Crackin show, as always... Darius referenced seeing a father n son, with the father in an original classic Hootie t-shirt. I think that was me n my son. I had on my Kootchypop shirt, from seeing him at the Royal Court, Liverpool & the Wetlands, NY... if this email can be passed on, please thank him for signing my Hootie baseball jersey, when he was back in the Manchester with Hootie a few years ago... BW

Saugut… Ich hatte ihn mit seiner Band vorletztes Jahr in Glasgow beim C2C zum ersten Mal gesehen. Heuer hat er noch mal eins draufgesetzt: Hat angeheizt, war wieder sehr kommunikativ und absolut spielfreudig. Mit Unterstützung seiner tollen Band mit Country typischem Banjo, Fiddle… Super Stimmung im ausverkauften Backstage 👍

This show concert was simplest the best performances by the opening act DrewHolocom and headliner Darius Rucker I loved this show from the beginning right too the end.. this was very great because every song was upbeat with high levels of energy It was in my top favorites I even seen at the Greek theater in Los Angeles

The concert was fabulous! Enjoyed the venue, too. I brought my friend who uses a cane, so even with premier parking it was a long walk for her. Appreciated the shuttle, but it only took us to the entrance. Still... We would do it all again to see Darius. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors were terrific, too!

Darius Rucker: 7/28/23 “Back in February when the show was announced I thought to myself ‘Self that’s a good chunk of change for a gamble on the weather and the possibility of standing on a wet muddy lawn all evening long (i.e. my last experience at William A Floyd Amphitheater in Anderson)’. So I waited —but don’t think I didn’t think about it! The waiting was not to be confused with procrastination as I pulled up an all-clear weather radar at 3 p.m. and secured my seat via. StubHub for $27 (supposedly). It was to be my first time seeing CMA and Grammy winning Grand Old Opry member Darius Rucker LIVE, but not without it’s issues. Arriving at the gate early in typical fashion I realized that my ticket hadn’t transferred, and my phone hadn’t enough reception to log in for a last minute Ticketmaster backup. It was a hot one, my weather app read 94° with a real-feel of 99° and a severe thunderstorm warning. At 6:15 an announcement was made ‘Fans must evacuate to their cars [until] gates will open and activities will resume.’ The wind picked up with lightning to be seen in the distance however there was barely a drop of precipitation FAST-FORWARD… The theme of the evening for me was ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’, I know wrong artist. At 7:15 a friend Kim had offered to transfer an unused ticket to me FREE and after walking up and down the street for reception the transfer finally came in at 8:00. Thank You Kimberly!!! By now the line at the gate had run all the way down to the traffic light and back around up the road past the entrance. I made my way between the center of the multi-directioned lines searching for and finding some friends Scott & Heidi who immediately pulled me as if they were waiting for me. At 8:15 the single file gate opened but the line wasn’t moving, people were having to remove and leave their lawn chair bags at the gate hoping they could find them again at the end of the evening. At 8:45 opener Lindsay Ell took the stage for a 27 minute set which the majority of us in line entirely missed. Luckily having seen her twice in the past it wasn’t that big of a deal. The set sounded similar to those in the past, 2018 and 2021 respectively. Folks I talked to in the venue said she performed a strong set, it’s a mystery how she hasn’t moved past opener in this amount of time. About the time Lindsay’s set ended at 9:12 the amphitheater personal lightened up on their entrance policy and began rapidly pushing the line through with barely a wand wave, and a look at your phone ticket rather than a scan. I was in! Searching for a good spot a friend Sheila spotted me and called me over ‘Sit with us, we chose this place because it’s a high spot’. The place was packed, with the exception of the left side hill and some corners the 12,000 capacity venue was full, bike rack style barriers sectioned off a makeshift pit in the front for an additional wristband fee. On to the Show! The concert itself was part of Rucker’s 2023 twenty-two date ‘Starting Fires Tour’ but billed as a charity event sponsored by ‘Southern Fried Circuit’ and presented by ‘Upcountry Fiber’. All proceeds were allocated to fund local non-profits and dubbed ’An Upscale Get-Down’. Rucker has recorded 7 studio albums as a member of ‘Hootie & the Blowfish’ since it’s formation in 1986 in addition to 7 solo albums yielding 19 charted singles including 9 #1’s. The unspoken anticipation in the air was ‘How many Hootie songs will he perform?!’ At last, precisely at 9:34, the lights went down to a compiled audio recording filled with snippets of other artists songs with the word ‘fire’ in it after which Charleston native Darius Carlos Rucker 57 took the stage for a one hour and forty-two minute / massive 25 song set. Moving right into his #1 ‘Beers And Sunshine’ performed with beer in hand he set the bar for a night of country music. ‘My name is Darius Rucker and this is my band The Carolina Gray Boys right here and if it’s alright with y’all we’re gonna play some country music alright?!’ With the moan of a pedal steel guitar intro he moved right into the 2008 unreleased as a single ‘All I Want’. After a cover of Mellencamp’s ‘Pink Houses’ one could see the sweat begin to drench the black t-shirt he wore with the numbers ‘9:30’ on the front, a reference to the famous club in DC where members of Hootie were known to frequent prior to their formation. It wasn’t the only cover of the evening, in fact ‘Valerie’ and ’No Diggity’ were each part of the encore. A quartet of Rucker solo hits followed, 2023’s #25 ‘Fires Don’t Start Themselves’, the #1’s ‘It Won’t Be Like This For Long’ and ‘For The First Time’ with #4 ‘Radio’ completing a quartet. The moment came for Hootie to come alive, the first of three songs interwoven through the course of the evening was 1994’s ‘Let Her Cry’ getting everyone who wasn’t already standing out of their chairs. With the audience’s full attention Rucker raised a glass, ‘Here’s to Anderson, yeah, you all showed up tonight. I’m ready for football season. I’m leaving it there, it’s a new year fella’s, a new year, a new year… that was messed up.’ Darius toyed with the obviously divided crowd on the subject matter of team choice. After a trio of covers, a rousing ‘I Like It I Love It’ plus ‘Waterfalls’ and ‘Poison’, it was the #1 ‘Come Back Song’, ‘History In The Making’, ‘True Believers’ and yet another #1 ‘If I Told You’ completing the mini-set in tandem. In all red lights illuminating the audience with a rolling cloudscape on the video screen Rucker performed a moving rendition of his first number one ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It’. The song describing a man who has left his former lover telling her that he thinks about what they could have been. Next were band intros, ‘I’ve been in Nashville now for seventeen years and the thing that brings me the best joy when I’m there is that my band has been with me pretty much the same time.’ Rucker went on to introduce the six-man band as each instrument built up adding one to the other in an all out jam, ‘On bass we call him ‘Big Sexy’ John Mason. On drums, our band leader Mr. Jeff Marino. On keyboards from parts unknown Lee Jay Turner. On guitar the Superstar, Mr. Quint Gibson. On slide guitar Mr Sasha Ostrovusky. Singing like an angel and playing every single instrument in the world Mr. Gary Murray.’ Everyone jumped back on their feet to the opening words of Hootie’s ‘Hold My Hand’ and then their #2 ‘Only Wanna Be With You’. The later featured an extended banjo jam with all the lyrics portrayed in a large neon font on the big screen. ‘Hometown Honey’ rounded out the regular set with a four song encore to follow. In addition to the two covers afore mentioned was his 2017 ‘Hands On Me’ Rucker lamenting, ‘[It] should a been a single, should a been’. The moment came for the final song of the evening, you guessed it, ‘Wagon Wheel’, not a soul exited the amphitheater until the final note resounded. It was 11:16! Rucker puts on an amazing performance and I would pay good money any time to see him again in a reserved seated indoor venue setting. Anderson SC fans are the best, everyone maintained a great attitude throughout the evening’s challenges filling the place notwithstanding notably higher ticket prices than it’s comparable Simpsonville Heritage Park. In order to keep the fans coming back and to make money William A Floyd may need to do a reevaluation of their entrance policy so as to not cause half of the audience to miss out on the opener in the future. It’s a reality of Summer that weather delays are going to occur, let’s brainstorm together and problem solve to keep the concert momentum going in Anderson South Carolina!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #804)

Darius Rucker was one of the top three concerts I’ve seen this year. He is a great dude with a great voice and very soulful songs that really resonate. The energy he commands was amazing. His die hard fans love him. I can see why.

