Hootie & the Blowfish invited on stage at a Bluegrass show 1994(ish)

1994-95 Hootie & the Blowfish were booked at Fitzgerald's in Houston. Earlier that evening members were out having a meal and enjoying some live Bluegrass when a lady on stage noticed them and called them out. She had no idea who they were (almost nobody in the place did) but somehow sensed they were musicians. This was at a time when you could not turn on a radio or walk through a mall without hearing them. She invited them on stage and this is what happened.
Sorry for the bad VHS quality.

[@kevinmcnamee7263]

It’s like watching the beginning of a superhero film where they first show off their powers. Awesome!

[@PeterTPhan]

Even with the terrible audio quality on this old VHS and digitizing it, DR's voice still sounds incredible. That's an awesome experience.

[@dradavies3793]

That's what shocked me the most about this, he sounds amazing. What a talent. I think by the hush of the crowd you can tell they were immediately into it too!

[@terragrow440]

Literally sounds amazing!!

[@aholesahole]

Saw your post on Reddit, thanks for putting this up. Straight up blast from the past.

[@sundaynightdrunk]

What a fascinating thing to have captured. Imagine all the times something like this has happened that are lost, or on tape somewhere in someone's closet.

[@KalmaLang]

I'm not that old :D but i think its way more important to experience those moments instead of capturing them... but i feel ya

[@andrewfox3501]

A true singer before auto tune ruined music!

[@RTG562]

I think about that type of stuff all the time

[@WyomingSkysAboveMe]

The first appearances of no doubt are pretty cool too. Check them out.

[@terragrow440]

I couldnt imagine the forgotten things people have 😭😭 it needs to be a continental PSA to look if you have something cool on tape or video

[@joshfields7580]

That’s amazing. Let Her Cry has always been my favorite HATB song. Outstanding discovery and thanks for sharing.

[@KTVBOSTON]

This is a beautiful piece of history right here. Knowing that they hadn't completely blown up yet. I hope old (and older) videos keep popping up. Thank you for posting this.

[@alika207]

Wow! Amazing! What a special moment, to witness this intimate footage before they made it big! Darius has such an incredible singing talent! Also, that applause was fantastic! It practically went on forever! It's as if they were all blown away! How could they not be? That voice! My goodness! :)

[@jogden6632]

The guy on the mandolin is pretty good. I always thought of the improvisation of bluegrass much like jazz music, and it doesn't get enough credit IMO.

[@yankita8689]

It is funny how the bluegrass band lead thinks they're doing Hootie & the Blowfish a favor! She said "here's your chance!"....right....

[@Kurto2021]

I am sure she is wanting reciprocity

[@EthanR-f1j]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING this!! what a wonderful moment. You should send this to Darius

[@ludwig77]

This is so amazing to see. Thank you for sharing this!!!

[@JackLyons00]

Thanks so much for this. Incredible moment in time that was captured.

[@christinecardus2290]

I’m a huge Hootie fan - thank you for sharing this treasure!

[@anagraham9124]

This is fantastic! Thanks for sharing! What a treat to see.

[@Eta1425]

Cracked Rear View was the first CD I ever purchased. I wore it out (aka scratched it up for all you 20-somethings) back then and now most of those songs are on my most played Amazon music playlist. They are a band that will forever stand the test of time.

[@DoTheRejectDalton]

This is actually in 1993 before they released there album that sold 21 million copies. I saw this on Reddit and the person that made the post said that the tape was in her grandparents basement for the longest time just sitting there, forgotten about or undiscovered if you think about it. Just a piece of musical history at the beginning for these guys. Also Rucker hitting the guitar on the lights when he’s taking it off😅

[@tonyfnb]

thats wild as shit

[@guyjobinguy]

Truly awesome. This song is just such a classic.

[@SlyMastaC]

To the bluegrass band this is known as the night they let hootie and the Blowfish open for them.

[@spencerthebutch]

Wow. Thanks for uploading this..

[@Sunny-te5rf]

The gimpy waitress slogging through the frame with Hootie killing it on stage made this already amazing video total perfection

[@shamusneeson453]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@DrippinAcrylic]

That lady probably heard this a million times on the radio after that. Probably laughed to herself like, wow!

[@jackiedaytona7681]

They were playing at Fitzgeralds. RIP to that fine establishment.

[@JohnDoe-pn6ne]

It got really quiet when Darius Rucker started singing

[@esparka]

Yeah, the commenters on here would not have been near as respectful, of course…..

[@alika207]

Can you blame them? His voice is amazing!

