The Spirit of the South Is Alive and Well In Blackberry Smoke

Hey, do you smell that? Sniff, sniff. Is it something burning? No, it’s just a little smoke, Blackberry Smoke that is. The southern rockers from Atlanta, Georgia made a stop in the Queen City last weekend bringing The Allman Betts Band and The Wild Feathers along for a concert that truly epitomized the “Spirit of the South.” The band was originally scheduled to perform at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Ampitheatre the week before, but the show was rescheduled due to guitarist Paul Jackson testing positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, Paul was okay and Charlotte fans were more than ready to welcome the band back with open arms. “The Spirit of the South” tour truly is a celebration of southern rock and who better to bring it all together than Blackberry Smoke.

As fans were steadily streaming into the venue, the show got started with Nashville country rockers The Wild Feathers hitting the stage first. The band features not one, not two, but three vocalists which allow for unique harmonies and styles. After paying their dues since 2010, The Wild Feathers seem to have finally come into their own and I would look for much bigger things from the band in the not too distant future. With a great mix of country, southern rock, folk, and Americana, the band members have blossomed into pretty terrific songwriters. Their newest album Alvarado is due to be released on October 8th. You can pre-order and pre-save it now by clicking here!

After a short break, the stage was set up with The Allman Betts Band screen lit up in red at the rear of the stage with three wooden stools and two microphone stands upfront. I was stoked to see the band that is a legacy of true southern rock legends. Of course, I’m talking about guitarists and singer/songwriters Devon Allman and Duane Betts. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock or are new to the southern rock scene, Devon is the son of the late Gregg Allman and Duane is the son of Dickey Betts, both founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, perhaps the greatest southern rock band in history with songs like “Whipping Post” and “Ramblin’ Man,” not to mention “Melissa.”

Now that we’re all caught up on our history lessons, let’s move on to the show. The last I checked the band was still a seven-piece unit so something was definitely going on. A few moments later, Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and percussionist R. Scott Bryan took the stage. Devon explained to the audience that one of the band’s buses broke down and that instead of canceling they decided to give us a little backyard barbecue version of The Allman Betts Band instead. With two acoustic guitars and a drum box, the trio ran through a set of pure southern legacy kicking things off with “Magnolia Road.” There are a lot of similarities between Devon and Duane and their fathers of course and in some ways, it was a trip back through time, especially during their covers of The Allman Brothers Band classics “Blue Sky” and “Melissa.” It was amazing just to watch Duane play and he must have been playing one of the late Gregg Allman’s guitars because Devon joked for him to “be careful with my daddy’s guitar.” It was a great set and a treat to be able to see them in such a special situation. I can’t wait until I can catch the full band at a show very soon. Another cool thing they did was a traveling museum set up “The Allmans Brothers Band Big House Museum Experience” where fans could check out memorabilia and historical items. If you have a chance to see these soon-to-be legends in their own right, run, don’t walk to the very next show. Their new album Bless Your Heart is available now. Stream the album by clicking here!

At last, it was finally time for a smoke show as Blackberry Smoke took the stage hitting it hard right from the start with “You Hear Georgia” from their latest album of the same name. Led by lead vocalist and guitarist Charlie Starr, sporting his signature suede jacket and mirrored sunglasses, the band treated the crowd to a sixteen-song set full of their best songs with a heavy emphasis on the new album and their 2012 release The Whipporwill. The great thing about Blackberry Smoke is they change up the setlist all the time so what we got in Charlotte was different than what fans got the night before. I love when bands do that because I always prefer to be surprised, not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next.

Alongside Charlie were guitarists, Paul Jackson, and Benji Shanks as well as bass guitarist Richard Turner. Drummer Brit Turner and percussionist Preston Holcomb were situated side by side behind their respective kits on a riser with both bass drums adorned with the Piggly Wiggly logo, the grocery store of the south. Keyboardist Brandon still was set up stage left. In the far stage-right corner on a small riser behind Richard Turner was The Black Bettys, two talented vocalists also from Atlanta that sang backup and also lent their talents to the tambourines throughout the evening. There was a giant LED screen that changed images throughout the evening according to the song along with all the appropriate lighting changes which were well-suited to the band and their catalog of songs.

One of the highlights was “Hey Delilah” because to be honest, it’s one of my favorite Blackberry Smoke songs from the new record, but “One Horse Town” was a close second. The crowd was enjoying every minute no matter the song as people sang, clapped, danced, and just had the best night ever. It was as if time stood still and we all could have stood there forever enjoying the show so when the band exited the stage after “Ain’t Much Left of Me” nobody was ready for it to end.

The chants of “Smoke! Smoke!” came quickly and after a short intermission, Blackberry Smoke obliged by returning to the stage for what is the best part of the evening, the Jam. The Jam is the encore but much more than that. You never know what might happen at The Jam and tonight was no exception to that. Charlie came out without his sunglasses and sporting a Mad Hatter style tophat as they launched into the J.J. Cale classic, made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Call Me the Breeze” before paying homage to the late great Charlie Daniels with “Long Haired Country Boy.” Not forgetting that Charlotte is just a stone’s throw north of Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Interstate85, the band brought out The Wild Feathers for a cover of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.” Along with the bands that are out on the tour, Blackberry Smoke likes to bring in a special guest for the Jam, from and tonight’s was none other than the legendary Jimmy Hall, who was the famed lead singer, saxophonist, and harmonica player for the band Wet Willie. They ran through a stomping cover of Titus Turner’s “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and the Wet Willie song “Keep on Smilin’.” Of course, Blackberry Smoke couldn’t have the offspring of two of the most iconic southern rockers of all time without bringing them back on stage for a few songs by The Allman Brothers Band. Devon and Duane joined the band for “Southbound” and the final performance of the night “Midnight Rider.” That one song with everyone out on the stage was alone worth the price of a ticket.

Someday, as I’m weaving tall tales of days gone by to my grandchildren, and the topic of southern rock comes up, I will be able to share this magical night with them. Go grab your tickets to a show so you can hear Georgia live and in person yourself.