My dear friends I know that I am completely eclectic as far as my format of doing things, and as you may or may not know I was busy with my Muddy Roots coverage. I cover over 175 festivals a year and MANY genres of music so it’s NO secret sometimes it take me months to write these articles up.
Mr.Paul Jackson, Mr.Brandon Still, Mr.Richard Turner, Mr.Charlie Starr, and Mr.Brit Turner make up this rags to riches story out of Georgia called Blackberry Smoke and I have indeed featured them many times here on this website. Now then I wasn’t sure if I could legally post videos from the Ascend Ampitheater In Nashville as I was invited to this show as a guest…and on a whim.
I actually went to relax and enjoy myself as a fan this time but I did jot down some notes and some observations about the show, no matter where I am I always have that journalistic instinct. I honestly enjoy writing about the bands and the music,and the people that make it work.
Their album Follow Your Arrow made my TOP 50 OF 2016 and I have been a fan of their for many years despite their mainstream attention. I don’t really mind their mainstream lean, even though many of my readers don’t like them for that. I thought Whiporwill was a damn fine album and many of their albums stay in my constant rotation and my memory stick shuffles.
“Rock And Roll Again was first, this song is off the 2015 Holding All the roses album it’s a great hard rock song as are many of their songs. Now some of them have a Country influence to them, they are more of like a Black Crowes Southern Rock outfit.
“Let It Burn” was next from the Follow Your Arrow album followed by a cover of “Come Together” and then “Ain’t Got The Blues” from the Whiporwill album. I have seen them many times live, but to be honest I haven’t heard the song “One Horse Town” live ever.
That’s an older song, and I thought they did a really adequate job of playing material form every album they have, many times you hear a band play mostly new songs from whatever album they are promoting at the time of the show. This show here wasn’t the case and I was delighted to see that.
“Payback’s A Bitch” was next followed by the song “Whiporwill”. This band doesn’t have elaborate lyrics that make you sit and dwell on the meaning now DO NOT misquote me and ascertain that I don’t like those songs, I DO. But when I want to drink beer and just JAM, Blackberry Smoke is one of go to bands for kick ass rock music.
They closed their set with “like An Arrow” and “Ain’t Much Left Of Me” . Actually they were the opening act for the band Government Mule who is touring for their new album Revolution come…Revolution go, and that’s out NOW. Mr. Warren, Mr. Matt Abts, Mr. Danny Louis and Mr. Jorgen Carlsson make up the band.
I didn’t really write the songs down for them because I was just amazed by Mr. Warren’s guitar licks and instrumentals. There really isn’t a plethora of the original Allman Brothers Band left anymore and it’s always cool to hear GOOD versions of Whipping Post and other classics from years ago.
Age and the road have not faltered Mr. Warren’s guitar abilities or his vocals in any form, in fact I was impressed with his impeccable groundwork with his band. They seemed to read each other well, and were defiantly on the same page. Al l in All it was a great show at a truly FUN venue,and really the only one of it’s kind now since Starwood was closed all those years ago.
It’s not incredibly over expensive if you buy lawn seats for shows, I haven’t really wrote a ton of articles from it because of the lack of ability to include videos. I truly enjoy giving YOU the reader the BEST input on the show as I can, I try to make you feel like you WERE THERE if you missed it. Maybe in the future I’ll have that ability form this venue.
