Record Attendance Set With Third Consecutive Sellout at Family Circle Magazine Stadium

In 2003, Grammy Award winners Hootie & The Blowfish wanted to establish an annual musical event in South Carolina aimed at helping school-aged children. The end result was the creation of Hootie & The Blowfish Homegrown concert. For the past five years, this event has helped provide necessary school supplies to schools in need. To help local teachers and schools in the effort, Hootie & The Blowfish are asking their fans to bring a school supply item with them to the concert. All supplies collected will be delivered to local schools in the Charleston County School District. For the past five years, ticket holders attending the Homegrown Concert have come through in a big way and in total, have filled a total of eight entire school busses with their donations.

Hootie & The Blowfish fans arrived on Daniel Island very early on Friday, August 24th to begin a day of serious tailgating for the fifth annual “Homegrown Concert” held that evening in Family Circle Magazine Stadium. Starting at noon, Seven Farms Drive and every available parking lot near the stadium was filed with fans of all ages grilling food and having a great time as they waited for the night’s event to arrive. Fans filled both of the Tennis Center’s newly designated tailgating areas to capacity, the only parking areas where adults are allowed to enjoy adult beverages before the gates open. Most in attendance seemed to embrace this new tailgating policy that came as a result of a City of Charleston Police Department effort to combat open containers and underage drinking.

As fans made their way to the main entrance of the Family Circle Tennis Center, they dropped off hundreds of bags of school supplies to be donated to the Charleston County School District, filling nearly three school buses for the fifth straight year in a row. This charitable effort was the band’s reason for beginning the “Homegrown Concert” series in 2003, and the success of this program has grown each year.

Special guest Shawn Mullins took the stage at 8:00 pm in front of thousands of fans who entered the venue when it opened to catch the opening act known for his 1998 smash hit "Lullaby" and 2006 hit "Beautiful Wreck". The crowd got exactly what they came for as they danced and sang along to both songs, as well as a well-mixed assortment of tunes that kept the vibe going throughout his 45-minute set as the sun went down over Daniel Island. Mullins left the stage after thanking the enthusiastic crowd for coming out and being a part of this great event. Mullins continues to tour in support of his successful 2006 release 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor.

Fans were able to take a 30-minute break to recharge their batteries before Hootie & The Blowfish took the stage. Darius Rucker introduced the band to the crowd during a spectacular display of light and sound that brought the record-setting crowd of over 7,400 screaming fans to its feet as they cheered at the top of their lungs for their local superstar rockers.

Darius Rucker opened the show with fan favorite “State”, and continued to thrill the audience with classic Hootie hits including “I Go Blind”, “Time”, “Let Her Cry”, and “Hold My Hand”. The crowd sang along to hit after hit as the night went on, and if they didn’t know the words to a particular song when it began, they immediately picked up the chorus and erupted in song as if each were an old favorite. Their sound included a mix of pop, country, and southern rock which could be heard throughout the range of songs they chose for the knowledgeable fans and newcomers who filled out the audience.

With nearly every seat in Charleston’s premier outdoor facility taken, the versatile stadium funneled the fans toward the large stage set on top of a world-class clay tennis court that showcases the best in women’s tennis each April, and now the top pro beach volleyball players each summer. Acoustically, the warm sound is perfectly dissipated as it rises through each tier and is spread evenly throughout the full crowd. Each instrument was clear and crisp as the strong lights bounced off every angle creating an electric mood for this high-energy show.

Charleston’s favorite sons made their curtain call after “Supernova” closed the final encore of the evening before the lights came on to end the show. As throngs of fans poured out of Family Circle Magazine Stadium, many were talking about how this annual event has become a Charlestonian tradition, the must-see event of the year. Post-event trash removal is a top concern for the Tennis Center staff, both inside and outside the facility, which was evident as several grounds personnel scoured the parking lots for debris immediately after the show.

The multi-platinum quartet of Hootie & The Blowfish consists of Mark Bryan, guitars, mandolin, background vocals; Dean Felber, bass guitar, background vocals; Darius Rucker, lead vocals, guitar and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, drums, percussion, background vocals. More information about Hootie & The Blowfish can be found at their official website www.hootie.com, and Shawn Mullins content can be found at www.smgrecords.com.


Photo Galleries   (Mike Saia)

Tailgating

Fans Enjoying the Concert

Shawn Mullins

Hootie & The Blowfish