BY WILL HARRIS
VIRGINIA BEACH — In a digitally defined music industry, it’s often hard to remember there was once a time when bands worked their way up the ladder of success in a gradual fashion, playing locally, then regionally before breaking out on a national level.
That was the way of the world when Hootie and the Blowfish first made their mark, and it’s why Mark Bryan, guitarist and founding member of the band, still has fond memories of driving up from South Carolina and playing the East Coast circuit and hitting legendary local Virginia Beach such as the Jewish Mother and the Peppermint Beach Club.
Inevitably, that situation changed — dramatically so — in the wake of the band’s success with their major-label debut, Cracked Rear View, and now the band is far more likely to play amphitheaters than clubs. But Bryan and the band still retain a soft spot for this area.
They return to play on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater.
“Even in 2019, I think the first show of the tour was in Virginia Beach,” Bryan recalled during a recent interview. “I grew up in Maryland. It’s close to home for me. And I love coastal shows in general, living in Charleston.”
He added he has friends in the area, which makes visiting special.
“It’s also full of military, too,” he said, “and we love playing for the troops and service members and all that stuff. So it’s a great market for us, and I’m really excited. It should be a packed house.”
Indeed, it should: the evening’s festivities kick off with a performance by Edwin McCain, after which Collective Soul take the stage, with Hootie and the Blowfish serving as headliners.
“I’ve got to tell you, it’ll be, like, 7:15 pm, and the whole place is packed, and they’re all singing along to ‘I’ll Be,’” said Bryan, referencing McCain’s top-five hit from 1998.
“It’s amazing. That’s how every night begins. It’s a festive atmosphere. People are actually tailgating for the shows. It’s been a great summer.”
In addition to spending time with his fellow Blowfish, Bryan also has a new solo album, Popped, scheduled for release on Friday, Oct. 25.
“I feel like it’s the best thing I’ve ever made,” he said. “I’m just getting better as I go, I guess, like you should be. So I’m in a good place. I was really hoping that we’d do a Hootie record before the tour, but when we didn’t, I was just, like, ‘Man, I’m not gonna leave these songs sitting around.’”
That said, Bryan maintains hope that there could yet be another Hootie and the Blowfish album in the offing, although it’s certainly not written in stone
“Nobody’s talking about working together creatively right now,” he said “We’re just having fun on the tour. That’s just sort of the place we’re in right now. I think Darius [Rucker] has a project he’s in the middle of, or getting ready to do, so he’s not thinking about Hootie creatively right now, but that’s not to say that we won’t ever do it again.”
When things line up, he said, “I think there’s a really great album still in our future.”
He said he feels people writing off bands and performers as they age, but they have more to offer.
“I think a lot of people look at it like that, but I don’t see it that way,” he said. “I feel like we’re getting better with age. I know I am. And I think there’s something to be said for a sound that’s created between four guys who … I mean, you put us in a room, it happens every time.”
He has hope there’s another record in the future of a band that is a little older and wiser.
“Hopefully it’ll happen someday and everything will line up again,” he said. “But in the meantime, I’m gonna keep doing what I do, and, if we’re not gonna do it with Hootie, I’m just finding ways to do it myself.”.
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