♪ >> IT HAS BEEN 15 YEARS SINCE WE
HAD THEM ON THE "TODAY" SHOW.
GIVE IT UP FOR ONE OF THE BEST
BANDS EVER.
BANDS EVER. HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH.
THEY SOLD MORE THAN 25 MILLION
ALBUMS AND AFTER TAKING TIME OFF
TO PURSUE SOLO CAREERS, THEY ARE
BACK.
BACK. >> DARIUS, MARK, DEAN, AND JIM
HAVE NEW MUSIC AND THEY ARE
HEADED BACK ON TOUR.
THE BAND IS BACK AGAIN.
>> IT’S GOING TO BE A BIG ONE.
WELCOME BACK AFTER ALL THIS
TIME.
TIME. >> YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY ARE NOT A
BAND THAT FELL APART.
YOU JUST WENT YOUR SEPARATE
WAYS.
WAYS. HOW WAS IT GETTING BACK
TOGETHER?
TOGETHER? DID IT FEEL LIKE RIDING A BIKE?
>> WAS IT ORGANIC?
>> WE HAVE BEEN WITH THE BAND 33
YEARS NOW.
YEARS NOW. GETTING BACK TOGETHER, I DON’T
THINK WE FELT LIKE WE WERE
APART.
APART. >> YOU GUYS WERE FRESHMEN IN
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. YOU WERE BABIES.
YOU STILL GOT THAT BABY FACE.
AND THE DIMPLES.
HE HASN’T CHANGED.
IT WASN’T AN EASY ROAD.
SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE SEE A BAND
LIKE YOURS, HOOTIE AND THE
BLOWFISH, MAYBE THEY HAD IT
EASY.
EASY. YOU GUYS GOT REJECTION AFTER
REJECTION.
REJECTION. HOW WOULD YOU CATEGORIZE THAT?
>> THAT WAS THE CHALLENGE.
WE WOULD GET REJECTION LETTERS
AND PLAY A SHOW WITH 500 OR
1,000 PEOPLE.
1,000 PEOPLE. WE SAID IF WE STICK WITH THIS.
WE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE A CAREER
OUT OF IT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER
WE GOT SIGNED.
WE WERE GOING TO MAKE THIS OUR
CAREER.
CAREER. >> OUT OF THE CAR?
>> OUT OF THE BACK OF THE VAN
AND WE HAD A COUPLE OF MOM AND
POP RECORD STORES THAT WOULD
SELL IT FOR US.
IT WAS EIGHT YEARS OF PLAYING
CLUBS.
CLUBS. >> THAT’S WHERE YOU HONE YOUR
CRAFT AND GET EXCELLENT.
>> WE NEEDED PRACTICE, BELIEVE
ME.
ME. A FEW YEARS OF RIDING AROUND TO
SMALL CROWDS.
SMALL CROWDS. THAT’S HOW WE LEARNED TO LOVE
THE MUSIC.
THE MUSIC. WE WERE NOT IN IT FOR THE FAME
AND FORTUNE.
AND FORTUNE. >> YOU GUYS WERE SO BIG AND
EVERYONE REMEMBERS YOU WITH A
CERTAIN TIME OF THEIR LIFE.
SHOULD WE COME BACK OR LEAVE
WELL ENOUGH ALONE?
>> NO, IT WAS THE ANNIVERSARY
REVIEW.
REVIEW. WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO DO A
TOUR NEXT TIME AND IT SEEMED
LIKE A GOOD TIME TO DO IT AND
HAVE FUN.
HAVE FUN. WE ARE DOING IT FOR THE FANS.
PEOPLE CAME TO SEE US ALL THE
TIME AND WE STOPPED PLAYING.
WE ARE DOING IT FOR THOSE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> TELL US SOME OF THE ARENAS
YOU WILL BE IN.
RADIO CITY?
RADIO CITY? >> THE GARDEN AND WE ARE PLAYING
SOME REALLY COOL VENUES.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL. >> THE ACOUSTICS ARE AWESOME
THERE.
THERE. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YOUR FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING A
LONG TIME FOR THIS MOMENT.
YOU WHISPERED.
YOU WHISPERED. >> WE HAVE BEEN GONE FOR A
WHILE.
WHILE. I AM REALLY EXCITED.
>> WHAT KIND OF NEW MUSIC.
IS IT GOING TO SOUND LIKE YOUR
OLD STUFF?
OLD STUFF? >> WE ARE WRITING SONGS AND
REALIZE NO MATTER WHAT WE TRY TO
DO, WE SOUND LIKE THAT.
>> HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH.
THAT’S A GOOD THING.
>> WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT
RIGHT NOW, BUT IT’S EXCITING TO
THINK WHO ARE WE SUPPOSED TO
SOUND LIKE IN THE YEAR 2018 OR
’19.
’19. PEOPLE ARE STAYING YOUNG, BUT WE
ARE THE OLDER CROWD.
>> YOU ARE GOING TO GO OUT THE
WAY YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT.
YOU DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO FOR
PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT.