One of the bands responsible for the founding of the southern rock genre hit the Queen City this past Saturday night as The Marshall Tucker Band made a stop at The Fillmore on their “Juke Jammin’ Tour.” It was almost a home town show for the band as they hail from Spartanburg, South Carolina, just a stone’s throw down Interstate 85 from Charlotte, and the venue was filled to capacity with family, friends, and long time fans.
The band has gone through its share of lineup changes over the years but founding member and lead vocalist Doug Gray is still fronting the band with his signature vocal sounds and has surrounded himself with an extremely talented band of southern gentlemen. A Marshall Tucker Band show is a pretty laid back affair with a casual vibe. You get the feeling that the band is just a bunch of friends getting together on a Saturday night to play some music and have some fun. Although the atmosphere is casual, the musicianship is top notch. Kicking off their set with “Dog Eat Dog World,” a tune written by guitarist Chris Hicks, the band was on fire all night long. Gray’s vocals never sounded better as he led the band through classic Marshall Tucker Band tunes like “Fire on the Mountain” and one of their biggest hits, “Heard It In a Love Song, ” taking a moment to joke that he never loved a woman longer than a pair of boots lasted. Gray was a stellar showman interacting with the fans and even taking the time to give a young fan his tambourine, a souvenir she will never forget. The stage set up was bare bones with drummer B. B. Borden obscured behind his plexiglass surround and guitarists Chris Hicks and Rick Willis having a great time up front. Marcus James Henderson was busy all night as he moved from behind his keybaords to the front of the stage with his sax and later in the evening with his flute. It’s not that often that we get the chance to hear woodwinds at The Fillmore and the sound was amazing. The Marshall Tucker Band is also known as somewhat of a jam band and tonight they would prove their chops with extended solos and jams on”Running Like The Wind” and the stellar live favorite “Take The Highway.” The crowd was having a blast right along with the band as they kicked things into over drive with “Can’t You See.” People were singing along and couples were dancing in the aisles as The Marshall Tucker Band capped off an extraordinary evening of music.
With their classic blend of rock, country, and blues, The Marshall Tucker Band has been rocking audiences for well over forty years and if Saturday night was any indication, they’ll probably be doing it for forty more. Get your toes tapping and check out this iconic band when they make it to a city or town near you.
Set List:
Dog Eat Dog World
Fire on the Mountain
Heard It In a Love Song
Desert Skies
Running Like the Wind (extended jam)
Take the Highway (extended jam)
I’ll Be Loving You
Can’t You See
Georgia Moon
We would like to thank Kay Waggoner Burney from Absolute Publicity, Inc. for the credentials to review the show.
