Hootie & the Blowfish's Cracked Rear View is among the highest-selling albums of all time (20+ million copies sold). I thought the album was a breath of fresh air when it was released in 1994. Grunge was at its peak at the time. I hated grunge. (I have warmed up to it since.) CRV sounded nothing like grunge and I was ultra grateful. I think millions of other music lovers felt likewise, which made it the best-selling album (10.5 million copies sold) in 1995. The album certainly did not break any new ground musically, but the masses (including me) were loving the familiarity of a bunch of pop rock songs you could sing along with.
Back in 2004, I saw H&TB at the Starland Ballroom. They were on fire that night. It was among the best club shows I've ever witnessed, and I've seen hundreds. The band was in the midst of a tour, playing arenas and amphitheaters. The night at Starland was a one-off club show. Darius mentioned the large venues and commented on how impersonal they can be. He and the band were enjoying the much more intimate Starland, stating it was a great rock and roll club. They were loving the vibe, admitting the club gave them that old feeling of being a hungry band on the way up. Their performance backed up their words.
In addition to playing all their hits, they covered Led Zep, Snoop Dogg, Blackstreet, Allman Bros., Ramones and even sang a few verses of "Growin' Up" because that's what you do in Jersey. A memorable night of music, to be sure. If it weren't so memorable, I would have never remembered so much of the evening.
