Darius Rucker is not only flirting with retirement… he knows exactly when and where he wants to go out.
The country star who brought the world hits like “Alright” and “Wagon Wheel” (a cover, to be clear) recently sat down with Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show, and two got to talking about how much longer they both want to do their respective jobs. The longtime sports radio personality, now 70 years old, says he’s got two more years before he walks away.
Rucker was on board with that plan.
The “Come Back Song” singer was incredibly open and transparent about what he’s got going on, and what he enjoys doing at this point in his life. Towards the end of the conversation, Rucker admitted that he’s pondering retirement, and like Dan Patrick, thinks he’s only got a couple of years to go before he hangs it up:
“(I’m retiring) in two years. I might. I’ve been really looking at it. I played 110 shows last year… what am I doing? I still like making records and playing and everything, but I’m really starting to be at home a lot. I like being at home a lot. So I’m looking at maybe doing a tour. One more big ‘Hootie’ thing (and calling it).”
Darius is 60 years 0ld, and will turn 61 next May. With the average retirement age being around 65 or 66, he’d be calling it quits a bit earlier if he stopped… but I don’t think anyone would blame him for doing so.
And if he went out with a bang, and went back on the road with Hootie and the Blowfish, I’m sure that would make the news of his retirement easier to digest for his fans. From how Darius Rucker spoke about retiring, there’s no version of the story where he doesn’t get Hootie back together for one last hoorah when he decides to bow and exit the stage for the last time.
He knows the perfect place for he and Hootie and the Blowfish’ finale:
“If we call it, I’ve got to do one more Hootie thing. We have to finish at Williams-Brice Stadium. Our last show, when we say we’re done, it’s gotta be at Williams-Brice Stadium (in South Carolina).”
The home of the South Carolina Gamecocks would be a great place for the South Carolina native to finish things off.
For most of his life, Rucker has lived in the Charleston, South Carolina area (beautiful place if you’ve never been). That is until he moved to London, England in early 2025. He’s been quoted saying that his time there will be temporary, and that the Carolinas will always be home to him. So it makes sense that he’d want to finish off his career in his home state.
All in all, it’s a bittersweet revelation. Obviously, you can’t help but be happy for Darius. He’s one of the many country stars with a respectable golf game, so retirement could open up some time in the golfing department. On the other hand, it’s sad to see some of the older country stars wrap up their careers. Tracy Lawrence may have said it best… “Time Marches On.”
