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Hootie & the Blowfish

 ((Greek Theatre; 6,187 seats; $ 17.50))

By PHIL GALLO

Presented by Nederlander. Band: Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felder, Jim Sonefeld, Peter Holsapple, Lili Haydn. Reviewed July 22, 1995. How ironic that VH1 was dedicating its weekend programming to '80s artists under the banner "Whatever Happened to...," when the multimillion-selling Hootie & the Blowfish pulled in for their first headlining theater gig in L.A. Just as the early days of MTV were sold on bands with a synthesizer and a haircut, the music biz has entered a phase of sincerity and hooks, none capturing the public's attention better than this South Carolina quartet. But just as so many bands with a hit or two in them came and went in the '80 s, certainly there has to be concern about how many of this new breed of melodic and accessible rock bands will see lightning strike twice. Witness the bombing of the Spin Doctors' follow-up to the multiplatinum "Pocketful of Kryptonite"; despite monster album sales, this style of rock 'n' roll has been the main challenge to R&B on the singles charts -- song-driven rather than artist-driven. While Hootie has its entertaining moments, this is truly a wait-and-see band.
 

Hootie's main selling points are the vibrant vocals of Darius Rucker, and a catalog of songs that tap into 30 years of heartland rockers. They have created a unique framework for their songs and the best of them --"Let Her Cry,""Running From an Angel"-- separate from the flotsam through nuance. The downside is that 95 minutes of this can get wearying.

The band opts for consistency in its approach to and arrangement of its material. When something as simple as a rendition of the spiritual "Motherless Child" stands out as unique as it did Saturday, it's clear the band needs to add some harmony vocals, a few more ballads and a pair of truly potent rockers. Even a new song -- the group announced the follow-up to the year-old "Cracked Rear View," currently the No. 1 album, will come out in February -- offered little change in direction, tempo or even lyrical approach.

On the positive side, everybody goes away happy. The band has no surprises, reproduces the record and tosses in a few warhorses from the Carolina fraternity house circuit: "Mustang Sally," Dan Penn's "Dark End of the Street" and Bill Withers' "Use Me." But even the covers failed to reveal anything about who this band is beyond a clean-cut group of guys having a good time playing rock 'n' roll. For entertainment value, it's hard to fault that.