Hootie & the Blowfish Announce 44-City Group Therapy Tour

Hootie & the Blowfish is reuniting! The iconic rock band, led by country star Darius Rucker, announces they will hit the road on May 30 on their Group Therapy Tour, with the Barenaked Ladies serving as their opening act.

The group, which also includes Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, met at the University of South Carolina, getting their start playing in local bars and venues before their career took off.

"Once the four of us met and started playing shows, we toured for years before signing a record deal," Rucker said in a statement.

"Having those shows at fraternity houses, clubs and dive bars under our belt prepared us for success to a degree," Felber said. "It's something we're proud of – that we put in the work – but what matters to me the most is that we're still a band all these years later. We've never stopped being a band."

Rucker released his solo country album, Learn to Live, in 2008, kicking off a successful career in country music, which includes a sold-out tour, nine No. 1 singles and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. So when Hootie & the Blowfish was invited to join Jason Aldean for one night on his High Noon Neon Tour, the 52-year-old admitted he was initially unsure if it was a good idea.

"[It's been] a long time!" Rucker told ABC News Radio. "You know that's probably the thing that had me a little hesitant when Jason first asked. It was like, 'Man, we haven't done anything that big in a long, long time!'"

When Rucker made the decision to follow his heart and switch to country music, he knew it was a risk. But even he was unaware of quite how well it would pay off.

"At that point in life and career, I had young kids," Rucker recalled PopCulture.com at a recent media event of deciding to switch genres. "I think my daughter was 7 and my son was 3, and my oldest daughter was 13. And now they're all a lot older, 10 years older. And really, the whole thing has changed. It's amazing to me, 25 years after I started, I'm still here, and I think we had another No. 1 song. And it's amazing to me that this is still happening, and it's still fun."

Hootie & the Blowfish will also release their sixth studio album, and their first since Looking for Lucky in 2005, next year, on Universal Music Group Nashville. Pre-sale tickets are available now for Citi card members here. Tickets to the general public will be on sale on Friday, Dec. 7, at LiveNation.com.

Group Therapy Tour Dates:

May 30 Virginia Beach, Virginia | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
May 31 Raleigh, North Carolina | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
June 1 Atlanta, Georgia | Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
June 6 Orange Beach, Alabama | The Wharf
June 7 Tampa, Florida | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 8 West Palm Beach, Florida | Coral Sky Amphitheatre
June 13 Austin, Texas | Austin360 Amphitheater
June 14 Houston, Texas | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 15 Dallas, Texas | Dos Equis Pavilion
June 19 Phoenix, Arizona | Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 21 Chula Vista, California | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 22 Las Vegas, Nevada| T-Mobile Arena
June 23 Irvine, California | FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
June 25 Los Angeles, California | Hollywood Bowl
June 28 Wheatland, California | Toyota Amphitheatre
June 29 Mountain View, California | Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 11 Englewood, Colorado | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
July 13 Maryland Heights, Missouri | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 14 Rogers, Arkansas | Walmart AMP
July 19 Monticello, Iowa | Great Jones County Fair
July 20 Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center
July 21 Burgettstown, Pennsylvania | KeyBank Pavilion
July 26 Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center
July 27 Bristow, Virginia | Jiffy Lube Live
July 28 Camden, New Jersey | BB&T Pavilion
August 2 Guilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
August 3 Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center
August 4 Saratoga Springs, New York | Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 8 Columbia, Maryland | Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 9 Canandaigua, New York | Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
August 10 New York, New York | Madison Square Garden
August 16 Detroit, Michigan | DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 17 Noblesville, Indiana | Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
August 18 Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa State Fair
August 22 St. Paul, Minnesota | Minnesota State Fair
August 23 East Troy, Wiconsin. | Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 24 Tinley Park, Illinois | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 29 Toronto, Ontario | Budweiser Stage
August 30 Hershey, Pennsylvania | Hersheypark Stadium
August 31 Hartford, Connecticut | XFINITY Theatre
September 5 Charlotte, North Carolina | PNC Music Pavilion
September 6 Birmingham, Alabama | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
September 7 Nashville, Tennessee | Bridgestone Arena
September 13 Columbia, South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena

Photo courtesy of EB Media PR/Todd & Chris Owyoung