Darius Rucker • September 17, 2026 • Days of ’47 Arena
Reviewed and Photographed by Mike Ferguson
I had the wonderful opportunity to see Darius Rucker at the Utah State Fair on Thursday, September 17th at the Days of ’47 Arena. Rucker has a loyal fanbase here in Utah. When the announcement was made that he would be playing the State Fair, I imagine people made their plans to get inside the venue where they usually watch the rodeo to see one of their favorite artists.
It was honestly such a fun show! I’ve never been a major country music fan, but I’ve always liked that he can bounce back and forth between country, Darius, and Hootie & the Blowfish without it ever feeling weird, and the set gave us a little bit of everything.
Obviously, hearing songs like “Come Back Song,” “Alright,” “Only Wanna Be With You,” “Hold My Hand,” and “Wagon Wheel” live was awesome, but I think some of my favorite parts were the unexpected songs and covers mixed in. It made the whole thing feel less like he was just running through the hits and more like they were genuinely up there having fun.
And dude still sounds GOOD live. His voice is just so recognizable, and once the whole arena starts singing along with him, especially on the Hootie songs and “Wagon Wheel,” it’s pretty hard not to have a good time. I loved the snippet of The Black Crowes “She Talks to Angels” leading into the Hootie and the Blowfish classic, “Let Her Cry.”
The whole set was an all-around great one. Good music, fun crowd, a little nostalgia, and one of those concerts where I walked out very glad I finally got to see him live.
