Newsmakers

Darius Rucker Cuts New Jersey Concert Short Due To Voice Problems

ATLANTIC CITY, July 15, 2025 — Darius Rucker’s show at Hard Rock Atlantic City was doing just fine until, only three songs in, the unmistakable breakdown: his voice betrayed him. The seasoned performer—lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish turned solo country star—paused mid-verse, visibly shaken, and confessed, “Y’all, I can’t sing anymore.” He promised one final song before leaving the stage, asking fans to carry him through a heartfelt rendition of “Wagon Wheel.” It was an extraordinary moment: Rucker, stripped of his usual vocal command, relying on the audience to finish the chorus with him.

When the last notes of “Wagon Wheel” faded, the abrupt end came—the show cancelled mid-performance. In a move that reflected both responsibility and humility, Rucker’s team announced full refunds, admitting no viable opportunity to reschedule the Atlantic City date before year’s end.

On Instagram, Rucker issued a sober and sincere apology: “I feel awful, and I’m so sorry — I have never lost my voice in all my years of performing,” he wrote. He explained the decision not to reschedule, saying they explored every option, but “unfortunately, it’s just not possible this year.”

For fans in attendance, the surreal moment became bittersweet. One shared that they saw Rucker visibly upset as he exited the stage, while others praised the crowd’s emotional response—cheering him on, providing the vocals he couldn’t.

This rare vocal failure came at the start of what was intended to be a 45-date summer tour—a run that kicked off July 10 in Solomons, Maryland, and was scheduled to stretch across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Rucker’s next scheduled appearance is July 19 in Hollywood, Florida.

Published by Tandy Culpepper

I am a veteran broadcast journalist. I was an Army brat before my father retired and moved us to the deep South. I'm talkin' Lower Alabama and Northwest Florida, I graduated from Tate High School and got botha Bachelor's degree and Master's in Teaching English from the University of West Florida, I taught English at Escambia County High School for two years before getting my m's in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Auburn University. Following graduation, I did a 180 degree turn and moved to Birmingham where I began ny broadcasting career at WBIQ, Channel 10. There I was host of a weekly primetime half-hour TV program called Alabama Lifestyles. A year later, I began a stint as a television weathercaster and public affairs host. A year later, I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida and became bureau chief at WPTV, the CBS affiliate. Two years later, I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where I became co-host of a morng show called AM Carolina. The next year, I moved cross-country and became co-host and story producer at KTVN-TV in Reno, Nevada. I also became the medical reporter for the news department. Three years later, I moved to Louisville, Kentucky and became host and producer of a morning show called today in WAVE Country at WAVE-TV, Channel 3, the NBC affiliate. Following three years there, I moved to Los Angeles and became senior correspondent at the Turner Entertainment Reportn, an internationally-syndicated entertainment entertainment news service owned by CNN. I went back to school afterwards and got an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. Oh, yes. I won a hundred thousand dollars on the 100 Thousand Dollar Pyramid, then hosted by Dick Clark.

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