(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Blackberry Smoke: Be Right Here Tour on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8:00pm. Joining Blackberry Smoke for this concert are special guests, Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel.
Blackberry Smoke, the Georgia-based band—vocalist/lead guitarist Charlie Starr, keyboardist Brandon Still, guitarist/vocalist Paul Jackson, bassist/vocalist Richard Turner and drummer Brit Turner—draw inspiration from Southern rock, blues-leaning classic rock and rootsy vintage country. On their album, Be Right Here, Blackberry Smoke sounds more self-assured, from the strength of their songwriting to their musical execution.
Over the past two decades, Blackberry Smoke has developed a confidence, leading their last five full-length albums to achieve great chart success, including 2021’s You Hear Georgia, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart.
Working with Grammy Award®-winning producer Dave Cobb, Blackberry Smoke has crafted music that’s raw and immediate-sounding. Be Right Here’s lyrics are particularly literary, full of vivid and relatable characters that ensure the songs often resemble rich short stories. Highlights on the Be Right Here album include “Whatcha Know Good,” “Like It Was Yesterday,” “Azalea,” and “Little Bit Crazy.”
Special guest Duane Betts will be performing hits from his triumphant debut solo album, Wild & Precious Life, offering up a timeless version of American music—a mix of blues, rock, folk, and country. Wild & Precious Life is a modern album inspired by some of the best parts of the past, full of sharply crafted songs written in a state of deep reflection and Betts’ journey toward sobriety. Highlights on Wild & Precious Life include “Waiting on a Song,” “Circles in the Stars,” “Stare at the Sun,” and “Under the Bali Moon.”
Betts assembled his dream team of musicians—including guitarist Johnny Stachela, bassist Berry Duane Oakley, keyboardist John Ginty, and drummer Tyler Greenwell—and took up his old friends Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks on an offer to record the album at their own Swamp Raga Studio.
Tickets range from $29-$254 and are available for purchase online or by calling State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469). State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.
Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
