"We're going to bring a little Nashville to New York City," Darius Rucker told a sold-out crowd at Housing Works Bookstore Café Tuesday night.

And that he did.

Darius took the stage, surrounded by bookshelves, shortly after 8:00 PM, sporting his signature baseball cap, t-shirt and blue jeans. The intimate benefit show with an audience of just around 200 raised $18,000, with all proceeds going to help end homelessness and AIDS in New York. For just over an hour, the singer/songwriter played a slew of his country hits, as well as Hootie & the Blowfish classics, to a thrilled crowd.

Darius took the stage to screams and quickly segued into 'Love Will Do That,' from his recent album, 'Charleston, SC 1966.' Complete with finger-picked guitar, wavering Dobro and fitting percussion, the music never overpowered the booming baritone. 'Alright' had fans clapping and singing along, especially during one specific line: "Don't need no concert in the city."

"That song came about very, very innocently," Darius said. "I was in Nashville writing a song with the guy who produced my record, Frank Rogers. Our first song we had written is the next song we're going to play. It's a big divorce song. If you listen to it, it's a pretty mean song. And so I had to take that home and play it for my wife. When we got back together and I said, 'Frank, you love your wife right?' And he said, 'Yeah, I love my wife.' You wouldn't think that from that song. So we sat down and wrote 'Alright.'

The next track -- and divorce song -- 'All I Want,' showcased more of a country twang with a mesmerizing Dobro interlude. Soon after, Darius segued into Hootie & the Blowfish's 'Let Her Cry' to an excited crowd. Alone on vocals at the start of the song, additional fiddle accompaniment transported the rock track to embody a striking country feel. With Darius' powerful vocals, the song took the audience back to '90s nostalgia.

"Thank y'all. I don't get to say this very often. Right now I'd like to play for you the No. 1 song in country music," he said before the band began 'This,' which indeed tops the country charts this week.

Darius captivated the room with his animated performance, frequently pointing at people in the audience and waving. Additionally, he began each new track with the story behind the song, often getting screams and requests from fans.

"One of my most favorite places in the world to visit is New York City," he told the bookstore. "I lived here for two years when I was chasing my wife. She realized two things when she met me: She was a vegetarian, and she realized if she was going to be with me she would have to eat meat. She also realized that if she was going to be with me, she'd have to live in South Carolina. This song I wrote with a buddy of mine. It's not so much about living in the South, it's more about a way of life," he said as he introduced 'Southern State of Mind.'

The next track he performed, 'Don't Think I Don't Think About It,' is about "the one that got away," he said. Lucky for Darius, though, she didn't get away, so he dedicated the song to all the people who had their "one" get away.

The remainder of the night included powerful Hootie & the Blowfish hits 'Hold My Hand' and 'Only Wanna Be With You,' a song he joked about not wanting to play. "A long time ago a buddy of mine brought this music to me. I said to myself, 'I really don't like this song, so I'm going to write the cheesiest lyrics I can write and they won't want to do the song.' Here's what happened," he said before he played the now classic Hootie & the Blowfish hit.

Darius closed the night with the moving 'It Won't Be Like This for Long,' 'Come Back Song,' next single 'I Got Nothin',' and an impressive cover of Hank Williams Jr.'s 'Family Tradition.' With striking fiddle, mandolin, Dobro, guitar and percussion interludes, and Darius urging the crowd to sing along, he transformed the bookstore to a vibrant concert venue.

"I've adopted this as my theme song," he said of the closing number. "If you know the words, you'll know why," he said. A participation-friendly song and the perfect way to end his set, fans danced and sang along word-for-word.

Darius' next concert date is Thursday (April 28) in Bakersfield, Calif. See his upcoming tour schedule here.

More From TheBoot