Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith
Friday 3rd May, 2024
BY ORLA GULLA
A night to remember! Not just an electrifying performance from the main man Darius, himself but the whole band too. Opening with ‘Have a Good Time’ sure got the crowd going. As much as Darius is a great musical artist, he most definitely knows how to entertain too! As soon as he walked out on the stage, the party started! ‘Beers and Sunshine’ got us all in the mood for the night ahead and had everyone holding their drinks up on the chorus! I am not as mad about Darius as some of the friends we went with, so I didn’t really know what to expect of the night. However, as soon as he came out on stage I could tell it was going to exceed expectations. Darius has it all – not only is he a fantastic entertainer, but his voice live is one of the best I have ever heard. From the moment he came on stage to the moment he stepped off, his voice showcased his love for performing and his music, and sounded just like it did coming through my headphones!
‘For the First Time’ is one of my favourite Darius songs, and clearly it was a crowd pleaser as everyone was singing along. I think for me, a song is more enjoyable when it is relatable and getting to sing along to it live was very cool, especially being so close to the stage! However, the highlight of the night for me was when Darius brought Tyler Booth (the amazing support act!) back out on stage to sing a vibrant Johnny Cash cover of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ which was just insane! It was upbeat, feel – good and great fun! Me and my mum had a laugh anyway at the energetic stage presence of the pair! On a more serious note, though, Darius and Tyler sang it very well – taking it in turns to do a verse each. It seemed to me that their voices seemed to work really well together too – they can both fluctuate between octaves and sopranos making the cover even more impressive!
As energetic as the night was, there was also a good mix of slow songs in the set list, including ‘It Won’t be Like This for Long’ and Darius’ old band’s Hootie and the Blowfish cover of ‘Let Her Cry.’ The atmosphere of the crowd when the slower songs were being performed was completely riveting – you could hear a pin drop. It was evident in the moment how much meaning these songs had to fans. I found the crowd of the night really great, no one was talking or pushing, everyone was just generally living their best lives as were we! I noticed that the crowd knew every word to every song – well the guys behind me did anyway, they were living their absolute best lives which is what live music and seeing the artists we love is all about!
We were blessed with some more iconic covers as the night went on, such as TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ and Bell Biv DeVoe’s iconic hit ‘Poison.’ Darius clearly knew what he was doing with these covers as he really got the crowd going! As much as his voice was amazing too, his stage swagger was very very cool! He was dancing like he had no cares in the world, which is what I really like and admire about Darius as an artist, he seems very genuine and real which was proven through his performances and his crowd interaction. However my only criticism of the night would be that I would have liked to have heard more of his own songs, there was a few missing from the set list that I would have loved to see – a few too many covers for me. But who knows what will be on the cards for next time?!
The night ended with a cover of The Zutons’ classic ‘Valerie’ and was a slower, more thought – through performance than the original, which was interesting to see as the original is more upbeat however I really liked it as I thought it again, showed a real love and professionalism for what he does. ’Never Been Over’ and a cover of Oasis’ ‘Champagne Supernova’ paved the way for the huge, crowd – pleaser… WAGON WHEEL! And my, what an ending it was! I don’t think i’ve ever seen so many people dancing and singing at a concert encore before! I have to say, it was one of the best i’d ever experienced! Darius’ guitar skills were amazing too, and the introduction to ‘Wagon Wheel’ didn’t miss a thing.
All in all, the night began and ended with a great atmosphere and crowd sing – a – long. Until next time Darius, hope to see you and your band back in the UK very soon for another party!
2 Comments on “Darius Rucker review ”
this review describes perfectly Darius at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast last night. Almost twi hours of brilliant music and a great feel good show,
Thank you, glad you had a great show.