Blackberry Smoke came back to New York for their 2nd Annual Big Apple Breakdown as part of the Till The Wheels Fall Off Tour. Their 1st Annual B.A.B. last year had them playing 2 nights at the Irving Plaza sandwiching a Saturday afternoon interview and mini performance with Alan Paul in cahoots with Back Story Events and Guitar World at The Cutting Room on E32nd St..
It was a special weekend last year and this years visit was just as special. Both last year and this spring's 2 back to back shows left me wanting more. I love their deep catalogue and they explore it rarely doubling up the tunes on multi night venue stays making them rewarding for those who double dip in the live experience.
This band has been around for the better part of 2 decades and have maintained their core line-up with Brother Charlie Starr (g/v), Brother Paul Jackson (g/v), Brother's Brit (d) and Richard (b/v) Turner, and added Brandon Still (k) 10 years ago and recently had studio contributor Benji Shanks (g/m) join the band for the "Break It Down" acoustic tour from earlier this year, now the band has added fellow Campbell High Panther alum Preston Holcomb (d) into the fold here.
The band has been steady in all it's forms, but it now it has a solid depth across the board for an even richer overall sound. It's subtle, but evident. Preston on percussion and Benji on his varied string instruments add to the fills on bongos, slides, riffs, while freeing up Charlie, Paul, & Brandon. Brit and Richard are a solid backbone and the spine just got stronger. I'd use the In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed version from 9/7/19 as a sound reference. I'm not sure what if any changes this new Band Of Gypsies will have tomorrow, but they're a blessing to hear right now. Please support the bands that make the music you love, that way the road can truly go on forever.
On Night #1 J.D. Simo opened up with a set and a special guest appearance w/BBS on Not Fade Away and on Night #2 Daniel Donato opened and joined the Gents on That's All Right Mama. Both were new to me, but I'll be checking them out in future tours.
Blackberry Smoke Official Website
https://www.blackberrysmoke.com/
BBS Till The Wheels Fall Off Tour
https://www.jambase.com/article/blackberry-smoke-fall-tour-2019
J.D. Simo Official
https://simo.fm/
Daniel Donato Official
https://danieldonato.com/
Some tunes from Night #1 (I left out Sway & Burn Down The Mission)
JD Simo
Soul Of A Man
One Of Those Days
With A Little Help From My Friends
Blackberry Smoke
Six Ways To Sunday
Payback's A Bitch
Rock And Roll Again
Good One Coming On
Let It Burn
Medicate My Mind
Lucky Seven
Free On The Wing (dedicated to Gregg)
One Horse Town
Not Fade Away (w/J.D. Simo)
Some tunes from Night # 2
Daniel Donato
Justice
Bluegrass Jammer (I don't know the title yet)
Fire On The Mountain
Blackberry Smoke
Nobody Gives A Damn
Workin' For A Workin' Man
Waiting For The Thunder
Best Seat In The House
Believe You Me
Pretty Little Lie
Running Through Time
Restless
The Whippoorwill
No Way Back To Eden
Sanctified Woman
Till The Wheels Fall Off
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
I'll Keep Ramblin'
That's All Right Mama (w/Daniel Donato)
Ain't Much Left Of Me
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There was also an underlying story for this 2 day jaunt at The Brooklyn Bowl. A band vs beef bowling brawl bitch slap for bragging rights of rolling superiority when there's pins involved in the equation. The build-up and saga outcome included in the videos below. It seems a rematch is evident.
Ain't Gonna Wait
Ain't Got The Blues (inc' Bowler's Blues intro)
Crimson Moon (results w/congratulatory song)
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I normally throw in some still pic's, but the site tinypic.com has shut down, they sent me an email saying they can send all my uploaded pic's to photobucket and I can pay $8 bucks a month and they'll store my pic's but that ain't happening. I only used it to upload and post here. So sorry no pic's. I will go through and put some in an album on my FB page. If you go to one of 3 different BBS pages on FB, can sleuth me and find them, I posted a video on their official page and 2 other fan pages. Again chase down the discs and see the artists live that make the world a better place to listen, Thanx.
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[Edited on 9/10/2019 by Fretsman]
I have to search out and identify JD Simo's opening set from last night, but I'll go out of order and put his set after I do BBS's so I can show you Blackberry's opening Smoke...
Lord Strike Me Dead/Run Away From It All
I hope to see some of you folks there!
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[Edited on 9/9/2019 by Fretsman]
Wife and I were there and it was a terrific show by a great band . I recognized Burt Holman and said a quick hello . I wish I would have thanked him for helping keeping The Brother's legacy alive but you never know how to react in those moments when you recognize somebody and they have no clue who you are.
About an hour prior to the show ran into Brandon and Paul of BS at a local bar . We discussed college football and what surprises might be on the setlist . Paul let us know Elizabeth Reed might be on the setlist . Paul also added Brandon wrote 'Free on The Wing' that Gregg added guest vocals too a few years ago.
This great band has great tunes and are great live whether their doing their own tunes or sprinkling in a cover or 2.
Wife and I were there and it was a terrific show by a great band . I recognized Burt Holman and said a quick hello . I wish I would have thanked him for helping keeping The Brother's legacy alive but you never know how to react in those moments when you recognize somebody and they have no clue who you are.
About an hour prior to the show ran into Brandon and Paul of BS at a local bar . We discussed college football and what surprises might be on the setlist . Paul let us know Elizabeth Reed might be on the setlist . Paul also added Brandon wrote 'Free on The Wing' that Gregg added guest vocals too a few years ago.
This great band has great tunes and are great live whether their doing their own tunes or sprinkling in a cover or 2.
I talked to Brandon and Paul briefly after the Cutting Room event last year. Both down to earth Gents. I passed on some flash drives loaded with some historical tunage for everybody. I consider the compilation to be work related reference materials. At that point I embarassingly admitted I hadn't yet put any BBS on the compilation and Paul retorted "well ain't that the best kind", Very personable Gents. I had seem them at NJ's Rock, Rib's, and Ridges Festival and brought 2 pic's from the Augusta shows and they all graciously signed them after the mini set.
Thanks for posting those vids! Good stuff.
