A Little Southern Style North of the Border with Darius Rucker & Friends

Darius Rucker brought some of country musics new pedigree to Toronto Saturday night with his Southern Style Tour hitting the Molson amphitheatre .  With a line up this strong it was no surprise the place was rockin’ from start to finish.  

Things kicked of with a set by the boys in A Thousand Horses.  For those of you that aren’t all that familiar with the guys they currently have the #1 Song in Canada with Smoke and let me tell ya the fellas were on FIRE tonight.  The strong lead vocals from Michael Hobby and the crazy awesome backing vocals of 3 very talented ladies added in with this TIGHT band I tell ya I can’t wait for these guys to bring the a full 70 min show back to Toronto.  Highlights of the set were of course Smoke which is just amazing live along with the soon to be released single Drunk Dial which i am sure will see the boys rise to the top of the charts again.

Next up was another up and coming band that has had a couple hits and that’s Brothers Osborne.  I am a new fan of these guys thanks to Amanda Wilkinson of Small Town Pistols turning my ear to them.  They have written some great tracks for other artists down in Nashville and this was my first chance of seeing these guys live.  I love the stage presence the interaction with the crowd for being an “newish” band it seems as though this is in the soul of these boys.   With John Osborne’s ability to shred the guitar in such a fashion but keep it short enough not to lose the crowd in a musician getting overly eager on the solo.  It was time perfectly and with hits like Rum and current single Stay A Little Longer they had the crowd pumpin’.   My favorite song by these guys is without a doubt is Let’s Go There such a great cut.  Here’s hoping they come back this fall for a few smaller shows in Ontario.

After the duo finished up it was time for Brett Eldredge, Watch for our interview with Brett later next week as we chatted about new album and the tour. Now you would have to be living under a rock for the last 2 years if you have not heard about this of this guy.  With three #1’s under his belt and an absolutely crazy new single at Radio this guy came to play.   Cranking through the hits and some great covers Brett knew how to prepare the crowd for the force of Darius Rucker.   Brett has been opening up some pretty big shows since the release of his debut album back in 2013 and he had a few new tracks to show off this time around with his new album hitting the streets in September.  I always love hearing the new stuff and to see how the crowd reacts.  I recall a time I was chatting with the guys from LoCash and they say you can tell right away if this is a song your going to want to perform again live or not.  And from the reaction tonight I am sure the songs will be on the new album. We know the new single was a BIG hit last night Lose My Mind has a catchy riff and gets your foot stompin’ that’s for sure.  Brett finished his 50 min set with his hit Don’t Ya.  And the fans sure did want more.

Then the main man of the night hit the stage, Darius Rucker.   Now I have seen Darius about 5 times in the last 3 years and in that time he has changed his set up a bit with throwing in a few new covers and of course the staple Hootie songs.  Tonight Darius turned the Molson Amphitheatre into one big party. From the first note of Lighter Up to the final note of Wagon Wheel and all the hits in between.  Honestly with such a vast catalogue of songs dating back to his Hootie & The Blowfish days, and there is news that they will be getting back to gether in the next year for a new album and tour.

I am a fan of cover songs in a set and loved what he added.  The new covers were No Diggity & East Bound & Down which both were awesome, however I did hear a few fans disappointed that he removed Prince’s Purple Rain and Family Tradition by Hank Williams Jr. that he played on the last tour.   I am a big Rucker Fan. He is what I love about music, being able to cross over from the pop side of things and really not miss a beat in the Country world.  With a HUGE fan base and so many fantastic songs he is still on my list of MUST Interviews.    Darius we thank you for bringing your Southern Style Tour into Canada and you have set the bar high for the rest of the summer.  To be honest I don’t think there is another tour in Ontario this summer that had a line up like last night.  And if your planning on catching this tour anywhere else this summer all I can say is GO! You will not be dissapointed.

 

If you were at the show let us know what you thought!

Corey Kelly / @CoreyKelly76

Remaining Tour Dates…

• 6/19 at Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas, TX
• 6/26 at Hollywood Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, MO
• 6/27 at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, IN
• 6/28 at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH
• 7/10 at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook in Gilford, NH
• 7/11 at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
• 7/12 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NH
• 7/16 at Usana Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, UT
• 7/18 at Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, NM
• 7/31 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountainview, CA
• 8/1 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA
• 8/2 at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, CA
• 8/14 at Musikfest at Sands Steel Stage in Bethlehem, PA
• 8/20 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH
• 8/21 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, NY
• 8/22 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD
• 8/28 at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, NC
• 8/29 at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC
• 8/30 at Farm Bureau Live in Virginia Beach, VA