[@briansmith8405]

Not sure where you found this but it’s magical

[@yoguey]

From reddit: This was 1994 or 1995 at a place called Hickory Hollow Bbq in Houston, TX. Tootsie was the lead singer/string bass and throughout the night she noticed a group of guys that seemed to really be into the show. She guessed they were musicians and invited them up, having no idea who they were. Even when Dean Felber (I think?) told her they were Hootie and the Blowfish it meant nothing to her or to anyone there except maybe one or two in the audience. Fast forward a week or so later. My aunt, uncle, and cousin came home for a visit. We were all sitting around my grandparents' house when they put this tape in the VCR. I grew up around bluegrass, old country, and folk music. Practically everyone in the family is musical, something us kids took for granted. So when the video started we rolled our eyes and made fun of their flame outfits. Everyone else mostly talked over it when suddenly there's that unmistakable voice of Darius Rucker (who we all assumed was named Hootie at the time). This was a time when you couldn't go anywhere without hearing them and it blew my mind that my uncle and cousin didn't understand how big this band was. It's not that we were fans, but we certainly knew them and probably had their songs memorized just from them getting constant airplay. My cousin is the goofy one who backs them up with the mandolin. If I remember correctly, he felt they weren't getting a good reception at first so he thought he'd help them out. My uncle is the one who loans his guitar to Darius. That's about it. I'd nearly forgotten about it but was at my parents this weekend digitizing some of their old home movies and I thought it was interesting enough to share.

[@pavlovdogs1178]

It sure is

[@GottaWannaDance]

@@yoguey Thanx Yo!!

[@seantron1]

This is incredible!

[@Resquivel013]

This is so awesome!

[@Gattsu_OG]

This video made me realize just how much I missed the 90s. Not a cellphone in site. People interacting and paying attention. Just people laughing and having a good time.

[@bitb22]

Ironically, we can only relive it because it was captured on video.

[@Gattsu_OG]

@@bitb22 grainy ass camcorder video too..... These days we would have this performance from 40 different angles in crystal clear HD and somehow it would seem worse to me :p.

[@RADIOFREAK561]

🧓

[@guindle9291]

@@Gattsu_OG carry around a bulky camcorder then lol

[@Gattsu_OG]

@@guindle9291 you are missing my point friend. I didn't carry one around then and don't care about them now. Just that this would have felt less special TO ME, if it happened today with all the HD Cameras capturing it.

[@flyingash]

Beautiful

[@flyingash]

Love this so much

[@eliasmalam]

who ever filmed this you cool

[@ytubeanon]

I hate being jealous of singers who are able to add vibrato so easily

[@Ankit_Jaiswal]

Oh man the VHS!

[@ILOVEBACONBOY2018]

Where is that lady now....!

[@TaylorShockey]

Very cool.

[@Atrac89]

What's the name of the song?

[@jdickerson]

Let Her Cry

[@grilledflatbread4692]

They didn't get VH1 down in Texas.

[@Koest2Koest]

@Ray Renteria or that you don't know what VH1 was

[@kamelonious]

@Ray Renteria You completely missed what his comment was about in an attempt to slam a younger generation? He wasn't commenting on the format, but that in 1994 Hootie and the Blowfish were all over the TV ... like on MTV or VH1 at the time.

[@anonymous7192]

@Ray Renteria wtf are you talking about? They are referring correctly to the channel VH1, VHS has nothing to do with it.

[@GottaWannaDance]

@@anonymous7192 Well, it kinda does have a lot to do with it. That's how we video taped stuff and recorded stuff off the television set. How cool, huh?!

[@alika207]

This was before they made it big.

[@J_Westbrook]

"here's your chance" lol

[@keelychow4569]

Nina Infinity brought me here.

[@lanett53stinkyowl16]

Darius year 1994

[@ericdubiton2192]

Where the hell can I see live blue grass in houston?

[@demonovationable]

This was at Hickory Hollow

[@jpctx]

Buffalo Grill on Wednesdays, I think.

[@traviswidner3901]

Lol banjo player had Earl's Breakdown ready to go.

[@BBoxn]

Blues Brothers move

[@naughty.r0bot]

.. RAWHIDE !

[@RabbitsInBlack]

So around the time they were about to take off and fly.

[@aarond23]

cool moment :)

[@lanett53stinkyowl16]

Prove a great view point here read this very intro on this specific section on him read it before listening to what he plays be wiser idea i thought

[@justinv5735]

americana nostalgia in a nutshell

[@pavlovdogs1178]

Beautiful