Concert Review
Darius Rucker
Darien Lake PAC
Darien Center, NY
Sunday July 31, 2016
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
Darius Rucker returned to the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Sunday night. It marked the second consecutive year Rucker has played at the venue. This time his tour was entitled Good For A Good Time name after the song from his most recent record Southern Style. He played to comparable crowds and similar songs in his set to the prior year.
Kicking off with a foot stompin’ version of “Lighter Up just as he did last year, started the show off with a bang. Rucker seemed more at home and was smiling quite a bit for the early portion of the show. This is also where he broke out his latest single “If I Told You” which will be on his next album which he is currently working on.
For the most part Rucker stuck to the hits as well as songs from his rock group Hootie & The Blowfish. Classics such as “Let Her Cry” and “Hold My Hand” fit right in snugly with his country gems. He did a good job balancing the set list.
His stage featured two big screens in the rear with several smaller ones on the side encompassing the stage giving it a unique look. A short ramp in front led about 10 rows into the crowd. He stayed out on the ramp for an amazing version of “It Won’t Be Like This For Long”.
Rucker has assembled an amazing touring band. These cats really drive home not only his country hits but they can rock out to the Hootie songs quite fine as well. It is good to see an artist embrace his past as there are a few still out there who refuse to play certain songs from certain eras of their career.
Support for the show featured Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney known collectively as Dan + Shay. The songwriters have made an impact on country radio across the country with anthems such as “Nothin’ Like You” and “From The Ground Up”. For this show they even snuck in covers of Bon Jovi and Def Leppard which went over good with the crowd. Their debut album topped the country charts and the recently released Obsessed came in at number 2.
Michael Ray opened the show with a short 30 minute set. Ray known for his top 10 smash “Kiss You In The Morning” played an inspired set that showed he will be a name to watch out for in the near future.
Darius Rucker
Lighter Up
Radio
Southern State Of Mind
If I Told You
Time
Good For A Good Time
True Believers
It Won’t Be Like This For Long
Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It
Friends In Low Places
No Diggity
This
Let Her Cry
History In The Making
Alright
Hold My Hand
Thank God I’m A Country Boy
Homegrown Honey
Only Wanna Be With You
Come Back Song
Encore
So I Sang
Wagon Wheel
Purple Rain
Dan & Shay
All Nighter
Nothin’ Like You
Stop Drop + Roll
You Give Love A Bad Name (Bon Jovi Cover)
Show You Off
Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard Cover)
Bad Blood (Taylor Swift Cover)
What You Do To Me
From The Ground Up
How Not To
Forget You
19 You + Me
Michael Ray
Another Girl
Run Away With You
Look Like This
Think A Little Less
Real Men Love Jesus
Dust On The Bottle
This Love
Kiss You In The Morning
Special thanks to Ashley Ball for her help with The Credentials
