad Mikes Open Mic, held most Thursdays here at Route 47. Mad Mike himself was in attendance and sang Panama with us, to the delight of the jammers.

We had several fans comment on how great the sound was, specifically that it was notably well balanced. House soundman Ron and lighting man Tim are the best of the best, and we knew that already. But you don’t often get comments on the sound, which made us appreciate the guys in back all the more!

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Bob “the concert bully” brought 30 people to the show and prides himself on his crowd-gathering skills.  His crew led the night in cheers and chants.  The dancefloor was full almost every song.

The weather was seasonable and people were ready to get out.  This night was full of joy and song.  A few dedications to the late Chuck Norris and Tommy DeCarlo (of Boston) rang out with the cheers.  Sugar Buzz oven mitts were raised in toast.  It felt like the triumphant return we all wanted.

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The night started with a packed house, and reservable tables filled. This is a venue that also does a great job of promotion for their bands. Dancers hit the floor from the first song, while singer Beth prowled the extra-large stage.

A quick stage-left exit to the floor allows those of us who can move about, the chance to join the dancers out on the floor. Mark walked out there with the keytar during Hot To Go and drew a lot of smiles selfies with the revelers. The simple 4 note lick on the keytar makes it possible to swing wildly about and make it look easy (sorry Mark!)

We stopped promptly at 11:30 for the great DJ show that follows us, put on by Hmong Tinduh.

Whenever you can, make a point to check out The Dog House, it’s a great live music venue!

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Back to that hunger: we had dancers take to the floor almost immediately, and they rolled throughout the night. Sugar Buzz decided to color coordinate BLUE for the evening, and donned a myriad of bright blues as a foreground to the lighting.

A group of gals all dressed in leopard prints together – we called them our “leopard ladies”.  A guy named MYKE got on the lowest stage level and danced with Beth while the crowd cheered and shot photos.  It felt like none of us knew that the groundhog saw his shadow a mere days before.

It’s great to be “back in the saddle” to kick off a new year of Twin Cities cover band shows!

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We donned our best New Year apparel, from colors and sparkle on the boys, to the head-to-toe rhinestoned outfit that Beth displayed.  We wanted the night to feel special.  The downbeat dropped, and we were off to the races. It was hard to see the dancefloor from the stage as we entered our set, but once the lights turned up, we were delighted to see the floor packed with enthusiastic dancers and revelers. We crafted a setlist that covered everything from Heart to Lizzo, to Metallica, to The Killers, Styx, Queen, Billie Eilish and more.  Every song seemed to hit well and we were on a roll.  The 75 minutes were up far too soon and we felt we nailed the list with energy and accuracy!

The kudos were overwhelming from the audience and we stayed for the headliner.  Our sets were complementary to each other and flowed seamlessly.  We enjoyed kind words from the ‘Dillos and audience members alike as the band moved through the crowd. Best of all – we gained new followers and fans.  There’s a feeling of gratitude for this Minnesota cover band as we enter 2026 and we’re sensing even more awaits us in 2026! Stay tuned!

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We’re coming off a cold snap from Thursday, so the night started out light in attendance.  But, by 45 minutes in, every table had people seated and we felt we were back in the saddle. It was a performance that reminded us we’re taking the month of January off, so we’d better give it our best shot!

Fan and friend Eric sent the band 6 water moccasin shots to help us get people in the party mood (thank you Eric!) while Robin and her “last day of work at this company” party crew led the dancefloor antics. It was a night of something old and something new:  new fans to follow us – old friends giving cheers for the year. We were reminded yet again of WHY we do this.  The fun, the music, the people.  Now we rest through the holidays until a very special New Year’s Eve show is upon us. Cheers and Merry Christmas, Sugar Buzz fans!

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We captured video of the crowd sing-screaming along with Blink – 182’s All the Small Things  “say it ain’t so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home” echoed in chorus throughout the bar.  Bandmates kept saying to each other “wow, this is such a fun night!”  It was cold out, but the mood was light. 

People interacted with performers as Henry, Dale and Mark prowled the crowd with mics and instruments. Sugar Buzz prides itself as an inclusive and immersive experience.  You feel you’re part of the action – part of the show.  The energy is high, and we feel we are able to convey how much fun we have as a band when we perform.  The comments are always about the musicianship, sure, but we so often hear about the ENERGY and the FUN we bring.  We felt the crowd with us that night.  As a cover band, you have to bring your “special sauce” and we believe that immersive/ inclusive experience is ours.  Cheers to the patrons of Mainstreet for bringing the energy back to us!

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The tables are full to begin the evening, but as happens on Fridays, people start the evening “slowly”.  They listen, clap along, but it takes a bit of time to shake off the workweek to let loose. By set #2, the dancers had taken the floor with confidence (liquid-sponsored or otherwise ) and grooved to the music.

Sugar Buzz has a list of songs that we rotate per show so that people get about 15 different songs per show.  When we have a new song, we typically keep it in the setlist permanently until we feel we’ve mastered it enough to put on rotation.  We had introduced a newer song – “The Pretender” by the FOO FIGHTERS a few shows ago.  People appreciated it, but we didn’t get many dancers initially. It’s one of their more intense Foo Fighters songs with a bit more technicality to it. We noticed over the past several shows that people were warming up to it. And by this evening’s performance, it hit the critical mass of “this is an expected song, I’ve heard it and now I want to be on the dancefloor for it”—so it attracted the dancers.. finally!  Some songs are instant that way as they are the songs so common that every band plays them.  We do those songs for sure, but we ARE a variety band, so we want to introduce songs that one doesn’t hear all that often.  It strengthens our brand and adds a dimension of differentiation amongst cover bands. Now the PRETENDER is finally getting the audience love it deserves.  We knew this day would come.

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The band was in full costume to add to the revelry and the night began with a bang.  Dancers were out on song 1 and increased through the evening. From the stage one could see aliens, skeletons, video game characters, animals, pirates and every kind of costumed creature you could think of.  Singer Beth wielded her “knife” throughout with a fake-blood spattered dress to add new “meaning” to every song : “how can I get you alone” and “take my hand, we’re off to never never land” took on new meaning with the outfit choice! 

After the break, 3 full stage loads of costume contest hopefuls filled the space angling for the $500 prize. To our surprise, 2^nd place went to band leader Mark, as Grimace from McDonald’s with his gal (and band handler) Anne as the Hamburgler! 

The music began again and the crowd stayed engaged and enthralled until the last note!  After a night of playing, the costumes came off and we breathed a sigh of relief at a show well done.  Our work here was complete.  We helped make Halloween an incredible night for the bar and for the audience. Cheers!

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The first note dropped and within about 3 minutes, fans or maybe just the curious onlooker decided to walk onto the dance floor to get a closer look.  Most were originally seated at tables, but those coming up to the front made us feel we belonged. Joe, our sound and light tech was expert in delivering the mix we needed.  He operated the lighting effects in such a way that we KNEW he KNEW the material. 75 minutes flew by, and we stayed to watch the headliner wow the crowd with energy we were optimistic we matched. Thunderstruck gave Sugar Buzz a shout out at least 3 times during their set, and we were buoyed by the kudos.

After the show, we received a note from an anonymous fan that said “we came for Thunderstruck, but are now following you as well. We can’t wait to see you again.”  It made our day, and reminded us WHY acts like ours benefit from being openers. We are ready to do this again on New Year’s Eve!

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