Hootie & the Blowfish “clearly seemed thrilled to be back on stage with a sellout crowd in front of them,” as the Raleigh News & Observerremarked of Friday night’s concert, the second of three shows launching the Group Therapy Tour which drew over 19,000 in attendance in spite of a rain delay.
The third night of opening weekend, Atlanta Journal Constitution proclaimed, “this is a well-produced nostalgic romp featuring a setlist stacked with singalongs, an effective stage show (sharp lighting, major video screen action) and a band that sounds record perfect,” also noting that “what this return to the road will demonstrate for those who have been out of the Hootie orbit [as the band continued to play select annual concerts] is that the hits still hold up.”
The Gwinnett Daily Post also raved about the “crowd-pleasing” show, emphasizing that “frontman [Darius] Rucker’s raspy vocals are even more mesmerizing in person and his gaze seemed to reach back to the viewers on Lakewood’s berm. Lead guitarist [Mark] Bryan frolicked barefoot on stage with a stage presence that comes with a band rejuvenated with its first full tour in more than 10 years — 15 years since its last studio album.”
Like fans, the band was ready to celebrate memories of their early days as both Rucker and Bryan shared nostalgic memories of their first forays into each market, with tales of coming up in the Carolinas on Friday night in Raleigh and of early gigs in Athens, Georgia the talk of Saturday night in Atlanta.
Hootie & the Blowfish took the stage after a hit-filled opening set by special guest and fellow 90s stalwartsBarenaked Ladies, whose set included their catchy theme song for “The Big Bang Theory” as well as fan-favorites “One Week” and “If I Had $1000000” plus well-received covers of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
Rucker and Bryan then took the stage with bandmates Dean Felber and Jim “Soni” Sonefeld for a set list that began each night with “Hannah Jane,” track one on their 21X-Platinum debut album Cracked Rear View which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. The show continued with Hootie classics such as “Let Her Cry” and “Hold My Hand,” plus covers of Rucker’s solo No. 1 “Alright” and GRAMMY-Award winning take on “Wagon Wheel,” as well as R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” a natural fit for the band which also shared stories of R.E.M.’s influence on them as young artists. Keeping fans on their feet until the very end, “Only Wanna Be With You” sent a satisfied crowd into the night.
The trek continues with 44 additional U.S. & Canada dates throughout the summer, including stops at the iconic Hollywood Bowl, a two-night stand at Madison Square Garden and a three-night homecoming finale in Columbia, S.C. before the band heads overseas for a run of eight U.K. and Irelands dates in October. The tour also comes with news of a forthcoming album, expected later this year under a new record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville.
For more information, visit www.hootie.com or follow on Facebook @hootieandtheblowfish, Twitter @hootietweetsand Instagram @hootieofficial.
Remaining Group Therapy Tour Dates
June 6 Orange Beach, Ala. | The Wharf
June 8 West Palm Beach, Fla. | Coral Sky Amphitheatre
June 9 Tampa, Fla. | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 13 Austin, Texas | Austin360 Amphitheater
June 14 Houston, Texas | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 15 Dallas, Texas | Dos Equis Pavilion
June 19 Phoenix, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 21 Chula Vista, Calif. | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 22 Las Vegas, Nev. | T-Mobile Arena
June 23 Irvine, Calif. | FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
June 25 Los Angeles, Calif. | Hollywood Bowl
June 28 Wheatland, Calif. | Toyota Amphitheatre
June 29 Mountain View, Calif. | Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 11 Englewood, Colo. | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 13 Maryland Heights, Mo. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 14 Rogers, Ark. | Walmart AMP
July 19 Monticello, Iowa | Great Jones County Fair
July 20 Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center
July 21 Burgettstown, Penn. | KeyBank Pavilion
July 26 Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center
July 27 Bristow, Va. | Jiffy Lube Live
July 28 Camden, N.J. | BB&T Pavilion
August 2 Guilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
August 3 Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center
August 4 Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 8 Columbia, Md. | Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 9 Canandaigua, N.Y. | Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
August 10 New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden
August 11 New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden
August 16 Detroit, Mich. | DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 17 Noblesville, Ind. | Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
August 18 Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa State Fair
August 22 St. Paul, Minn. | Minnesota State Fair
August 23 East Troy, Wis. | Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 24 Tinley Park, Ill. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 29 Toronto, Ont. | Budweiser Stage
August 30 Hershey, Penn. | Hersheypark Stadium
August 31 Hartford, Conn. | XFINITY Theatre
September 5 Charlotte, N.C. | PNC Music Pavilion
September 6 Birmingham, Ala. | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
September 7 Nashville, Tenn. | Bridgestone Arena
September 11 Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
September 12 Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
September 13 Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
October 4 Dublin, Ireland | 3Arena
October 6 Bristol, England | O2 Academy
October 7 Leeds, England | O2 Academy
October 9 Glasgow, Scotland | Barrowland
October 10 Glasgow, Scotland | Barrowland
October 12 London, England | Eventim Apollo
October 15 Manchester, England | O2 Apollo
October 16 Birmingham, England | O2 Academy
