Blackberry Smoke with Bones Owens
Bergen Performing Arts Center – Englewood, NJ – August 27, 2025
Review & Photos – Rebecca Wolf
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccawolfconcertphotos/
With summer 2025 quickly coming to an end, there was no better place to grab onto some dynamic, warm, Southern rock spirit (to tuck away for the cold months ahead) than at a Blackberry Smoke concert. On August 27th that opportunity occurred at Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ. Bergen PAC is right over the bridge from NYC, which draws crowds from NJ and NY. Artists from diverse creative disciplines, including dance, theatre, comedy and a range of musical genres regularly grace the theater stage to perform to a packed house. However, on August 27th the crowd appeared a bit sparse as it drew near the 7:00 start time. With it being the last week of summer I questioned whether everyone was on vacation. Would this evening be a rare occurrence of a Blackberry Smoke concert with empty theater seats? Or, knowing that there was going to be an opening act, could fans have opted to arrive closer to Blackberry Smoke’s start time?
Before I could contemplate these questions any further the house lights dimmed and the evening’s opening act, Bones Owens, arrived onstage along with his drummer Doy Gardner. Owens, hailing from Nashville, is set to release his newest album, Best Western, on September 19th, his third full-length, self-produced album. Owens wasted no time showcasing searing guitar riffs, paired with equally fierce vocals that highlighted the music’s gritty rock, blues, and Americana sound. His sharp, raw presence commanded attention throughout the performance. Owens’ energy was matched by the equally powerful, spirited drum beats of Gardner. Songs performed during the set included “Goin’ Back Where I Came From,” from 2024’s Love Out of Lemons, the 2023 single, “Bout Time,” and Keep On Running,” “Rambler,” “White Lines,” and “Keep It Close,” from Owens’ 2021 self-titled LP. “Keep It Close,” with it’s slower, bluesy melodic sound and feel gave an opportunity to really hear Owens’ beautiful vocals. Together, Owens and Gardner played with a passion and authenticity that resonated long after the last note faded and left fans buzzing with excitement.
As Owens ended his set it was clear that the applause was coming from a crowd much larger than what had been there an hour ago. During the 15 minute break before BBS’s arrival the size of the audience grew even larger. I guess I never should’ve doubted the devotion of Blackberry Smoke fans (“brothers and sisters”). They reside throughout the country and don’t miss an opportunity to see their beloved band. For many fans these performances are foot-stomping, arms in the air, up on your feet, singing along experiences. However, Blackberry Smoke has quite a diverse fanbase, with differences in age, culture and socio-economic background. This is diversity is additionally affected by the region in which they are playing.
On August 27th it appeared from the start of the evening that it was not going to be a crowd eager to jump to their feet and rock and roll. As most audience member were getting to their seats for the show to begin some remained standing on the outer aisles, less eager to get seated. “I’m standing on the side so I can dance,” an excited gentleman attending a Blackberry Smoke show for the first time stated. “Do you think people will be out of their seats and dancing?” he asked another fan standing near him. Scanning the crowd the woman, a long-time devoted Blackberry Smoke fan, laughingly responded, “Not likely with this crowd.” While it might’ve seemed like a quick judgement call, she was ultimately correct. During the performance Charlie Starr, the band’s lead singer and frontman encouraged fans to stand as he sang several numbers. When there was limited movement in the audience Starr initially assumed fans had been instructed to stay seated. “Are they telling you you have to sit down?” he queried. Quickly realizing this was not a theater mandate Starr continued, “Then why the hell ARE you sitting down?” he said empathically. “Let’s boogie!” This prompted a number of audience members to rise to their feet, to sing and move to the beat, though not many remained standing much longer than one number. Although most of the audience was seemingly not the standing and dancing type, there were surely those fan whose exuberance had them dancing and cheering in the aisles, prompting security to repeatedly usher them back into their seats.
Standing and dancing was surely not a necessity for having a good time and showing excitement about Blackberry Smoke’s music. Fans in their seats remained fixated on the stage and on the ever eye-catching Starr, singing along to favorite numbers from the BBS’s extensive catalog. Opening the evening with “Fire in the Hole,” from 2015’s Holding All the Roses, the theater was instantly filled with energy and excitement, setting in motion a dynamic, fun-filled, spirit-lifting performance that included fan-favorites, “Six Ways to Sunday” from 2012’s The Whippoorwill, “Hammer and the Nail” from 2024’s Be Right There’s and “Hey Delilah” from 2021’s You Hear Georgia. With one high energy number after the next, Starr danced and spun about with his guitar, while Benji Shanks and Paul Jackson frequently jammed together on their guitars (a broad smile continuously spreading across Jackson’s face.) Stoic as ever, bassist Richard Turner added rhythm from his usual post, tucked away towards the side of the stage, while Kent Aberle passionately performed behind the drums, creating powerful beats on songs like “Good One Comin’ On” from 2009’s Little Piece of Dixie and “Dig a Hole” from Be Right There. “Ain’t Got the Blues” from The Whippoorwill, a bluesy, foot-tapping number gave Brandon Stills opportunity to highlight his skills on the keys.
Not every song was a high energy, rocker. “The Whippoorwill,” the album’s title song, is beautifully soft and melodic, while “Whatcha Know Good” from Be Right There has a brooding, sultry energy. And, there’s no Blackberry Smoke number more heart-touching and tear-jerking than Be Right There’s “Azalea,” dedicated to the band’s late, great drummer Brit Turner. Additional songs in the set included, The Whippoorwill’s “Crimson Moon,” “Sleeping Dogs,” “Everybody Knows She’s Mine” and “One Horse Town.” Returning for their encore, the band performed their latest single, “Run With the Pack” recorded with Paul Rogers, feat. Brann Dailor, from the upcoming album Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company. The night ended with The Whippoorwill’s feel-good anthem “Ain’t Much Left of Me,” which brought much of the crowd to their feet.
Whether on their feet, singing and dancing throughout the performance or sitting in their seats to sing along, Blackberry Smoke’s adoring fans never miss an opportunity to attend a performance and revel in the energy and spirit of the band and their music. While these “Brothers and Sisters” may differ in age, culture and/or socio-economic background, they all share a love for the band that supersedes these differences, creating a wonderfully diverse fanbase. There’s just nothing that connects you in quite the same way as music. Always looking forward to the next show!
