By Marty van Duyne
For PotomacLocal.com
Fredericksburg, Va.. –– Rain came down in buckets prior to the Celebrate Virginia Live Darius Rucker concert at the Job.com Pavilion on Friday evening.
And when the skies cleared, Area 11 Special Olympics’ athletes came out with buckets.
Job.com joined forces with Celebrate Virginia Live to host Special Olympics Night to recognize and honor the area athletes.
And Darius Rucker headlining the entertainment could not have been a more fitting venue to provide support for Special Olympics.
Long recognized for his charitable work, Rucker brought tears to many eyes both in the audience and at home with Music From the Heart at this years Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards.
Rucker co-wrote the tune with Chris Young and Brett James, along with numerous young adults with development disabilities at the ACM Lifting Lives music camp last summer in Nashville.
Most of the area athletes and their families had seen the performance and were anxious to see Rucker in person. Matt Doyle said, “I’ve never met Darius Rucker. I hope I get to stand on stage with him.”
The athletes were slated to make a presentation about Special Olympics and introduce Rucker, but the weather created a shift in the performance schedule.
Shows go on rain or shine, but the severe weather delayed gate opening so long that producers eliminated the opening act to ensure the crowd saw Rucker’s full show.
Prior to the performance Special Olympics Virginia Senior Vice President, Roy Zeidman joined some of the local team on stage. He thanked the crowd for their support as the athletes tossed T-shirts into the crowd.
Zeidman released a statement earlier in the week about the Special Olympics Night at the Rucker concert.
“We’re grateful for our friends at Job.com and Celebrate Virginia Live, our law enforcement volunteers, all of our Special Olympics athletes and family members, and Darius Rucker,” said Zeidman. “Music, like sports, can be a powerful catalyst for good in our community. With support from stars like Darius Rucker and his fans, we can continue to change lives through our programs.”
Doyle didn’t quite get his wish, but as Job.com Director of Marketing Kristen Reed led the group off the stage, Rucker stepped into the wings and posed for a photo.
Then Rucker stepped into the spotlight and the crowd went wild as he sang some of his latest hits like “Come Back Song.”
But they also were waving their hands in the air as he sang Steve Goodman’s classic “You Never Even Call Me By My Name,” albeit at times substituting names of current artists like Brad Paisley for some of the forbearers of country music fame such as Merle Haggard.
But about halfway through the show some of the crowd began chanting, “Hootie, Hootie.”
Rucker gained fame as the front man for Hootie and the Blowfish, but stepped out on his own in 2008 to get back to his Southern roots and love of country.
His first country album “Learn to Live” quickly sold 1 million copies earning him the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Best New Artist of the Year Award in November 2009.
Since then he has been nominated for major awards from Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, County Music Television Awards, and Teen Choice Awards.
But as purple lights flooded the stage he responded to chants with a version of “Purple Rain.”
And as the show wrapped up a light rain again began to fall at the Job.com Pavilion.
Although he was not available for interviews, as I waited for traffic to wane, I had a brief opportunity to meet Rucker after he greeted some fans and posed for photos.
When I asked about his support to Special Olympics and other programs to support people with disabilities, he simply replied in the most humble and unpretentious manner, “It’s not about me.”
That same selfless demeanor was evident in his performance on stage. It was clear that his performance was about the music and the fans that come to see him sing.
Details on Rucker, including the charities he supports both on his own and through the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation that are to numerous to list, can be found at dariusrucker.com.
Celebrate Virginia Live is an annual outdoor charity concert series held in the Celebrate Virginia entertainment district in Fredericksburg. Net proceeds of the events benefit various charities directly impacting the Central Virginia region.
Marty van Duyne is an award winning photographer and journalist.
Special Olympics Highlighted at Show
By Marty van Duyne
For PotomacLocal.com
Special Olympics Virginia Area 11 serves athletes in the City of Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline Counties.
In addition to the athletes, the Special Olympics Night “Bucket Brigade” at the Darius Rucker concert also consisted of Stafford sheriff’s deputies, the Sheriff’s Special Star Force Cadets who are also athletes, and Special Olympics volunteers.
The teams roamed the crowd collecting donations prior to the show and Text to Donate messages were displayed at the venue.
Special edition Job.com Pavilion 2011 T-shirts were on sale with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Special Olympics.
Job.com, headquartered in Fredericksburg, is an online full service career portal offering thousands of targeted jobs across its network of over 70 industry and regionally focused careers.
In a statement released earlier in the week Job.com CEO Brian Alden said, “As a Fredericksburg based business, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to participate with such a great local organization such as Special Olympics. We’re looking forward to sharing this experience with the community, the athletes and Celebrate Virginia Live and hope this can turn into an annual event.”
Marty van Duyne is an award winning photographer and journalist.
