Hootie & The Blowfish Cover R.E.M., Tom Waits As Summer Tour Continues

“In 1995, I gave an interview where they said, ‘What’s it like touring with Hootie & The Blowfish?’” explained singer songwriter Edwin McCain on stage last week just south of Chicago in Tinley Park, Illinois. “And I said, ‘Summer camp with trucks,” said the singer with a smile. “So, that’s where it started.”

“Summer Camp With Trucks” finds Hootie & The Blowfish on tour across North America alongside McCain and 90s alt rock stalwarts Collective Soul, a run set to wrap up Saturday, September 28, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Celebrating the massive success of their debut album as it turns 30, Hootie & The Blowfish was recently awarded a rare double diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America in recognition of Cracked Rear View album sales which now exceed 22 million copies in the U.S. alone, rendering it one of the best selling albums ever.

“How y’all doing back there in the lawn?” asked frontman Darius Rucker on stage Friday night to rapturous applause, setting up “Hannah Jane” from the 1994 debut. “The reason we decided to tour this year is it’s the 30th anniversary of Cracked Rear View,” he continued, explaining the group’s first full outing since 2019. “We are old,” said Rucker bluntly – but with a smile.

Still intact, the group’s four members (Rucker, guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld) were embellished Friday night in Chicago by additional percussionist Gary Greene and multi-instrumentalists Garry Murray and Lee Turner, who chipped in on everything from mandolin to banjo and violin to accordion, cementing the group’s polished but still rootsy sound.

Keys were resplendent on a cool summer evening outdoors in the suburbs of Chicago as “I Go Blind” kicked things off.

Hootie ratcheted the energy up a notch next, following with full on rocker “Wishing” from their most recent studio effort, 2019’s Musical Chairs.

Picking up an electric guitar, Rucker was backed beautifully by all six of the other voices present on stage throughout “I Will Wait,” with Bryan hopping to his right to face off against Felber as the track drew to a close.

Windmilling away as he strummed out his best Pete Townshend impression, Bryan was affable and entertaining throughout the evening, with “Time” standing out as an early highlight.

“I remember when this place was called The World back in the 90s,” marveled Bryan of the outdoor amphitheatre and its many corporately sponsored name changes. “It was good to see you back then and it’s good to see you again tonight!” he said, setting up the latest Hootie & The Blowfish single.

This past spring, Hootie & The Blowfish released their take on Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth.” “A song that still registers in this day and age,” noted the guitarist of the famed protest song’s still sadly relevant message.

“I love playing Chicago, man…” mused Rucker elsewhere Friday night. “We like to pretend we’re a bluegrass band…” he said trailing off. “We are not a bluegrass band,” retorted the singer dryly.

Stripping down a bit, Hootie’s core four sat at the foot of the stage, offering up a primarily acoustic suite that nearly stole the show.

With images of a campfire running on screen behind the band, Hootie & The Blowfish turned the 28,000 seat amphitheatre into an intimate hootenanny, with Rucker, clad in a Ramones t-shirt, whipping up a head of steam on mandolin as the group offered up a largely acoustic take on “Will the Circle be Unbroken?”

While Rucker offered up his own “Alright” late, squeezebox and violin drove “Desert Mountain Showdown” prior, evidence that as surprised as some fans might be by the solo success Rucker’s found in the country realm, Hootie & The Blowfish always had that gear, showcasing an array of Americana instruments and sounds over the course of their nearly four decades.

Trying on Tom Waits’ “I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love With You,” the group also covered Led Zeppelin (“Hey, Hey What Can I Do”) and Stone Temple Pilots (“Interstate Love Song”).

“Back when we started this thing in 1986, there was one band for us,” said Rucker, setting up an R.E.M. hit. “I don’t know what we’d sound like if this band didn’t exist.”

Bryan performs in the R.E.M. tribute band Voice of Harold and was flawless taking on Peter Buck’s lead mandolin part Friday in Chicago, pacing back and forth across the stage throughout “Losing My Religion.”

“You know, one of the coolest things about being in a band together for 40 years is making great friends along the way,” said Rucker, welcoming opening act Edwin McCain back to the stage for McCain’s “Solitude.”

McCain started the track solo acoustic with Rucker soon chipping in with a delicate harmony during the chorus, with the pair swapping verse vocals before being joined by the full band.

Handling acoustic guitar himself, McCain was flanked during his opening set by a two piece band featuring saxophone and additional guitar on standout cuts like “I Could not ask for More.”

“It turned into a prom real quick in here!” observed McCain with a smile during “I’ll Be.”

Celebrating their 30 plus years, Collective Soul plowed through an entertaining performance over the course of about 45 minutes, with singer Ed Roland heading to his right as an incisive, buzz saw guitar riff cut through “Heavy” early.

McCain joined the group for a pair of fun covers, offering up an additional vocal as Collective Soul explored both Aerosmith (“Livin’ on the Edge”) and AC/DC (“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”).

“We wanna thank our crew, who we consider our family. Thank you for making us look good every night!” said Roland on stage in Tinley Park. “For four decades, we’ve had a top 20 record in our career,” he continued referencing the group’s latest album Here to Eternity as he introduced arguably the biggest Collective Soul hit in “Run.”

Collective Soul has sold about 10 million albums of their own in America and 90s hits like “Shine,” and “December” were present and accounted for Friday night as the group set the stage for Hootie & The Blowfish.

“I wrote this song a long time ago, drunk, trying to be Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes,” said Rucker laughing as he introduced “Let Her Cry.”

Barefoot, Bryan worked a snippet of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” into “Old Man & Me,” with Rucker following suit as he spit a bit of “Big Poppa.”

“So, you guys know Soni is from Naperville – you know that, right?” asked Rucker of the crowd, referencing drummer Jim Sonefeld who hails from Chicago’s western suburbs. “Soni said, ‘Well, I wrote a song the other day…’ ‘OK. Play us your silly song,’” said Rucker with a humorous eye roll as he jokingly recalled hiring the athletic, long-haired drummer and the immediate impact he had on the band. “This is the song he wrote that day,” said the singer, elaborating upon the humble roots of one of the more upbeat, catchy and engaging pop rock songs of the last 30 years as he strummed along the once ubiquitous, still familiar introduction to “Hold My Hand.” “God bless, y’all,” said Rucker on stage in Chicago. “Thank you.”