AMAZING! I have been a fan since 1986 yet the crowd seemed to be all in their 20’s! That is so great! They knew all the words with me! Darius Rucker still sounds smooth and strong! The bbq was fire and of course, my city showed out! Thunderstorms waited until the last song. Would definitely do the Smokeout again!

I give Darius & his band five stars! I give the facility one star for the stage. You could neither see the artists & their bands. Such a loss of $672.00 to go the the Globe Light Field to see a concert. It was hard to hear the band & the night was so disappointing. I hope that Darius returns to one of the other venues to do a concert, keeping my fingers crossed!

The show was incredible! Hootie and the Blowfish brought back so many memories and you can tell they have missed playing together. Darius alone is so talented and an awesome entertainer!. My wife and I drove from North Alabama just to see them and it was well worth it. They played for over two hours and gave everyone their monies worth. I hope they do some more shows after seeing the crowds response to them.

Darius and the 2 opening acts sounded good. Loved the concert....wish it would last longer. Really nice venue. Seats were a bit confusing to find, lots of turns. Lots of steps if you are in any of the 200's. Bathrooms were clean. Beers start around $14,50 and a premium drink was $23. Ridiculous.

Had no idea how good this concert was going to be, but at the end of the night, I really enjoyed myself! He put on a hell of a show, played some of the hootie and the blowfish music, and also played some R&B from the '90s!

The Pavillian at Wolf Lake to locals who have lived there for decades might seem absurd at first. The venue is easy in and easy out. The city of Hammond was amazing supporting the festival of the lakes. To be able to see Darius Rucker perform at his best from 15 feet away was simply amazing. The show was superb. His voice was in great form. And you could not have asked for a better night to be out in the fresh air. Thanks to all who put on the show.

Great voice. Great concert. BUT CONCERT ORGANIZERS UPGRADED VIA INSTAGRAM AN ENORMOUS GROUP OF FREE AND GENERAL ADMISSION PEOPLE TO FLOOD THE STANDING ROOM ONLY AREA IN THE VIP SECTION. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF PAYING $100 A TICKET X2 AND THEY GOT IN FREE. IT WAS NOT PLEASANT. WOULD SOME SMART LAWYER PLEASE SUE THESE PEOPLE.

Darius was wonderful. We left after first couple of songs of Lady Antebellum as we weren’t impressed and apparently others felt the same looked like lots of folks did the same thing. Darius should have been the headliner in my opinion

Second time that I have seen Hootie and the Blowfish. First time was 24 years ago in a bar in Huntington WV. Although I have seen Darius multiple times since then, it was great to see them back together again.

Absolutely fantastic concert. Darius even put in 2 country songs, which I loved. It stormed like crazy but they kept playing. Luckily our seats were covered. Hootie and the Blowfish were awesome. Brings back many memories. I wasn't too familiar with Barenaked Ladies but I loved them, too. Great venue for a concert. Just eat before you get there. It's very expensive.

I am a fan of Darius Rucker solo, and didn’t know many Hootie songs. However, the concert seemed great for any Hootie fans and it was still very enjoyable for Darius fans. They played a couple Darius Rucker solo songs as well.

Amazing! This guy just gets better and better, 4th time seeing Darius and I can't wait for the next time. Great seating at Symphony Hall,beautiful place,great sound. Darius is so talented love his songs and he is so charismatic . WOW!

Darius is still one of the best! Only complaint I have is Lady A closed the show Darius should’ve I left 3 songs into Lady A almost fell asleep. Darius + Russell brought it the Headliner seemed like they didn’t want to be there.

This was the second time I've seen Darius. I loved the first time but this time he was even better! He really gives it his all. Love that voice and all his songs, even his oldies; plus, he does a great version of Hank Williams' 'Family Tradition'!!!!