Blackberry Smoke is one of the hardest-working bands around. After wrapping up their acoustic tour at New York’s City Winery in April and spending the summer on the road as part of Tedeschi Trucks Band‘s annual Wheels of Soul tour, the boys are back in town for two nights (September 6th and 7th) at Brooklyn Bowl, this time delivering the electrified Southern sound their dedicated fans turn out to hear.
Frontman Charlie Starr plays an endless supply of custom guitars, accompanied by bandmate Paul Jackson and, for the Brooklyn Bowl shows, Benji Shanks. They can all play, but what sets Blackberry Smoke apart from many Southern-style rock bands is exceptional songwriting. They’ve been at it for more than a decade, releasing a string of well-crafted albums, most notably The Whippoorwill (2012).
Songs like “One Horse Town,” “Six Ways to Sunday,” “Sleeping Dogs” and “Ain’t Got the Blues” were all part of their Friday-night set along with terrific covers of The Beatles (“Come Together), The Rolling Stones (“Sway”), Elton John (“Burn Down the Mission”) and an Allman Brothers Band tease (“Mountain Jam”).
If you’re already a member of the Blackberry faithful, you know what to expect. If they’re new to you, get down to one of their live shows and see what keeps bringing their fans back for more. Check out upcoming tour dates here.
Below, you can check out a gallery of photos from the show courtesy of photographer Lou Montesano.
