If you like your rock and roll Southern Fried, the Fillmore was the place to be this past Thursday night as Atlanta rockers Blackberry Smoke made a stop in Charlotte on their “Find A Light Tour.” Upon entering the venue, it seemed that almost everyone had on a Blackberry Smoke shirt of some kind and the merchandise table had a steady stream of patrons all evening long. There was one particular shirt that caught my attention because the back of it read “Too Rock for Country, Too Country for Rock” which really sums up what Blackberry Smoke is all about. The band truly is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll and drew a very mixed crowd of fans from old school rockers to country fans in cowboy hats and even families with young children.
As the venue lights dimmed, the crowd began to chant “Smoke!, Smoke!” as the band hit the stage tearing into the rocker “Let Me Help You (Find The Door).” The boogie vibe of “Six Ways To Sunday” was up next and it was clear that the party was on. People were dancing and singing along and it was a great way to start off their set. Frontman Charlie Starr never sounded better with his twangy vocals filling the venue as he shimmied and boogied all over the stage guitar in hand. Guitarist Paul Jackson kept the riffs coming as he traded licks back and forth with Starr. I really enjoyed the bluesy vibe of “Run Away From It All,” a personal favorite of mine as well as the anthemic “Waiting for the Thunder.”
Sonically Smoke was phenomenal with rock solid rhythms from bassist Richard Turner and drummer Brit Turner with keyboardist Brandon Still rounding things out and giving a full, lush sound to the mix. About midway through the night, I made my way to the back of the venue so I could take a look at things from further away. The band did a great job at keeping the entire venue involved in the show and their lighting package was tasteful and not overly done, a perfect fit to the music.
It was at this time that they kicked into “Best Seat In The House” which was a bit ironic since I had just meandered all the way to the back but the song title held true because even from the very rear of the venue, the sound was fantastic. The setlist was a great mix of Smoke tunes with four selections from their latest record “Find a Light” mixing well with Smoke classics. The band really got their jam on with “Up In Smoke” as the stomping of boots on the venue floor got louder and louder. A special moment of the evening was Charlie introducing the song “Free On The Wing” which he dedicated to the late Gregg Allman. Allman made a guest appearance on the original song and who Starr lovingly referred to as Brother Gregg. In fact Charlie introduced all the band members that evening as Brother and you could tell that they genuinely feel that way about each other. Closing the regular set with “Like An Arrow,” Blackberry Smoke left the stage leaving an audience that clearly wasn’t ready for the night to end. After several minutes of “Smoke!” chants, the band returned for a two song encore of “Nobody Gives A Damn” and “Ain’t Much Left of Me.”
This tour is an absolute must see for all fans of southern rock. Spend an evening with Blackberry Smoke for a boot stomping, hip shaking, rocking good time.
Set List:
Let Me Help You (Find The Door)
Six Ways To Sunday
Good One
Let It Burn
Waiting for the Thunder
Run Away From It All
Sleeping Dog
Sanctified Woman
Running Through Time
Best Seat In The House
Lay It All On Me
Ain’t Got The Blues
Up In Smoke
Flesh and Bone
Fee On the Wing
One Horse Town
Like An Arrow
Encore:
Nobody Gives A Damn
Ain’t Much Left Of Me
We would like to thank Catherine Snead from Sacks Co. for the credentials to review the show
