Darius Rucker Is All ‘Fore’ Rascal Flatts Tour

The ability to swing a mean golf club is almost as important as being able to make good music for the artist on the opening slot of Rascal Flatts' American Living Unstoppable Tour. Thankfully Darius Rucker is proficient at both.

"We've done two shows and played one round of golf," Darius tells The Boot. "When I was visiting in the Rascal Flatts party during the ACM Awards, I started to understand their passion for golf. I was at the event for about an hour-and-a-half and between the three of them, they must have said 80 times, 'We're gonna have so much fun on this tour playing golf.' And it's true."

Darius went on to compliment his tour mates, Joe Don Rooney, Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus. "They have such a well-oiled machine out there. I've learned a lot in two days just watching their show."

The former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman says he's been anxious to play in front of the size crowds the trio draws, adding, "I've also been looking forward to getting to know these guys while we're out on tour. So far they've been great to hang out with, and at the end of this tour I think we'll be pretty good buddies."

As for CMA Music Fest, Darius had only just two words for the event: "wild and crazy." "Seeing the lines of people around the convention center, waiting to get autographs, it's just amazing.," he told us. "Country music is the only genre of music who says to its fans, 'Hey come on down to Nashville and meet everybody and hang out.' I don't believe any other music genre could do something like this."

When asked who he would stand in line to see, Darius had an immediate answer. "I'd be in Carrie Underwood's line for sure. Brad Paisley, definitely Rascal Flatts, Jamey Johnson. Right now the guy who is blowing me out is Toby Keith with his new record."

The singer admits that he's had his share of being asked to sign some pretty unusual things from fans who stand in line to see him. "Well it's always strange to me when you get the random bra, not the one that is on but the one someone brings and asks you to sign. I'm like, 'Is this some new fashion I don't know about?' That's always weird to me."

Darius is thrilled that the country audience has been so receptive to him. "We didn't expect this to happen. We didn't sit down with Capitol Records and say, 'This what is going to happen with my record.' When I make an album I want it to be one that people want to listen to. It feels good that this thing I've talked about since 1986 is something I finally got to do and it worked. That's a really cool feeling."