Second time's a charm: Des Moines man on performing with Hootie & the Blowfish

Most people dream about meeting or performing with their favorite musicians. If one is granted the lucky opportunity, there's a slim chance it would happen twice. However, for Iowa native Tim Beckman, performing live with his favorite band has happened yet again.

The 45-year-old attended the Hootie & the Blowfish concert on Sunday during the Iowa State Fair. Alongside him was his wife, Kristin Beckman, holding a poster that read: "Darius — Please let my husband sing 'Let Her Cry' with you in front of his hometown crowd." 

Darius Rucker, the band's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, spotted the colorful poster and Beckman took to the stage, confidently singing "Let Her Cry" as Rucker played guitar.

Cheers from the 14,000-plus crowd rang through as he sang his heart out. 

"There were people that were very excited that I got up there because he commented that it's not something he normally does," Beckman said, "but in my case, this happened twice in two years."

Beckman became a fan in 1994 when the group released their debut project, "Cracked Rear View." He first performed with the legendary Rucker in 2017 at the Harrah's Council Bluffs Hotel & Casino. In front of a crowd of about 5,000 people, Beckman sang his favorite song from the band, "Let Her Cry."

"It's one of those songs that I can connect with and his music just really hits me in the heart," Beckman said. 

The site manager for Somers Building Maintenance almost missed his chance to sing with Rucker again because he wasn't going to grab the poster his wife made.

"I didn't think it would be that relevant," Beckman said. However, as fate would have it, on his way back from getting closer seats at the ticket office, Beckman grabbed the poster his wife made. 

While on stage, Beckman was filled with excitement.

"My brain couldn't even comprehend where he left off at the beginning of the song," Beckman said. "The only thing I might've been afraid of was being clumsy or missing some words."

Nonetheless, Beckman had family, friends, workers and strangers watching him perform. 

Whether Rucker recognized Beckman isn't known. But when Hootie & the Blowfish returns to his hometown, Beckman doesn't want to overstay his welcome if he is invited on stage a third time.

"You know, get somebody else to try," he said. "But it's really hard to go to a concert and top something like that."