Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, Along With Bandmate Benji Shanks, Performed Acoustically at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, January 23, 2025

 

 

The historic Buckhead Theatre in frigid Atlanta, Georgia, played host Thursday night to Blackberry Smoke’s lead singer/guitarist Charlie Starr’s latest stop on his January acoustic tour. Out on the road with fellow Blackberry Smoke guitarist Benji Shanks, Starr was supported by local musician Casey Camp. Built in 1930, this venue was originally designed in a Spanish baroque style, and while concert attendees typically get the option of either a general admission floor or an upper, seated balcony, Starr’s all-ages event was arranged as fully reserved seating for a relaxing night of music.

Taking the stage shortly after 8:00pm in front of the early audience with just his guitar in hand was Casey Camp. Camp, who released a self-titled EP back in September of last year, showcased emotional songwriting through his soulful vocals with tracks pulled from that album. Self-described as “Southern Gothic Americana” with songs written “about my love for the city of Atlanta, and has themes of life, love, and death,” Camp’s thirty minute acoustic performance included original tunes such as “Ghost,” “Ponce De Leon,” and “Little Mama.” In fact, “Ghost,” along with Camp’s song “Autumn Leaves,” were recently included in an episode of Sylvester Stallone’s television show Tulsa King, which was filmed across Georgia during the its second season. Camp was the perfect choice of opener, and he definitely set the musical tone for the evening.

 

 

Following a quick equipment turn of 15 minutes, Charlie Starr and Benji Shanks strolled out from behind the side stage at 8:45pm to the adulation of their hometown fans. Best known as the frontman/guitarist for Blackberry Smoke, Starr has been out on the road throughout the month of January with fellow bandmate Shanks, providing Southern rock fans an intimate and impressive acoustic guitar experience. When the cheering finally settled down, the duo kicked off their evening with a cover of Van Halen’s “Can’t Get This Stuff No More.”

If you’ve never seen Blackberry Smoke live, what is great about their shows is that no two are the same. The band changes their setlist up every night, and Starr held to that tradition on Thursday, much to the delight of the capacity crowd. While their 18-song main setlist included acoustic versions of popular Blackberry Smoke tunes such as “Pretty Little Lie” and “One Horse Town,” Starr and Shanks layered in elegant covers from influential artists including Hank Williams, The Band, The Rolling Stones, and Merle Haggard.

Blackberry Smoke is also known for their family-feeling concert atmosphere, which is always uplifted through their dedicated “brothers and sisters” strong following. This was never more evident then on Thursday night when Starr’s young son Canaan joined him onstage to sweetly sing along in support of “Other Side of the Light,” as song pulled from Blackberry Smoke’s eighth studio album, Be Right Here (2024). Starr also spent ample time storytelling between songs, touching on broad topics spanning from his interest in sports (like making fun of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team) to local memories from Smith’s Olde Bar, an Atlanta live music venue founded in 1994 where Starr reflected he had met his wife.

With the show closing in on the two hour mark, their encore set opened with a cover by The Marshall Tucker Band in “Searchin’ for a Rainbow,” which was followed by “Ain’t Much Left of Me” from Blackberry Smoke’s third studio release, The Whippoorwill (2012) — an album title Starr had earlier jokingly suggested only people in the South could pronounce properly. That was the conclusion to a special evening of witnessing two spectacular musicians capture an audience with nothing more than a couple of guitars behind Starr’s enchanting vocals.

While Starr and Shanks will wrap up this acoustic tour on Saturday in Decatur, Alabama, at the Princess Theatre, the full complement of Blackberry Smoke will soon hit the road on their announced “Rattle, Ramble, and Roll Tour” starting Thursday, January 30th, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey.

 

 

 

Setlist:

1.) Can’t Get This Stuff No More (Van Halen cover)
2.) Too High (Blackberry Smoke song)
3.) Best Seat in the House (Blackberry Smoke song)
4.) I Can’t Help It (Hank Williams cover)
5.) Pretty Little Lie (Blackberry Smoke song)
6.) Prayer for the Little Man (Blackberry Smoke song)
7.) Other Side of the Light (Blackberry Smoke song with Canaan Gray)
8.) Ain’t the Same (Blackberry Smoke song)
9.) Long Black Veil (The Band cover)
10.) No Way Back to Eden (Blackberry Smoke song)
11.) No Expectations (The Rolling Stones cover)
12.) Crimson Moon (Blackberry Smoke song)
13.) Azalea (Blackberry Smoke song)
14.) Run Away From It All (Blackberry Smoke song)
15.) Are The Good Times Really Over (Merle Haggard cover)
16.) Ain’t Got The Blues (Blackberry Smoke song)
17.) Old Enough to Know (Blackberry Smoke song)
18.) One Horse Town (Blackberry Smoke song)

Encore

19.) Searchin’ for a Rainbow (The Marshall Tucker Band cover)
20.) Ain’t Much Left of Me (Blackberry Smoke song)

 

 

 

 

 

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