Darius Rucker’s Country Soul Rocks The Opry House

In music—and culture, in general—we like to put things in neat little boxes. We like things to be neatly defined—“country,” “pop,” “Americana.” If an artist doesn’t fit in one box, they are sometimes criticized for it. But saying that something isn’t country enough—or is too pop—is the critical equivalent of beating a dead horse. Sometimes, an artist is just plain good—the music makes you feel something, regardless of the box it’s in. Or the box it isn’t in.

So goes the story of one Darius Rucker. The former light-rocker turned country sensation has done well—his debut country CD Learn to Live was just certified platinum. Fans have latched on to Rucker’s lighthearted, feel-good country pop-rock material, but the real treat is seeing him live. And a couple thousand people had the opportunity to do so on Monday night at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, where Rucker was headlining as part of the Samsung Summer Krush Concert Series.

Rucker put on a professional show—keeping the crowd on their feet throughout the hour-long set (an unusual sight for a venue that is usually overflowing with gray hair and an assortment of walkers and canes). Dull moments were hard to come by, as Rucker and his band kept the crowd going with a mixture of country-pop, classic country, and Hootie tunes, all with a unique Darius flare.

The first three songs of the night, which were taped for the Jimmy Kimmel Show and will air tomorrow night (Aug. 27), included album opener “Forever Road,” #1 hit “Alright,” and his new follow-up single “History in the Making.” The latter was fluffy adult contemporary more than anything else, but Rucker showed how he could make any song listenable and enjoyable–a skill that surfaced more than once. Later in the show, his mastery of “It Won’t Be like This for Long” made it easy to forget about the song’s tired and recycled theme.

While the country radio hits are the only reason Rucker would ever be standing on the Grand Ole Opry stage, his former identity as the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish wasn’t completely left behind. “She sits alone by a lamp post/Trying to find a thought that’s escaped her mind” ignited screams and raised beers from the crowd. The rest of “Let Her Cry” was probably the highlight of the show.

What was most impressive though, was the way Rucker was able to transition from 1990’s pop hit to 1970’s country classic—specifically “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” a clever choice considering some people still just know him as Hootie. While the performance of the song was spot-on, Rucker did pull a disappointing switcheroo, subbing out Merle Haggard’s name for Kenny Chesney’s.

After a fine reading of “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” Rucker came back out with another twist for his encore: Per request of his drummer, Rucker has recently injected a cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain” into his live show. Rucker put an effective soulful twist on the pop classic—giving it a fresh new life.

As Rucker walked off the stage, it was unclear about just what kind of show the audience had just heard—but no matter whether it was country, pop, rock, or somewhere in between, it was damn good.