One thing that really fascinates me is when artists change direction. Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton are just some of the few acts to have done so an usually it leads to positive results if done right (in my opinion). Similarly, Darius Rucker has experienced a similar change. He first gained fame as the lead singer and guitarist of the band Hootie and the Blowfish. Their first album, Cracked Rear View, has sold over 15 million copies in the US and they quickly became a favorite band of people who were tired of grunge. Their music has often been described as "bar band" music in the best sense and Rucker has a very distinctive soul-like voice that really brings their songs to the next level. While they haven't maintained their huge success since their first album, they're still beloved among their fans and people from USC (South Carolina). In 2008, Darius took a break from Hootie and made his first country album. The album spawned three number one singles on the US country chart and he has since been one of the premier country artists in the states. His voice changed from soulful to country-western but he was able to change effortlessly between the two during the concert. While his setlist was predominantly country, he did sing a few Hootie and Blowfish songs and everyone was left satisfied. While I'm more a Hootie fan than a country one, I enjoyed both sides of his artistry and it was a fantastic show overall. His opener, Joel Crouse, also sounded great and put out some good country music to get everyone warmed out. As my third country concert of the year after going to zero before then, I'm quickly recognizing the merits of the genre and Darius Rucker is one of the best country artists I've heard!
This show was supposed to be tough for a number of reasons. It was a sell out crowd, it was a country crowd, and it was supposed to storm real bad throughout the evening. Luckily, the night was much better than I had envisioned and ended up being one of the best shows of the year. The weather ended being almost perfect with little rain speak of. The crowd, though arriving in droves, were not that rowdy and there were very few problems. My biggest problem was that I misplaced my bag containing all my work stuff and I have no idea where it is. Bye bye ID and my notepad that listed all my shows! Nonetheless, it was one of my favorite shows and I guess you could say I'm well on my way to becoming a country fan (gasp!).
My favorite part of the show was when Darius played Wagon Wheel as his encore. This song is quickly becoming a country anthem an is probably my favorite country song of all time. His versions went on to win a grammy award in 2013 and after hearing it last night, it's no wonder why.
DC
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| Is that...a skinny country artist? |
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| From frontman to country man |
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