Hootie & The Blowfish set to perform before Canes outdoor hockey game. How to get tickets

Jessica Banov

The Carolina Hurricanes’ first outdoor game in February already has sold thousands of tickets and is set to be one of the events of 2023.

So why not make the whole weekend a party?

Hootie & The Blowfish will perform a one-night-only show at Raleigh’s PNC Arena the night before the Canes are set to take on the Washington Capitals at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium nearby.

The concert on Feb. 17 is considered a pre-party to the 2023 NHL Stadium Series game on Feb. 18, according to a news release from PNC Arena.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com, with pre-sales beginning Nov. 8.

Indie rock band Susto will be the opening act.

The band, which got its start in South Carolina, is known for ‘90s hits “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry,” “Only Wanna Be With You” and “Time.” But the band rarely tours together now that frontman Darius Rucker has gone on to a successful solo career in country music.

In 2019, the band released a studio album, “Imperfect Circle,” which was its first new studio album in 14 years.

Later in 2023, the band will invite other classic bands from the 1990s, such as Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms and Collective Soul, to perform at HootieFest: The Big Splash at Moon Palace Cancún in April.

Darius Rucker performs with Hootie & the Blowfish during the first of three shows in their hometown as part of their “Group Therapy Tour” at Colonial Life Arena Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, in Columbia, S.C. The band, on hiatus since 2008, formed in 1986 while the members attended the University of South Carolina.
Darius Rucker performs with Hootie & the Blowfish during the first of three shows in their hometown as part of their “Group Therapy Tour” at Colonial Life Arena Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, in Columbia, S.C. The band, on hiatus since 2008, formed in 1986 while the members attended the University of South Carolina.

How to see Canes outdoor hockey game

As for the hockey game, only a few tickets are being sold on the resale market for hundreds of dollars.

At least 55,000 tickets have been sold for the primetime game with tickets being scooped up hours after they become available, The News & Observer reported.

Don Waddell, Canes president and general manager, said the Canes sold out its initial ticket allocation of 18,650 in three hours. Subsequent allotments also were snatched up, The N&O reported.

A FanFest celebration is scheduled in downtown Raleigh the same day as the Hootie & The Blowfish concert.

How NC State and Hurricanes came to agree on one big thing: an outdoor hockey game

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