Darius Rucker concert in lieu of a college football game? That’s not exactly the kind of the trade off you hear about all that often, but that’s exactly what’s happening at the University of South Carolina. The school’s athletic department has opted to put on a block party and country music concert instead of holding their annual spring football game. Why, you might be asking? Because who really wants to watch college football in April, that’s why. That’s actually not the reason why the University of South Carolina decided to call upon one of their most famous graduates to put on a concert. Let me be clear: The real reason the Gamecocks Athletic department partnered with Rock Block to put on what they are calling the Garnet & Black Spring Fest because… their stadium is currently under construction. In other words, it’s kind of hard to put on a spring football game when your football stadium is an active construction zone. So rather on punting on the whole thing altogether, the athletic department thought up another way to get fans excited and to come together to celebrate South Carolina athletics. Darius Rucker, a longtime supporter of the Gamecocks and a University of South Carolina graduate, will be joined by country singer Lauren Alaina for a concert that will act as the cap to the entirety of the Garnet & Black Spring Fest. Early on Saturday, April 11, the University of South Carolina will put on a free-to-attend block party right outside of their Colonial Life Arena (where Rucker and Alaina will play that night). The festival will feature all kinds of fun for the whole family, including meet and greets with South Carolina football players. Then, the doors to the concert will open around 6 o’clock, with Darius Rucker and Lauren Alaina getting things kicked off about an hour later (props to me for all of the football puns so far, eh?). The audible by the athletics department to pivot from a spring football game to a full-on music festival is a great idea, and South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati is very much looking forward to seeing it all come together in a couple of months: “The Garnet & Black Spring Fest promises to be a great event for fans of all ages and gives us an opportunity to come together and celebrate what it means to be a Gamecock. Our department has been hard at work finding new ways for our fans to interact with one another and our student-athletes, and the Garnet & Black Spring Fest is just one of the new events that we will be announcing to meet that goal. Due to the ongoing stadium construction, our ability to host a Spring Game this year was going to be challenging as our top priority is ensuring Williams-Brice Stadium is ready for our September 5 home opener. As a result, the Garnet & Black Spring Fest was created to not only provide fans with the opportunity to meet and greet our football student-athletes but to come together as Gamecocks.” So South Carolina football fans won’t be seeing any hard hits out on the field when April rolls around. Instead, they’ll be watching Darius Rucker perform hits like “Alright” and “Wagon Wheel” inside Colonial Life Arena. Not a terrible trade off… but definitely different than watching young athletes throw on the pads and give fans a taste of what’s to come when the actual football season rolls around.The post Why The University Of South Carolina Is Hosting A Darius Rucker Concert Instead Of Their Annual Spring Football Game first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Couldn't be topped. The post The album that “mastered” math rock and made American Football give up on the genre first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Bringing the heartland overseas. The post The American rock anthem that England got to first: “Going mad for it” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The best session musician you could ask for. The post The one singer Brian Wilson called “a better singer than all the rest” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Don't Miss Our MASSIVE State of the Union VIP Sale

Ghost, has been nominated in six categories at this year’s edition of the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent). Ghost’s 2026 Grammis Nominations: * Artist Of The Year* Album Of The Year* Metal / Hard Rock & Metal* Producer* Songwriter* Lyricist The hugely successful Swedish band has won “Artist Of The Year” and “Album Of The Year” awards for 2025’s “Skeletá” LP. Ghost’s Tobias Forge Ghost have been nominated for seven Grammis awards in the past and won the “Hard Rock & Metal” award four times: for “Infestissumam,” “Meliora,” the “Popestar” EP and “Impera.” ### The post Ghost Is Nominated For Grammis Awards appeared first on RockinTown.