Hootie & The Blowfish at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

I have been a huge fan of Hootie & The Blowfish ever since their debut album Cracked Rear View was released because I love Darius Rucker's voice.  The first time I saw them in concert I was with both of my sisters and what I remember most is that Rucker kept breaking his guitar strings and a tech would bring him a new guitar every time it happened (even in the middle of songs).  I got to see them again last night at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre with one of my sisters and I am happy to report that Rucker didn't break any guitar strings!  They began the show with my very favorite song by the band, "I Go Blind," and then proceeded to play all of their hits.  I especially loved "Time," "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," and "Old Man & Me" (which was a cool mashup with "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "Big Poppa").  They did a really cool acoustic set featuring "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?/ Desert Mountain Showdown" and a cover of "I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You" by Tom Waits.  These songs had a bluegrass sound that I really liked and I especially enjoyed the mandolin.  They performed quite a few covers and my favorite was "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" by Led Zeppelin (I've heard this live before and it is so good).  Other covers included "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots (I loved this), "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M., and a rousing rendition of "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show.  They brought Edwin McCain, who opened for them, back to the stage to perform McCain's song "Solitude" with them (I didn't recognize McCain's name when the tour was announced but I knew all of the songs in his set, especially "I Could Not Ask for More" and "I'll Be").  I also really enjoyed their performance of "Alright" which is one of Rucker's songs from his country solo career.  The night ended with an epic performance of "Only Wanna Be With You" and I was honestly sad for this concert to end because I enjoyed it so much.  I was so happy to be with my sister because she loves the band as much as I do and we sang all of our favorites!  We kept talking about how good Rucker's voice sounded (we think he might be getting better with age) and how tight all of the musicians were.  It was incredibly hot but it cooled down once Hootie took the stage so it was a perfect summer night listening to music that I love!

Note:  The other opening act was Collective Soul.  Other than a stirring rendition of "The World I Know," I was a bit underwhelmed with their set (especially when they played "Shine" twice in a row).  I really wanted to hear "Tremble for My Beloved."