Indianapolis, IN. – Fresh off the release of their 8th studio album, Be Right Here (out now via 3 Legged Records), headliners Blackberry Smoke stopped by the Murat Theatre inside Old National Centre and brought along Austin Meade to kick off the night’s entertainment.
Following in the footsteps of some of the best southern rock jam bands out of Georgia (like The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, or .38 Special to name a few), Blackberry Smoke featuring members Charlie Starr (guitar, lead vocals), Richard Turner (bass, backing vocals), Paul Jackson (guitar, backing vocals), Benji Shanks (guitar, mandolin), Brandon Still (keyboards), Preston Holcomb (percussion) and Brit Turner (drums) are sure making a name for themselves and gathering quite the following. Noticeably missing from the night’s performance was long time drummer and founding member Brit Turner, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November of 2022. Brit is still on-going treatment and unable to join his band of brothers on the road but was able to play on their most recent release, Be Right Here. Sitting in for Brit is another Georgia player, Kent Aberle, best known for his studio work and working with various artists over the years. I thought it was cool that the bass drum head stated “Get Well Soon Brit! We love you!” Brit may not be with his band on the road but he is always with them in spirit! Brit is beloved by all and we sure wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back behind the kit real soon!
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The band gave a solid two hour set showcasing several tunes off the new album while still getting in a lot of fan favorites from previous releases. And boy do the fans love Blackberry Smoke!! You could hear the crowd singing along to almost all the tunes while dancing and having a good time with their favorite band. Booties were a shakin’ – it was that kind of show! The band is out touring the U.S. through July with a short break the month of August before heading across the pond to tour the U.K. and Europe in September and October. The band asks you get tickets through links on their website verses 2nd & 3rd party ticket resellers because, in their words, “2nd & 3rd party resellers are rascals and lowdown scaggy-doos and the band has no control over what they do.” Click here for dates near you.
Setlist: Indianapolis
- Leave a Scar
- Good One Comin’ On
- Hammer and Nail
- Pretty Little Lie
- Hey Delilah
- Like It was Yesterday
- Lucky Seven
- Sleeping Dogs (with a chorus of Charlie Daniels’ Long Haired Country Boy thrown in)
- You Hear, Georgia
- Azalea
- Everybody Knows She’s Mine
- Waiting for the Thunder
- Watcha Know Good
- Prayer for the Little Man
- Ain’t Got the Blues
- Run Away From It All
- One Horse Town
- Little Bit Crazy
Encore:
- Dig A Hole
- Ain’t Much Left of Me
Kicking off the night’s entertainment was singer – songwriter Austin Meade (lead vocal, guitar) out of New Braunfels, Texas. He was joined on stage with fellow band members David Willie (lead guitar, harmony vocals), Seth Foster (bass, harmony vocals) and Brandon Turner (drums). The band is best described as hard rock/southern rock and definitely got the fans in the room to check out their set. I wasn’t familiar with Austin and his band but really enjoyed their set and look forward to catching more of what they were laying down. They have a new single “Blackout” out now via Snakefarm Records. Be sure to check it out on your favorite streaming device and look for more coming soon from this rocker.
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Show Date: 02.22.2024
