Source: RollingStone

Band’s 44-city Group Therapy Tour coincides with plans to release a new album in 2019

Multi-platinum band Hootie & the Blowfish will return from a lengthy hiatus in 2019, embarking on their first full-scale tour in more than a decade and releasing a studio album for the first time in nearly 15 years.

Dubbed the Group Therapy Tour, the trek will visit 44 North American cities with fellow Nineties stars Barenaked Ladies as special guests, kicking off May 30th in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and wrapping up September 13th with a homecoming concert in Columbia, South Carolina. Along the way the band will also perform at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, New York City’s Madison Square Garden and a number of state fairs. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, December 7th, with pre-sales beginning today. In addition, the Grammy-winning group also plans to release an album through a new record label deal with Universal Music Group Nashville, the same label group where singer Darius Rucker is currently signed as a solo performer.

Mixing elements of rock, soul, folk and pop, Hootie & the Blowfish were founded in the late Eighties by Rucker, guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld while the four were students at the University of South Carolina. Their 1994 album debut, Cracked Rear View , struck a chord with a wide array of music fans, eventually selling more than 21 million copies on the strength of hit singles like “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry” and “Only Wanna Be With You.”

In 2008 the band took a break from regular touring so Rucker could pursue a solo career in country music, a venture which has so far resulted in five albums, eight Number One singles and a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance for “Wagon Wheel” in 2013. Earlier in 2018, they returned to the stage to play a supporting role at Jason Aldean’s High Noon Neon Tour stop July 21st at SunTrust Park in Atlanta.

Here’s a complete list of dates on Hootie & the Blowfish’s 2019 Group Therapy Tour:

May 30 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
May 31 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
June 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
June 6 – Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf
June 7 – Tampa, FL @ Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 8 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
June 13 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
June 14 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 15 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
June 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 21 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 22 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
June 23 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
June 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
June 28 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre
June 29 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 11 – Englewood, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 13 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 14 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
July 19 – Monticello, IA @ Great Jones County Fair
July 20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
July 21 – Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
July 26 – Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
July 27 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 28 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
August 2 – Guilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
August 3 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
August 4 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 8 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 9 – Canandaigua, NY @ Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
August 10 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
August 16 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 17 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
August 18 – Des Moines, IA @ Iowa State Fair
August 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
August 23 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 24 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 29 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Budweiser Stage
August 30 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
August 31 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
September 5 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
September 6 – Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
September 7 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
September 13 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena