Hootie & The Blowfish, Barenaked Ladies

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Photo courtesy of the artists

Hootie & The Blowfish

Returning to full-time touring after a decade-long hiatus that coincided with Darius Rucker’s successful pursuit of a solo country career, Hootie & the Blowfish is simultaneously celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of its breakthrough and teasing its first studio album since 2005, due later this year. Despite Cracked Rear View’s pervasive pop-rock appeal, the band was often maligned by critics and hipsters, even as it continued to consistently churn out jangly, melodic tunes with sturdy hooks and honest, heartfelt writing. Hell, Rucker was bold enough to call out the Confederate flag that flew over the South Carolina State House—along with the trite “heritage not hate” excuse—on the first verse of “Drowning,” a single from Hootie’s 1994 debut. Meanwhile, opening act Barenaked Ladies still rolls out a greatest-hits collection in concerts, despite the 2009 departure of co-leader Steven Page, who sang lead on many of their early hits, and regular releases of new material since. —Spencer Griffith