Darius Rucker is a legendary artist. Before he became the hit country singer that he is today, he played a key role in the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. That means his music career spans decades. It only makes sense that, in that time, Rucker has experienced his fair share of awkward performances. It just so happens that one of them took place over the weekend.
Videos by InspireMore
In case you weren’t aware, Rucker is the singer of the country hit Wagon Wheel. Fans from all walks of life love this song, but the folks at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) feel a particularly special connection to it. That’s because, in the song, Rucker mentions Johnson City — that’s where the university is located! In turn, the school started to play the song at each of their football games. They also share fun videos featuring the song, like the one below!
EAST
— ETSU (@etsu) October 31, 2024
w/ @ETSUFootball and @ETSUAthletics pic.twitter.com/NUaIjcdmD1
You can imagine, then, how excited students were to find out that Rucker himself was going to visit during this weekend’s game! To top it off, they were told he was going to perform Wagon Wheel for them. While Rucker did, in fact, show up… he didn’t exactly perform his hit song. You can see what happened instead in the video below.
Darius Rucker Surprises East Tennessee State University Students in More Ways Than One
@ravenmitchell Darius Rucker at the ETSU football game #dariusrucker #football #wagonwheel ♬ Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker
It seems there was a miscommunication. While the university expected the country star to sing, the ETSY athletic director, Richard Sander, says Rucker’s management team didn’t want that. So, instead, Rucker simply made an appearance on the field as Wagon Wheel played over the speakers. To make up for it, Rucker shared some news online, as seen in the image below.
![Tweet from Darius Rucker that reads:
Wanted to let y’all know I’m donating $2,980 to the
@ETSU NIL fund, $10 for every second I stood at midfield during “Wagon Wheel” thinking it was as awkward as y’all did [rolling on the floor laughing emoji] Really just wanted to be there to bring attention to this great program and say thank you for singing our song at the top of your lungs every weekend. I love you JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE! #GoBucs](https://www.inspiremore.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/darius-rucker.png)
What a thoughtful way to give back to the football players at ETSU! Best of all, as awkward as the performance may have been for Rucker, the fans still had a blast. In fact, one fan admits they didn’t even know Rucker was meant to sing that night. It goes to show that a seasoned performer can make the best out of even the most awkward situations!
This story’s featured image is by Jason Kempin / Getty Images.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
