Hootie & the Blowfish comeback tour opens the State Fair grandstand Aug. 22

Twenty-five years after releasing the mega-smash "Cracked Rear View" and then becoming a pop-culture punchline, Darius Rucker and the frat-beloved boys are back. During their 10-year hiatus, frontman Rucker became a bona fide country star. The South Carolina band has promised a new album, "Group Therapy," this year, but set lists on this reunion tour feature covers of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and R.E.M. plus plenty of Hootie faves and Rucker solo successes. Opening are Barenaked Ladies, the lighthearted Canadians who also made a splash in the '90s with "One Week" and "Brian Wilson." Tickets limited. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 22, grandstand, 1-800-514-3849.)