Darius Rucker eager to play ‘intimate’ show at the Palace
Not everyone would see the Palace as an “intimate” theater, but for Darius Rucker, that’s what it is.
Rucker, who will be performing at the Palace Theatre on Feb. 19 in what’s billed as an “intimate theatre performance,” started out heading Hootie & the Blowfish in 1986, and switched largely to a solo career in country music in 2008.
“Hootie went from playing clubs to big arenas. In country music, I went right away to opening in big arenas. So I’ve never really gotten to play at most of these places. For me, I wanted to play at places where we could sell out and have a good time,” Rucker, 55, said in a telephone interview in October 2021.
Though Rucker enjoyed his years with Hootie, he’s happy to be performing solo as a country artist.
“When you’re with a band like Hootie & the Blowfish, you don’t make all the decisions. When you’re on your own, it’s all up to you, so you get to do more what you want to do,” he said.
He also feels thoroughly at home in the country music scene.
“The country music community is amazing,” he said. “Compared to the country world, the pop rock world seems so selfish. In the country world, everybody really seems to be pulling for you. It’s a different animal. I love it.”
During his time off from touring during the pandemic, Rucker worked on a new album to be released this year. A couple of singles from the album have already been released.
“With the pandemic, one of the things you could still do was write songs over Zoom, so that’s what I did,” he said.
“There was so much going on in the world and in my own life, so there was a lot to write about. It helped to write. It was really therapeutic,” he said.
He worked closely with other songwriters on this project.
“There are a lot of co-writes on this one,” he said. “That became a popular thing during the pandemic, Zoom writing.”
The album, with no firm release date, is still a work in progress.
“I’m still trying to figure out what
songs are going to be on the record,” he said.
If the singles he has released already are any indication, fans of the singer’s smooth, mellow country sounds — exemplified by his biggest hit, “Wagon Wheel” — won’t be disappointed.
“Beers and Sunshine,” released late in 2020, is a laidback tribute to the easy life. “My Masterpiece,” released in spring last year, leans into the soulful side of country.
When he’s not making music, Rucker keeps himself busy with sports. An avid golfer, he’s also a big football fan, and recently teamed up with the NFL to establish a successful clothing line including hoodies, button-up shirts, sweatpants, T-shirts and more.
Rucker will be performing at the Palace on a tour that opens just a couple days earlier in Philadelphia.
“I haven’t done a real tour for a while,” he said. “I can’t wait to get out on the road again.”
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