INDIANAPOLIS - Sugarland returned to Indianapolis Friday to perform and pay tribute to those in attendance at an August show canceled by a deadly stage collapse.
Little Maggie Mullen was one of those injured in the stage collapse. She came to Friday's show wearing a pink tutu and a special t-shirt, with her picture on the front and Sugarland on the back.
"Maggie goes through therapy a couple times a week. She has to gain some strength and some motion in her left arm, but she compensates for it and she's tough," said her mother, Laura Magdziarz.
Once inside, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush set the tone.
"We are so happy to be here with you and we are so happy that you are here for everything that means tonight," Nettles said. "We went earlier today out to the site at the fairgrounds, which was the first time we have been there since August and I can acknowledge that it may be an emotional show tonight, but it will also be a celebratory show tonight."
First to sing was Corey Cox of Pendleton, vowing to auction off his guitar strap to raise money for Andrea Vellinga, the young mother still in rehab.
"Our entire town was painted pink in honor of her," he told the crowd.
His act was followed by Rita Wilson, wife of actor Tom Hanks. Then Sugarland took the stage, starting with "All We Are."
"It's just special. She said 'These people need this.' I mean, that's what she told me," Cox said. "It's true. A lot of people needed closure that didn't get to see them on August 13. Now they're getting to see a great show, she was really excited for it and, you know, I think the people are getting what they came to see."
"A lot of us have been hurt and there was a lot of tragedy that happened in August and I think this was going to help kind of start mending and helping people know that some of us that were injured are recuperating, doing better and we made a lot of friends. Lifetime friends and some poor memories or bad memories that I think is going to turn around and we're all going to kind of help each other through this," said Lisa Hite of Logansport.
Seven people were killed and several more were injured when gusting winds blew the stage rigging into the crowd at the band's show at the Indiana State Fair.
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