Editing Hootie & the Blowfish (section)

===1998–2008: Middle years===
[[File:Hootie and the Blowfish.JPEG|alt=The band onstage|thumb|The band performing for North Carolina Army National Guard (NCARNG) Soldiers and their family members during the NCARNG Welcome Home Celebration Day at the RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C., on June 26, 2005]]
In 1998, the band performed on [[Frank Wildhorn]]'s concept album of the musical ''[[The Civil War (musical)|The Civil War]]''. Hootie & the Blowfish released their third studio album, ''[[Musical Chairs (Hootie & the Blowfish album)|Musical Chairs]]'', on September 15, 1998. It spawned the singles "I Will Wait" and "Only Lonely".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/100347-Gettysburg-Welcomes-Wildhorns-New-Civil-War-Musical-For-the-Glory |title=Gettysburg Welcomes Wildhorn's "New" Civil War Musical, For the Glory |website=Playbill.com}}</ref>

The group covered the 1968 Orpheus hit "Can't Find the Time" for the [[soundtrack]] of the [[Jim Carrey]] movie ''[[Me, Myself & Irene]]'' (2000). The song's writer, Bruce Arnold, traded verses with Darius on several occasions when the band played live on the West Coast. The band kept to an extensive touring schedule, including an annual New Year's Eve show at [[Silverton Las Vegas]] (formerly known as Boomtown Las Vegas) in [[Enterprise, Nevada]].

The band released a [[A-side and B-side|B-sides]] and rarities [[compilation album|compilation]] titled ''[[Scattered, Smothered and Covered]]'' (2000). This album is named in tribute of [[Waffle House]], a popular Southern chain of all-night diners. Specifically, the title refers to an order of [[hash browns]]—shredded potatoes scattered on the grill, smothered with diced onions, and covered with melted cheese.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/03/hootie.sessions/index.html Hootie & the Blowfish like songs "covered".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319162913/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/03/hootie.sessions/index.html |date=2007-03-19 }} Cnn.com Archive, November 3, 2000. Accessed February 5, 2007.</ref>

In 2003, the band released [[Hootie & the Blowfish (album)|a self-titled album]].

In 2005, the band released ''[[Looking for Lucky]]''.