Back in Business
This spring, Darius Rucker is hitting the road and performing his biggest hits live. "To be back out there and be in those rooms that I've never really been able to play before, the big energy of the crowd, I'm in heaven right now," he told E! News. "The rooms are just the perfect size for music and the crowds have been awesome and to be back with my boys playing music, I'm reminded why God put me on this Earth."
Spoiler Alert
For fans wondering if Darius plays Hootie & the Blowfish songs, the answer is absolutely yes. "There are a couple of songs from my career where if I don't play them, I'm ripping people off," he joked. "‘Hold My Hand' and ‘Let Her Cry' and ‘Only Wanna Be With You' are songs that I have to play. It's like the Rolling Stones have to play ‘Satisfaction.'"
Sharing the Stage
Darius is singing his praises for his tour opener, Caylee Hammack. "Her voice is amazing," he said. "We're doing this song that I wrote with John Osborne from my new record with her, and the maturity in her voice and the way she sings and what she brought to it, she's a superstar."
True Traditions
At every stop, Darius and the band do a shot before hitting the stage. "Our tour manager or one of the guys will say something cool about the city we're in," he added. "When we go on, our crew and our band have a ritual where we fist bump and hand shake and say, ‘Let's go get them!'"
Then & Now
Growing up, Darius remembers his family struggling and unable to pay for concerts. At the same time, he always knew what he wanted to become. "When I was a kid, we were so poor that I didn't get to see a lot of shows," he said. "I also lived in South Carolina and not a lot of people are coming through Charleston to play shows. But every time I saw live music on television, I just knew there was nothing in this world I wanted to do more than that."
Dreams Come True
For those hoping to reach their goals, Darius offered some words of wisdom. "I'm that guy who proves that no matter where you live, no matter where you're from, who you are, what color, what sex, no matter how much money you have, no matter what: If you have a dream and you're willing to work your butt off and take some chances and don't mind some rejection, I'm the prime example that you can live your dream," he said. "I'm just a kid from Charleston, South Carolina who was told many times you will never make it and here I am still doing the only thing I've ever wanted to do."