The date was August 28, 2021. The place was Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After a 20-year absence, the concert event of the summer was Sweetstock 2021. If you aren’t familiar with Sweetstock, back in the day, it was the concert event of the year in the midwest during the late 90’s that featured some of the biggest names in music. Now, over 20 years later, thanks to Got Live Entertainment, Sweetstock is back!
Reminiscent of past Sweetstock events, the 2021 version featured some of the top musical acts of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. From Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony to TLC, Sweetstock ‘21 had a lineup of superstars that delivered!
Thousands of fans filled the Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa to witness the spectacle known as Sweetstock. The concert kicked off shortly after 1:30pm with The Reunion of Souls. The band features four of the founding members of Blessid Union of Souls, which is also still making music. Lead singer, Eddie Hedges was all smiles during the band’s set that featured throwback favorites, “I Believe”, “Let Me Be The One”, and “Hey Leonardo.” Fans didn’t have any trouble remembering any of the words to their iconic songs, and The Reunion of Souls was a perfect way to kick off the day’s festivities!
After an intermission, Hurrdat Media’s Pat & JT, who are obviously still widely popular, introduced the hosts of Sweetstock, Chris Kirkpatrick of N’Sync, and Omaha’s Brian McFayden, of MTV fame. Both guys shared a few laughs, hugged, and got the crowd pumped up for the next performance.
The crowd went crazy as multi American Music Award-winning rap group, Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony took the stage. Even after two decades, Bone Thugs still knows how to put on a show, and had the crowd waving their hands back and forth and singing along to all of their hits. The group paid homage to Eazy-E, and performed all of their widely-known hits, including, “1st of the Month”, and “Tha Crossroads.” It was obvious the group was happy to be performing, and after their set, they ventured into the crowd to pose for photos and greet their fans.
Up next was C+C Music Factory. Talk about a throwback! Original member of the group, Freedom Williams, was joined onstage with female vocalist, Eunice Foster, and the two performed the group’s hit songs, “Here We Go (Let’s Rock & Roll)”, “Things That Make You Go Hmmm”, and of course, the dance anthem, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” Williams seemed excited to be on stage, and at one point, hopped over the stage’s pit area, and onto a speaker, where he began rapping and waving his arms from side to side. He even lit up a cigar at one point! Foster looked beautiful in her neon orange and green outfit, and lit up the stage with her smile. This was a really fun performance!
After a little banter between McFayden and Kirkpatrick, the next act took the stage, and the crowd went ballistic for 2001 Teen Choice Awards-winning boy band, O-Town. Noticeably missing from the group was Ashley Parker Angel, who was only a member of the group from 2000-2003, but still had fans questioning his whereabouts. Erik Estrada, Dan Miller, Jacob Underwood, and Trevor Penick have it all figured out, and know exactly what to do to whip fans into a frenzy. The group performed their classic songs, “Liquid Dreams”, “We Fit Together”, and the iconic ballad, “All or Nothing”, a few current cover songs, and a tribute to N’Sync, with, “Bye, Bye, Bye”, in which Sweetstock co-host, Chris Kirkpatrick, joined the group on stage. O-Town had great energy, kept the crowd on their feet, and was so much fun to see live!
O-Town was a hard act to follow, but the next performer, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, did a fantastic job! Sugar Ray was one of the very first concerts I had ever been to, way back in 1999, so seeing McGrath on stage definitely brought back great memories. With his famous spiked hair and sunglasses, McGrath performed all his hit songs, including, “Someday”, “Every Morning”, and of course, “Fly.” His energy and sense of humor was refreshing, and he thanked Sweetstock and the fans for allowing him to perform. He was even gracious enough to take a picture with me after his performance!
After a short video hyping the next group, the widely popular boy band 98 Degrees hit the stage. Accompanied by Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and Drew Lachey, the group hasn’t missed a step! They all looked great and seemed really happy to be on stage. 98 Degrees is one of those groups that had so many hits, it’s hard to remember all of them until you hear them! Females in the crowd were smitten by the band, and their smooth R&B flavor and choreography only added to the set. The group has been nominated for Billboard Music Awards, Billboard Video Awards, Kids’ Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and many others, and it’s easy to see why. As the large video screen behind the stage flashed images of fire and old MTV video clips, the group performed hit song after hit song including, “Uno Noche”, “Invisible Man”, “Because of You”, “The Hardest Thing”, a few cover songs, and a “TRL Medley” of iconic 90’s hits. The crowd absolutely loved 98 Degrees, and they were a perfect addition to the Sweetstock lineup!
With only two acts left to go, 90’s female supergroup, TLC took the stage. Seeing TLC live and in-person has always been on my bucket list, so this performance was particularly special to me. Today, the group consists of Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. The duo was joined on stage with musicians and backup dancers several times throughout their set. To list their accomplishments in music would be an unending task, but TLC is a multi Grammy Award, multi MTV Video Music Award, and multi MOBO (Music of Black Origin) award-winning group with legions of fans. Sweetstock ‘21 was part of an 18-city tour that celebrates the 25th anniversary of their album, “CrazySexyCool”, which was certified 12x platinum! The girls performed songs from all of their albums, and even paid tribute to Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who appeared on the video wall during the song, “Waterfalls.” Other highlights of their set were, “No Scrubs”, “Creep”, “Red Light Special”, and “What About Your Friends.” TLC was very gracious and thanked the fans for their continued support throughout the years. They sounded absolutely amazing, and proved why they’ve enjoyed such an amazing run!
After a brief break, it was time for the headliner, Reggae and Dancehall superstar, Shaggy! “Mr. Boombastic” himself, performed all of his well-known hits including, “Boombastic”, “Oh Carolina”, “Angel”, and “It Wasn’t Me”, among other songs from the past and present. The crowd loved Shaggy, and it was apparent he was having a lot of fun. Shaggy has a great energy and stage presence, and it’s easy to see why he’s a multi Grammy Award-winning performer. I saw Shaggy at the last Sweetstock event over 20 years ago, and he hasn’t changed a bit! Seeing him on stage performing his classic songs was a bit surreal, and brought back a lot of great memories. He’s an awesome performer, and he really knows how to get the crowd riled up!
Sweetstock 2021 was definitely one for the record books. From top to bottom, the lineup of talent was amazing and brought back so many great memories. Thank you to everyone that made Sweetstock ‘21 a reality. I can’t wait until next year!