What’s better than a night with Blackberry Smoke?… two back to back nights. With 2021 coming to a close BBS brought their live shows to Augusta, GA on 12/30/21 and Savannah, GA on 12/31/21 labeled the “New Year Run.” Fans filled the Bell Auditorium and Johnny Mercer Theatre with many attending both nights. It truly is like a family reunion at these events. Familiar faces amongst the crowd that share memories of past shows with one another and also ones the band has come to know pretty well themselves. One of the great things about BBS is that no two shows are the same. Each night of course features some of the staple songs such as “Good One Coming on,” “Ain’t Much Left of Me,” and “One Horse Town.” The band is well known for pulling out some amazing covers of classic songs as well. The 2 night run was no let down as the group pulled out “Tuesday’s Gone” (Lynyrd Skynyrd), “That’s How Strong My Love Is” (The Youngbloods) along with “Spooky” and “Champagne Jam” from the Atlanta Rhythm Section. With the release of their latest album “You Hear Georgia” this year the set lists have included many of those songs. If you attended both nights of the New Year Run then you heard the album almost in it’s entirety with the exception of “Old Enough To Know” and “Morningside.”
As always there were plenty of light hearted moments of joking and storytelling. From celebrating Paul’s bday to ringing in the New Year many more BBS memories were made. I’ve personally seen Smoke perform nearly 50 times so for myself one of the stand out moments was when Charlie stopped “You Hear Georgia” to start it over. “Hell no, that riff has got to be in there. Especially tonight” Charlie exclaimed with laughter as the group began the song again.
An added bonus to the shows was opening act The Georgia Thunderbolts. I’ve heard the bands name before but until now had not seen them. Being a fan of BBS there’s no excuse for you to not like this group also. Real guys making real music. The band puts their own spin on classic southern rock while remaining true to the roots. Powerful vocals accompanied by duel guitar work with a thunderous rhythm section make this band a breath of fresh air. When mainstream has forgotten what real music is guys like the Thunderbolts give reassurance that it still exists if you look for it. Powering through a set of original songs such as “Spirit of The Workin’ Man,” “Lend A Hand” and “Can I Get A Witness” found me at the merch booth to grab my copy of their album. The group also included classic covers of tunes from the Allman Brothers, Bob Segar and Lynyrd Skynyrd. On night two in Savannah the show did have a few technical issues. This is not something I’d normally mention. However, the way the band powered through and were unfazed by the slight problems shows professionalism as they continued on with an amazing set winning over many new fans.
Do not alter photos
Copyright Michael Bragg/MJBragg Photography
