Hootie & the Blowfish—Live in Charleston: The Homegrown Concert Event

Hootie & the Blowfish turn up in their hometown of Charleston, SC, to bask in a warm reception and help local schools (attendees were asked to bring school supplies to donate). As usual, the group sounds like a fine, though not outstanding, pop-rock bar band, graced by Mark Bryan's strong guitar skills and Darius Rucker's warm, soulful vocals. But the songs are often weak, both trite and monotonous. The show opener, "State Your Peace," one of half a dozen tunes performed here from the band's 2005 release Looking for Lucky, rocks well enough early on but soon gets stuck in stylistic redundancy. Rucker shines on "Time," an early hit, but his singing is mostly undistinguished through most of the rest of the 20-song set. "Hannah Jane" is helped along by Bryan's jangly guitar, while "One Love" has a trace of genuine gospel between the lines, and the breakup song "Get Out of My Mind" has a curiously bouncy beat. But for every solid tune such as "The Killing Stone,” there's a forgettable pop morsel like "I Go Blind." Optional. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)