“God must like country music,” Dierks Bentley quipped to the sold-out crowd at Thursday night’s Homegrown Concert at Family Circle Stadium. Indeed, the afternoon downpour seemed to be letting up, and a rainbow reached across the sky. But alas, the rain did not stop all night.
Luckily, concert-goers really, really liked the handsome country star and Darius Rucker, host of the annual event. The packed stands were unusually colorful, as fans in bright rain-gear shrugged off the storm. The less-prepared folks just seemed to embrace the wetness and enjoyed the show as if it were perfect weather.
But enough about the rain. Darius Rucker took the stage briefly at the beginning of the show, thanking the crowd for coming out, reminding us of the reason for the event (supporting Charleston County Schools students), and introducing Dierks Bentley.
The curly-haired crooner, quite the sex symbol among country music fans, gave an energetic performance of favorite songs like “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go),” and “Settle for a Slow Down,” during which he used the drama of the rain to great effect. He spoke of his love for Charleston, admitting that he’d sang at Henry’s the night before, and no one had even recognized him. (For shame!) Dierks wrapped up the set with a few acoustic songs, including “My Last Name,” then got the crowd amped with his cheeky super-hit “What Was I Thinking.”
While we waited for Darius to come on, the rain seemed to be letting up, and we lowered our umbrellas for a bit … until he took the stage and it started up again in earnest. At that point, most folks were soaked anyway, and gave up on trying to stay dry. The crowd’s mood stayed high as Darius played mostly songs from his platinum-selling country album, Learn to Live. Not surprisingly, single “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” was a huge hit with the crowd.
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