Southern rock fans inside Morristown, NJ’s MPAC auditorium this Thursday, January 30, 2025 evening feel a good one comin’ on as they ready themselves for a live “Rattle, Ramble, and Roll Tour” 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’s brought Southern rock into the 21st century with their appealing blend of hard rock, blues, folk, Americana, and country music.
Inside the MPAC auditorium, tonight’s opening act, Jason Scott and the High Heat, take the stage. In a set which includes the country rocker, “When I’m Good and Ready,” Scott — a former Pentecostal worship master turned musician — sings in his twangy voice, “Bought me a first class ticket on the midnight plane to Memphis/My head full of delta blues and bad religion/Then I troubled the waters down to the Mississippi/I’m gonna be good when I’m good and ready.”
Backed by Scott and Gabriel Mor on guitars, Ryan Magnani on bass, and Bobby Wade on drums, High Heat band member Garrison Brown impresses on “High Country” playing a cornet solo followed by an electric guitar solo.
Other highlights of Scott’s set include “Quittin’ Time” which channels The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women,” the 12/8 minor key rocker “Get in Line,” the humorous “Yard Work,” and the quintet’s final number “Me and the Bottle (Hungover You),” a slow rocker on which Scott sings, “Between me and the bottle/We’re gettin through,” to avid audience applause.
Following intermission, music lovers stand and cheer as the members of Blackberry Smoke — lead vocalist/guitarist Charlie Starr, background vocalist/guitarist Paul Jackson, guitarist Benji Shanks, keyboardist Brandon Still, bassist Richard Turner, and drummer Kent Aberle — take the stage.
Opening with the rockin’ “Sanctified Woman,” Starr sings in his strong, soulful voice, “I went looking for a sanctified woman/She was just the kind of woman I was hoping to find/I left home in the middle of December/She’s the only kind of woman to keep me in line.”
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.
Music lovers clap and dance along to the rockin’ rhythm of “Waiting for the Thunder” where Brandon Still is featured on a swirling organ solo. Then, on “Payback’s a Bitch,” Starr advises, “If I were you, I’d be looking over my shoulder/Cause every day gets closer to what’s coming for you/Payback’s a bitch,” on this smoldering country rock tune.
Music lovers dance and sing as Starr wails out a slide guitar solo on the rockin’ “Good One Comin’ On,” before he and the band shift into the rhythmic country rocker, “Living in the Song.”
Starr exclaims, “It’s Thursday but we’re gonna party like it’s Saturday night!” as he invites the audience to echo sing on the engaging “Hey, yeah” intro to the Blackberry Smoke swamp rock tune, “Hey Delilah.”
Starr declares, “You all look beautiful tonight — you’re the best looking Thursday night friends I’ve seen in my 50 years!” as he and the band step into “Pretty Little Lie,” a straight-ahead rocker with a country twang. After asking, “You all feelin’ a little bit crazy tonight?” Starr energetically spins around the stage playing his guitar on the roadhouse rocker, “Little Bit Crazy.”
Music lovers cheer when they recognize the mystical intro to “Sleeping Dogs.” Lights flash on this rhythmic rock song which has the crowd dancing as Starr slays a guitar solo while Stills’ organ flares. After segueing into Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Midnight Special,” Starr and Co. seamlessly segue back into “Sleeping Dogs” to enthusiastic hoots and hollers.
Starr announces, “Here we are now celebrating 24 years!” as he and the band shift into “Prayer for the Little Man,” a number which has the audience singing along on the ballad’s poignant “Say a prayer for the little man/‘Cause he’s gonna need a helping hand” refrain.
Dedicating the group’s next song to “Booger and all his special ladies at My Brother’s Place bar in Smyrna, GA,” Starr’s voice is featured on an arrangement of “Ain’t Gonna Wait” which has Paul Jackson performing the ballad’s lovely “Time ain’t gonna wait” vocal descant.
After introducing his bandmates, Starr acknowledges, “This next song should have been called ‘Don’t Give a Damn About What Anybody Else Thinks.’” On the Southern rocker, “Old Scarecrow,” the crowd claps along as Benji Shanks renders a guitar solo and Starr sings with authority, “Like an old scarecrow/Standin’ in the sun/Day after day/His work ain’t never done/I ain’t ever gonna change my ways/Make my stand for the rest of my days.”
