By Spotlight Central, Photos by Love Imagery
originally published: 03/16/2026
Southern rock fans inside New Brunwick’s State Theatre New Jersey auditorium this Thursday, March 5, 2026 evening feel a good one comin’ on as they ready themselves for a live Rattle, Ramble, and Roll Tour 2026 performance by Blackberry Smoke.
Led by singer/guitarist Charlie Starr, Blackberry Smoke was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000 and quickly built a loyal fan base opening for such well-known acts as ZZ Top, The Zac Brown Band, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Supported by steady recording and constant touring, the band has brought Southern rock into the 21st century with an appealing blend of hard rock, blues, folk, Americana, and country music.
Inside the historic STNJ auditorium, opening act Andy Thomas takes the stage along with keyboardist Rhett Hoffman, bassist Steven Campbell, and drummer Mark Henderson. Singing and playing guitar on the rockabilly “Highway Junkie,” Thomas segues into the swamp rocking “Little Love Machine” and the driving “Freedom Song.”
After performing selections like the shuffle, “Hard to Tell,” Thomas renders a guitar solo on the minor-key blues number, “Dirty Work.”
Following the slow country rocker, “Last One Standing,” Thomas concludes his set by getting the crowd clapping along to a rockabilly medley of “Long Gone” and “Train Train” which elicits cheers, applause, and a standing ovation.
After a short intermission, concertgoers stand and cheer as the members of Blackberry Smoke — lead vocalist/guitarist Charlie Starr, guitarists Benji Shanks and Paul Jackson, keyboardist Brandon Still, bassist Richard Turner, and drummer Kent Aberle — take the stage.
White lights spin over the band and audience as music lovers dance to “Good One Comin’ On” where Charlie Starr croons, “We’re gonna keep this party rockin’/Till the break of dawn,” on this Southern rocker.
Guitarist Paul Jackson and bassist Richard Turner sing along with Starr on the slow, driving rock tune, “Payback’s a Bitch,” before Starr dances around on the song’s interlude under flashes of light.
Segueing into the country-rocker, “Six Ways to Sunday,” music lovers nod their heads in time to the infectious rhythm as Starr cries, “I’m gonna love you six ways to Sunday.”
The crowd cheers as Starr and Co. pound out the appealing country-rocker, “Hammer and the Nail,” where concertgoers happily sing along on the tune’s potent “Sometimes you’re the hammer/Sometimes you’re the nail” message.
Audience members hoot and holler and Starr exclaims, “Thank you, New Jersey!” before adding, “We’re gonna collectively run it till the wheels fall off,” and he and the band roll into the minor key rocker, “Till the Wheels Fall Off,” where Starr, Benji Shanks, and Paul Jackson rock out on guitars.
On “Hey Delilah,” concertgoers dance at their seats and sing along on the zydeco-inspired tune’s snappy “Hey Delilah, you got the power over me/All bound up in your shackles and chains/And I ain’t even tryna get free” refrain.
Starr wonders, “Are we feelin’ good tonight?” as he and the band fire into “Let It Burn,” a high-energy rockabilly number which features Starr’s rockin’ vocal and Kent Aberle’s driving drums.
Starr inquires, “Is everybody comfortable?” before plowing into the funky rocker, “Dig A Hole,” where the audience joins in on the song’s melodic “Let’s all sing like it’s a brand new thing” lyric.
Starr talks about “25 years of Blackberry Smoke” as he and the band slip into “Pretty Little Lie,” a straight-ahead rocker with a country twang. They follow up with “Sure Was Good,” where fans sway to the music and Jackson and Shanks alternate soloing on guitar on this country swing tune.
Following a snippet of the humorous “Livin’ Hell,” music lovers complete Starr’s lyrics as they dance to the rockin’ rhythm of “Waiting for the Thunder” on an animated performance filled with crunch power chords and spinning lights.
Ethereal sounds introduce “Sleeping Dogs,” a rhythmic rocker which has the crowd dancing as Brandon Stills’ organ flares and Starr slays a guitar solo. After segueing into The Beatles’ “Come Together,” Starr and Co. seamlessly segue back into “Sleeping Dogs” to enthusiastic whistles, hoots, hollers, and applause.
Starr introduces his bandmates before unfolding “Azelea,” an appealing folk tune which spotlights Benji Shanks on mandolin and Paul Jackson on acoustic guitar. As Starr fingerpicks his acoustic, he gets the crowd joining him in chanting, “I’m feeling fine, just fine as wine,” on the chorus of the group’s old-time country sing-along, “Ain’t Got the Blues.”
Starr announces, “We’re going to do a request,” as he and the band fly into “Free on the Wing,” a number they recorded with Gregg Allman. Shanks plays slide guitar on this appealing Southern rocker before Blackberry Smoke presents a tribute to The Allman Brothers Band by jamming to the ABB instrumental rocker, “Mountain Jam.”
Music lovers stand and clap as Starr, Shanks, and Jackson play their guitars together in a line on the rhythmic rocker, “Run Away from It All.”
After segueing into John Mellencamp’s rocking “Ain’t That America,” the group streams into the funky rocker, “We Got Company,” and follows up by galloping into the folk rocking, “One Horse Town,” where Starr and the audience sing, “If I didn’t think that it would shut the whole place down/I’d ride my pony right out of this one horse town.”
Starr announces, “Here’s another request — here’s to 25 years!” as he and the band sing, “Put me on a highway, the interstate/A dirt road to anyplace,” on the slow-rocking “Freedom Song.” At the conclusion, the crowd stands and cheers as the group leaves the stage but soon returns for an encore of the rhythmic rocker, “Jailbreak.”
Music lovers cheer and applaud before Starr and Co. wrap up tonight’s show with a powerful rendition of their appealing Southern rock tune, “Ain’t Much Left of Me,” where the crowd enthusiastically sings along with Starr as he cries, “I’m still here, there ain’t much left to see/Well, I’m still holding on but there ain’t much left of me.”
Segueing into the Lynyrd Skynyrd blues number, “Mississippi Kid,” Starr chants, “I got my pistols in my pocket boys/I’m Alabama bound,” before he and his bandmates create an instrumental explosion of sound which leads back into “Ain’t Much Left of Me.”
Concertgoers stand and cheer and Starr exclaims, “God bless you, New Jersey!” as he and Blackberry Smoke take a final bow before exiting the stage, leaving the crowd ready to rattle, ramble, and roll again.
To learn more about Blackberry Smoke, please go to blackberrysmoke.com. For info on upcoming shows at STNJ — including Graham Nash on April 11, Joe Jackson on July 8, and Buddy Guy on August 8 — please click on stnj.org.
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