Blackberry Smoke – Rattle, Rumble & Roll Tour – with Andy Thomas
State Theatre of NJ – New Brunswick, NJ – March 5, 2026
Review and Photos – Rebecca Wolf
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccawolfconcertphotos/
I know all devoted fans of a band feel passionately about the bands they adore and express that passion at live performances. Some sing, some dance, some cheer, some applaud and some demonstrate all of these praises….magnified. So, I’m not quite sure why Blackberry Smoke fans stand out to me, but they do. There’s just something special to me about Blackberry Smoke fans. Maybe it’s that I’m one of them, so I relate to their devotion. On March 5th, that devotion was on display at The State Theatre of NJ, which was packed with eager Blackberry Smoke fans, ready to celebrate the band’s 25th Anniversary on the Rattle, Ramble & Roll Tour.
Before Blackberry Smoke’s arrival, the gritty, Southern blues rock of Andy Thomas filled the theater and set the foundation for the electrifying, musical evening ahead. Thomas’ debut album, Highway Junkie, due out on March 27th, pairs the sound and rhythmic beat of the honky tonk with the dark, bluesy, soulful energy of swamp rock. With his long hair, goatee, black cowboy hat, snakeskin cowboy boots and shredded t-shirt, Thomas presents as the quintessential outlaw rocker. Thomas’ songs carry a strong personal meaning to him. His current journey, including this new phase in his musical career has been hard-won for Thomas and he’s proud of where he’s heading.
Thomas’ drive was evident as he sang with power, grit and a touch of Southern twang. Strumming the guitar strings at lightning speed, Thomas’ fingers flew up and down the neck of his guitar, as the energy of the music was intensified by the frenetic drum beats. Thomas performed the title song from his forthcoming album, a number with an underlying layer of rockabilly, as well as previously releases singles, “Long Gone,” a piece with a dynamic, foot-stomping, upbeat rhythm and “Ain’t All Flowers,” a double-timing, hair-flipping, guitar-jamming country rock number. Thomas’ 40-minute set had audience members clapping along to the high-energy rhythms and raised the level of enthusiasm in the packed theater for the evening’s main act. The electricity in the crowd was set to skyrocket from there.
The moment Blackberry Smoke arrived onstage, in front of the multi-colored stained glass image of Lightning Rooster on the towering backdrop, fans were on their feet, applauding and cheering. The evening opened with the feel-good, country rock, party number, “Good One Comin’ On,” which instructed the crowd to “keep this party rocking to the break of dawn!” And, this is what the adoring Blackberry Smoke fans did. Passionately joining the singing on numbers like “Payback’s a Bitch,” “Six Ways to Sunday” and “Hey Delilah,” audience members mimicked the musicians’ rhythmic beats, “Hey Delilah,” boom… boom, with thunderous, in sync claps and stomps.
“We are out here celebrating 25 years,” Charlie Starr shared with the applauding crowd. “You probably can’t believe that. You probably look at us and think we must’ve been as young as Menudo!” Starr said with a chuckle. While Starr might not have been the age of the members of Menudo 25 years ago, his onstage electricity continues to belie his age and the quarter-century tenure since forming Blackberry Smoke with Paul Jackson, Richard Turner and the late Brit Turner. From Charlie Starr’s dancing and twirling about the stage, to Jackson’s 1000 watt smile while jamming on his guitar alongside Benji Shanks, to Kent Aberle’s drumsticks flying in the air with each beat, to Brandon Stills’ racing hands behind two keyboards, it was clear these musicians were as thrilled to be performing as audience members were to hear their beloved music. Only bass player Turner remained his typical stoic self….unceremoniously holding down stage right, as he added an additional layer of rhythm, essential to Blackberry Smoke’s powerfully textured sound.
Blackberry Smoke is one of those bands that once you’re a fan you’re locked in as a fan. They can draw you in with an upbeat, foot stomping anthem like “Hammer and the Nail,” a powerful, guitar-heavy number like “Waiting for the Thunder,” move you with the melancholy tone of “One Horse Town” or grab your heart with the beautifully touching “Azalea.” While it’s of course the music that first garners attention, its also the musicians themselves that makes people lifelong fans. There’s a personableness to the band members, creating a sense of connectedness between artist and fan. While some musicians set themselves apart from their audience, that chasm is never felt between Blackberry Smoke members and their fans. Although they are talented musicians and vocalists and are the stars of the show, there’s never the sense from their perch on the stage that they are “above” the crowd.
After more than two decades, there’s bound to be quite a diverse population of Blackberry Smoke followers…including those who first heard the band as children, likely due to older individuals in their lives, to those who were already middle-aged adults when they first discovered a “cool new Southern rock band.” At the State Theatre, I noticed older couples and younger couples and those with groups of friends. I observed a younger couple in the front of the theater who was so passionate about the performance they were compelled to stand at their seats, cheer and sing along for the entire show, regardless of whomever was behind them. I noticed an older gentleman on his feet for much of the performance, who sang with ferocity, while emphatically pointing his finger in the air to emphasize the power in each dynamic note. Everyone rose to their feet for the powerful “Waiting for the Thunder,” trading lines back and forth with Starr, and filling the theater with electricity.
“Thanks for coming out on a Thursday night,” Starr announced to the rapturous cheers of the crowd. “It feels like a Saturday night so, let’s keep going like a Saturday night,” he said with gusto, as the band proceeded with the bravado and spirited energy of “Sleeping Dogs.” The audience was able to take a participation break when Starr announced, “We’re going to do one for Brit” (now the norm at every show) as they transitioning into the acoustic ballad “Azalea,” a beautifully melodic, emotional number that mesmerized all in attendance.
Picking back up the mood, the crowd did not have to be encouraged to continue adding Saturday night energy to the evening, as they eagerly joined in on “Ain’t Got the Blues,” taking lead on number when Starr turned the vocals over to them. “We’re gonna do a request,” Starr announced to the crowd. As fans yelled out songs, Starr heard a request of interest. “Ladies first,” he stated and the band began “Free on the Wing,” from 2016’s Like an Arrow, a song about finding your way in life. “You don’t have to sit down. We’re going to get funky!” Starr proclaimed with enthusiasm. Any fans who felt maybe they “should” sit down were now given an instant permission slip to remain on their feet, as the band performed the melodic, rocking, wind-in-your-hair, “Run Away From It All,” followed by the upbeat, spirited, Southern rock number, “We Got Company,” previously unreleased before 2025’s Rattle, Ramble & Roll – The Best of Blackberry Smoke, Vol.1.
Starr again summoned the audience’s participation during the stirring, soulful “One Horse Town.” A quick scan around the crowd and it was few and far between who did not join in. “Here’s to 25 years!” Starr proudly declared. As the band performed the last song of the set, the rock anthem “Freedom Song.” Ceremoniously leaving the stage, band members returned for an encore, including a cover if Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” and the passionate , victorious Southern rocker, “Aint Much Left of Me” that professes, “I’m still holding on and there ain’t much left of me!”
After 25 years, Blackberry Smoke is still going strong. So too are Blackberry Smoke fans. While I’m not quite sure what it is, Blackberry Smoke fans are a special crowd. They sing, dance, cheer and applaud with a unique passion. The most iconic place to see a Blackberry Smoke show remaIns The Shed Smokehouse in Maryville, TN. This appears to be “ground zero” and fans travel from near and far to be immersed in a Blackberry Smoke experience at The Shed. As a Blackberry Smoke fan myself, one day I will be able to check this off my musical bucket list.
