Larry Busacca/Getty ImagesDarius Rucker is using his music to bring people together.
The 49-year-old musician shot a special for CMT's upcoming Instant Jam Concert on Wednesday night in his hometown of Charleston, S.C., where the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman dedicated his a cappella performance of "Hold My Hand" to Charleston, two months after nine people were shot and killed there during a Bible study at one of the nation's oldest African-American churches.
"We went through a lot crap recently. The tragedy broke my heart," Rucker told the crowd. "The greatest feeling I've had in a long time is when that played out and our city didn't divide. We said this is us. We said to that guy that lives in a time that doesn't exist anymore, 'You wanted to mess with our city and instead you brought us together.'
"We realized how much we love each other, that someone who is not like me is there and we still love them," he continued, adding, "This song goes out to our city."
An insider tells E! News that Rucker later fought back tears while speaking about the death of his mother. Additionally, he stopped the concert mid-song to help a fan who was apparently suffering from heat exhaustion.
Rucker's dedication is especially timely as it comes just one day after two members of Roanoke, Va.'s WDBJ7's morning team were shot dead by a former employee of the station during a live broadcast.
Alison Parker, a 24-year-old reporter, and Adam Ward, a 27-year-old cameraman, were killed while reporting at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta about the 50th anniversary of the man-made Smith Mountain Lake.
The station held a moment of silence on TV this morning in honor of their fallen colleagues. "We want to pause and reflect and we want to share with you once again what made these two so special, not just to us, but to all of our hometowns that WBDJ7 serves," anchor Kimberly McBroom said. "Please join us now in a moment of silence."
CMT's Instant Jam with Darius Rucker will premiere on Sept. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.