Starr asks, “You feel like singing tonight?” and the crowd joins him in belting out, “I’m feeling fine, just fine as wine/I can’t frown for grinning, I can’t lose for winning” on the chorus of the group’s old-time country song, “Ain’t Got the Blues.”
“Thanks for singing so fine!” responds Starr before noting, “This is dedicated to Ronnie Van Zant” and he and Blackberry Smoke pay tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd with an electrifying cover version of “On the Hunt.”
Following up with the high energy rocker, “Up in Smoke,” music lovers dance and point to the rhythm as Benji Shanks and Paul Jackson play guitars and Starr and Jackson harmonize on the song’s “Throwdown it’s a hillbilly hoedown/Fire it up we can go all night now/Come on y’all ain’t no joke/Watch the world go up in smoke” refrain.
A fan calls out a request for a song and Starr explains, “We’re gonna fulfill another request now — this man up front’s said ‘Sunrise in Texas’ five times!” Brandon Still’s Wurlitzer electric piano sound accompanies Starr’s soulful vocal on the ballad, “Sunrise in Texas,” after which Starr jokes, “If you keep hollering out these requests, we’re gonna have to bring out our tip jar!”
Galloping into “One Horse Town,” Starr holds out his mic for the audience to sing, “This little bitty town, oh, it ain’t nothing new/We all stick around ‘cause they all tell us to,” on this compelling folk rock number. Then, smoke curls under bright lights as three electric guitars jam together on the band’s final number, the rhythmic rocker, “Run Away from It All.”
The crowd stands and cheers and Starr and Co. exit the stage but soon return for an encore of “Azalea,” an appealing folk tune which features Paul Jackson on acoustic guitar, Benji Shanks playing mandolin, and percussionist Kent Aberle keeping the beat with mallets on his drums.
Music lovers hoot and holler and Starr exclaims, “Thank you! God bless you!” as he and Blackberry Smoke conclude tonight’s show with a powerful rendition of the Southern rocker, “Ain’t Much Left of Me.”
After singing, “I’ve been knocked down, drug out and left for dead/Barely held together by a few old threads,” Starr and his bandmates drift into Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” prior to circling back to “Ain’t Much Left of Me” and taking a group bow in front of the standing crowd.
As music lovers make their way out of the MPAC theater, several comment on tonight’s performance. Exclaims Eddie from West Milford, “Blackberry Smoke is phenomenal! I’ve seen them four or five and times and they’re always great.” Diane from Verona agrees, adding, “I thought the show was awesome! It was a fantastic night and Charlie Starr was just spectacular.”
Chris from North Caldwell contends, “It was an amazing show. Charlie’s voice is excellent and the band is excellent, too. They have guitarists galore and they create an unbelievable sound — they rock!” Rick from New Jersey concurs, adding, “This was my thirteenth time seeing Blackberry Smoke — they’re a great band that never lets you down,” prior to noting, “and the opening act — Jason Scott and the High Heat — was great, too!”
Anne from West Milford insists, “I just love Blackberry Smoke! Charlie Starr is a star in the sky — I love him! I’ve seen him several times and he’s always great!”
Steve from Pequannock agrees, noting, “I especially loved their cover version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘On the Hunt’ — it was note-for-note perfection!”
Michelle from Stanhope reveals, “I’m not a country music fan but I love Blackberry Smoke’s music and their personalities. I did a meet and greet with them years ago, and they’re just so down to earth and very humble. Tonight’s show was the tenth time I’ve seen them and they were amazing!”
Lastly, Sally from Westfield asserts, “I love everything about Blackberry Smoke — they’re incredible! I see a lot of concerts and these guys are the greatest around,” prior to concluding, “In my opinion, they’re the best live band on the planet!”
To learn more about Blackberry Smoke, please go to blackberrysmoke.com. For info on upcoming concerts at MPAC — including Sons of Cream on February 15; Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles on March 1; Experience Hendrix featuring Kenny Wayne Shepard, Devon Allman, Samantha Fish, and more on April 2; and Old Crow Medicine Show on April 23 — please go to mayoarts.org.
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