Earlier this month, Atlanta based Blackberry Smoke transformed New York’s Hill Country basement into a hillbilly hoedown of sorts, to steal words from their track “Up In Smoke.”
“We’re playing in the basement in New York City and it’s beautiful. We came to boogie, didn’t we?” frontman Charlie Starr asked the energetic crowd.
With screams and raised beer bottles, the audience agreed.
The band exudes classic Southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd. It comes as no surprise then, that Blackberry Smoke have shared the stage with ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shooter Jennings, Cross Canadian Ragweed, among others.
Their set November 2 at Hill Country combined gritty electric guitar riffs, rollicking keyboards, a steady drumbeat and Starr’s charismatic stage presence, making for a captivating show. Blending Southern rock, country and blues, the soulful act had everyone in the basement dancing and clapping along.
Performing for nearly two hours, one hour in Starr let the crowd know that they weren’t going anywhere.
“Don’t get in a hurry, we’ve got a lot of boogieing left to do,” he said.
While Blackberry Smoke performed many of the tracks off their most recent release, Little Piece of Dixie, including their hit “Good One Comin’ On” and the stand-out “Restless,” their two hour set spanned their catalog with older fan favorites like the bluesy “Son Of A Bourbon.”
In between songs, the lively crowd would frequently scream song requests that were often fulfilled soon after. With a killer live show and collaborations with George Jones and Jamey Johnson, Blackberry Smoke continue to impress. With any luck, they’ll soon become a household name.
For more on Blackberry Smoke, visit their Website. Watch their video for “Good One Comin’ On” below.