Let me first say that in no way is this a professional review of last night's amazing performance by Darius Rucker at the pretty close to sold out Charter Amphitheater. I would love to say that the local paper reviewed the show but I guessed that they deemed it was not fit to print as they were likely reviewing some event that had 225 people attend. Turns out that the attendance for Darius Rucker was 11,941. That's the biggest crowd yet at the Amphitheater.Impressive!
I would love to say that I could review this professionally but I had too many $9 beers and was too busy making up the words to various songs that were being performed last night to come up with flowery "blahblahs" pretending I am a connoisseur. I walked into this show having heard his "country pop" stuff but besides "The Come Back Song" I don't really know the lyrics. Hence my making up the lyrics.
So I got home around 530 and got into my customary t-shirt, shorts and sandals with the shades on and my backward facing Road Warriors ballcap and had a quick Yuengling or two and I was off to the show.
This is the first concert I have attended solo since either September 1st or 2nd, 1979 at the old Montreal Forum when I was staying at my "Ma Tante Exilda's" flat in Point St. Charles. I told her something about meeting some friends at the movies and instead I hightailed it on the bus to see the Bee Gees on their "Spirits Having Flown" tour. I even wore my white Lee painters pants in homage to the Brothers Gibb.
Okay enough memory lane stuff and back to the present. LOL.
The venue kept posting updates on their Facebook page letting concertgoers know that they needed to make every effort to get there early as they were expecting an overflow crowd. They weren't kidding. This was my 5th or 6th event at the venue and it was definitely crowded. The biggest issue is getting into the place. There is only one way in it seems and they should really try to make it two lanes going in so that it doesn't take 30 minutes to park your car. It amazes me that you can drive on I85 at 60mph and have 8 cars on your ass behind you and then when you are stopped at a light or in a line to park people give you 20-30 feet between cars. Here's a newsflash that open space between cars would make a whole lot more sense on the highway than when stuck in traffic. That is just my two cents here. Ha! One thing I will note for the next show I attend there is to take the opportunity to tailgate prior to the show. I think I would like to partake in that tradition. It would be a cheaper way to eat and drink prior to the show rather than pay what they charge in the venue.
The unenviable task of opening the show went to Jana Kramer who has charted a couple of country hits it seems. People were still streaming in when her set started and she tried hard to get the audience involved but it is dauntingly hard to do so when half the audience attends a concert as a social event to stand around talking with friends or better yet texting. I think people nowadays spend half their time looking at their phones rather than what's going around them in real-life. Her set lasted about a half hour and mostly featured to my uneducated country ear the typical female country artist type sound. Not saying it is bad. Just not my thing.
Next on the bill was Justin "Mr. NRA" Moore. He definitely makes his viewpoint heard in his song selection and his blatantly inaccurate political commentary. It's like shut up and play your music! Trying to curry favor with the redneck element attending last night pretty much leaves out 97% of the normal people that were there at the show. Yeah your comments were real popular with the confederate flag t-shirt wearing chewing tobacco types drinking Bud Lights. Congratulations are in order. LOL.
I will say that I prefer his country rock sound more than the typical country twang I sometimes hear. He and his band did an amazing cover of Joe Cocker's classic "With A Little Help From My Friends". It's too bad that the social set at the show were too busy taking pictures of their painted toenails to send to friends or acquaintances sitting ten feet away because had they listened they would have been impressed. I know I was!
At about 945 the light show started on stage along with the sound of a heartbeat going faster and faster until all the lights came on and there was the almost hometown act on the stage front and center. He led off the show with "Heartbreak Road" off the new True Believers disc which led into "Alright" which was the 3rd single released from 2008's "Learn to Live". Definitely country feels to those songs. A bit of a stretch from his Hootie days that's for sure.
He then slowed it a down with his first number one hit on the country charts from 2008's "Learn To Live". "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" was the first #1 from a black or African-American artist since Charley Pride's 1983 "Night Games". The song title is a tongue twister. LOL. Nice song. Kind of middle of the road ballad-y stuff.
Then Darius got me singing and dancing (or shuffling) to his version of Steve Miller's classic "The Joker". Some people call me Maurice...whoo hoo...LOL. Definitely a highlight for me last night. Fun, fun, fun!
Then came "Come Back Song" from his "Charleston, SC 1966" disc in 2010. This was another crowd pleaser and continued the good time vibe that was definitely taking over the crowd. By this time everyone was up singing and dancing. Nice feeling to be a crowd of 10,000 plus feeling positive! He then followed up with "Southern State of Mind" from the same disc. Love that line about asking a waitress in a NYC diner for some sweet tea. LOL. So true.
Then the tempo slowed down a bit with Rucker's paean to seeing his daughter growing up "It Won't Be Like This For Long". A nice song. Nothing too original but a good sentiment nevertheless.
Then the first of three Hootie songs showed up. "Only Wanted To Be With You" from 1994's "Cracked Rear View". Another one of those singalongs from the faithful in the crowd. Then he went back to his new disc with "Lost In You" which is another pretty ballad. This led into an amazing version of "Let Her Cry" which started with Darius alone on stage with single spotlight on him. That song will never get old for me. A true heartache song! He followed that up with the ballad "History In The Making". Another pretty song that to me showcases his baritone rather effectively.
Tempo picked up again with "Hold My Hand" from his Hootie days. Darius Rucker definitely knows how to pace his shows. Couple of girl-boy songs. Couple of country rocker type songs. Couple of singalong songs. Excellent act live and his band is tight as hell. They followed up with "This" from the "Charleston" disc. Another crowd favorite there. Or here. LOL.
He then brought Jana Kramer and Justin Moore back out and they all covered Hank Williams Jr. 1979 "Family Tradition". Now that is definitely a party song with the singalong "get drunk, get stoned and get laid" call and response with the crowd. I went southern there for a brief moment in time. LOL. A brief moment in time. The beers helped. Ha!
He finished up the show the pre-encore part of the show with the anthemic title cut "True Believers". I had not heard this song before last night and I really enjoyed it. One of those start slow and build up songs that I tend to like.
Then the encores shortly after 11pm. Started off with the opening licks from the instantly recognizable southern anthem for the years 2000 and up "Wagon Wheel". I think that Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show are enjoying the royalties from this recent #1 hit. The line "heading west from Cumberland Gap to Johnson City, Tennessee" is something to be heard when 10,000 people are singing it. Truly a unique moment!
As has been the norm for the last couple of years, Darius ends his shows with Prince's epic "Purple Rain". Man oh man the band and he do it justice. The guitar solos, the organ/keyboard lines, the cymbal crashes and the heartache of the lyrics being sung. Amazing rendition. Simply amazing!
All in all Darius Rucker put on an amazing performance of 17 or so songs lasting an hour and half showcasing his vocal strengths and his great backing band. Definitely was a great great show. Peace out rock and rollers...
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