No stranger to Stagecoach as a solo country act, Darius Rucker brought his roots-rock band Hootie & the Blowfish to the desert festival on Sunday night. I talked with him a couple of hours before the group’s set.
If there’s one man to speak to the overlap between rock bands who emerged in the 1990s and country music — a prevalent theme at Stagecoach this year — it’s you. So what’s up? I don’t know — I noticed the same thing you’re noticing. On that one stage, the Wallflowers were just playing. I think country music today is not far from what was happening with rock in the ’90s, except for grunge. I think it’s pretty cool that they’re doing that.
The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan — is this a man you know? I met him once, I think, a long time ago.
How about Gavin Rossdale from Bush? Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind? The crazy thing about us is we lived in Columbia, S.C. We might see these guys at awards shows and stuff like that, but we never really got to hang out with them or tour with them or anything.
According to my internet research, you turn 60 in two weeks. I know.
I’m sorry to offend you. Why would you throw it out there like that?
Is there a Hootie & the Blowfish song that you would say yes to for a Cialis commercial? Oh goodness. “Let Her Cry”?
Seems insane. I don’t know why I said that.
Tonight at the show you’re gonna do Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” which is an awesome choice. What does PE mean to you? For me, back in ’84, when they came out, it was mind-blowing what they were doing. Nobody was like them — they were so militant. In my neighborhood, they were so big. And to be out here now playing Stagecoach, and we actually have them coming out and playing with us — that’s gonna be crazy, man.
Is there something about Stagecoach that made it feel particularly right for “Fight the Power”? With everything that’s going on in the world these days, I think it’s a good place for the song.
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