Blackberry Smoke will kick off their extensive “Spirit Of The South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock and Roll Music” this summer with special guests The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, Jaimoe. Newly confirmed stops include Asbury Park’s Stone Pony Summer Stage, Boston’s Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion, New York’s The Rooftop at Pier 17, Detroit’s Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Irving’s Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Atlanta’s Fox Theatre and Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheatre among several others. Tickets for the shows go on-sale this Friday, March 6 at 10:00am local time. See below for complete details.
Created in celebration of the various roots and influences within Southern music, every show will conclude with a unique collaborative finale, which will feature Blackberry Smoke, The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers, Jaimoe and additional surprise guests showcasing the inspirations of Rock, Blues, Gospel and Soul music. Additionally, for the first time ever, Blackberry Smoke is partnering with The Allman Brothers Band Museum At The Big House—located in Macon, GA—to bring the band’s storied history on the road with a new mobile set up. The museum will feature never-before-seen archival items including original hand-written lyrics, awards, rare family photographs, iconic pieces of clothing and jewelry, one-of-a-kind instruments played by the band and more. Jaimoe will also be onsite at the museum and available for meet and greet opportunities at each stop. All “Spirit Of The South Tour” ticket holders will be granted free access to the museum with $1 of each ticket donated to The Allman Brothers Museum at the Big House to help preserve its history and heritage.
Of the collaboration, The Big House Museum director Richard Brent shares, “We feel privileged to have this opportunity to get out on the road and bring some of these unique items to the fans. The museum has become such an amazing place for people to gather, but it comes with a big price to maintain and expand. If you haven’t been able to get down to Macon, GA, this exhibit will give you a great visual of what we are about. You will not only get to see what we have brought out, but you also will get to learn some great stories from the songs, albums and images of The Allman Brothers Band. We know that by showing a small portion of what the ABB museum has to offer, it will inspire folks to stop by the Big House the next time they are in the Macon area.”
Additionally, of the tour, Blackberry Smoke lead singer Charlie Starr shares, “We are beyond excited to bring our Spirit Of The South tour to fans this summer. If you think of this music as a genre and you step back far enough to see the scope of what a handful of bands from the South were able to accomplish, it’s pretty damn staggering. All without giving a damn about what was hip or trendy at the time. It’s music that is a part of the fabric of people’s lives…music that we all love and cherish deeply. On this tour we’d like to celebrate the musical freedom championed by those pioneers and maybe help tell the story. It’s not only what people think of as Southern Rock, but all the elements in Rock and Roll that make it Southern. It’s blues, gospel, soul, jazz and bluegrass…everything that took root in the South and spread all over the world. We feel this tour is going to give us all a unique opportunity for something really special. I think everyone will love the Celebration!”
The Allman Betts Band’s Devon Allman also comments, “I’ve been knowing the Blackberry cats a couple decades, we come up in the same circuit. This tour is going to be special, the sweet warm summer nights and the epic jams at the end. Can’t f***ing wait!”
The new tour adds to a landmark series of years for Blackberry Smoke, who recently returned to the studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb to begin work on their next album, including a new song with Jamey Johnson. They also recently spent time at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, GA creating new renditions of several songs with ties to the historic studio and the town. The new music follows the release of their latest full-length album, Find A Light, which debuted as the best-selling Country and Americana/Folk album in the country, entered at #3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart in 2018. Of the album, NPR Music praises, “pushes the envelope while providing that famous Blackberry Smoke autonomy, delivered with soulful vocals, haunting harmonies and kick ass songs.” After the release of Find A Light, Blackberry Smoke released two additional projects—a live album and concert film, Homecoming: Live In Atlanta (stream/purchase here)—which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album Sales chart—and a 6-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions (stream/purchase here).
Blackberry Smoke is Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), and Brandon Still (keyboards). Since their debut in 2004, the band has independently released six full-length records and has toured relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans. In addition to their work as musicians, Blackberry Smoke remains committed to charitable work and has raised nearly $400,000 benefiting children’s cancer research.
BLACKBERRY SMOKE CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
March 11—Montreal, QC—Corona Theatre
March 12—Ottawa, ON—Bronson Centre
March 13—Kitchener, ON—Elements
March 14—Toronto, ON—Danforth Music Hall
March 17—Winnipeg, MB—The Garrick
March 19—Calgary, AB—The Palace
March 20—Edmonton, AB—Midway
March 22—Vancouver, BC—The Commodore Ballroom
April 1—Scottsdale, AZ—Arizona Bike Week
April 24—New Orleans, LA—House of Blues*
April 25—New Orleans, LA—House of Blues*
May 8—Maryville, TN—The Shed (SOLD OUT)
May 9—Maryville, TN—The Shed (SOLD OUT)
May 27—Chattanooga, TN—The Riverbend Festival
June 6—Pryor, OK—Born & Raised Music Festival
June 11—Austin, TX—The Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally 25th Anniversary
June 13—Kearney, MO—RoseFest 2020
June 27—Rogers, AR—Poultry Festival at Walmart AR Music Pavilion
July 17—Maryland Heights, MO—Saint Louis Music Park†
July 18—Indianapolis, IN—Amphitheater at White River State Park†
July 19—Chicago, IL—Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom†
July 21—Huber Heights, OH—Rose Music Center at The Heights†
July 23—Asbury Park, NJ—Stone Pony Summer Stage†
July 24—Westbrook, ME—Maine Savings Pavilion†
July 25—Long Creek, NB—The Long Creek Roundup†
July 26—Boston, MA—Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion†
July 28—Bridgeport, CT—Harbor Yard Amphitheater†
July 29—New York, NY—The Rooftop at Pier 17†
July 31—Cincinnati, OH—PNC Pavilion at RMC†
August 1—Detroit, MI—Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill†
August 2—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica†
August 4—Birmingham, AL—Sloss Furnaces Outdoor Arena†
August 6—Irving, TX—The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory†
August 7—Southaven, MS—Landers Center†
August 8—Atlanta, GA—Fox Theatre†
August 9—Nashville, TN—Ascend Amphitheater†
August 11—Washington, DC—Warner Theatre†
August 13—Baltimore, MD—MECU Pavilion†
August 14—Charlotte, NC—Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre†
August 15—Raleigh, NC—The Red Hat Amphitheater†
August 16—Simpsonville, SC—CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park†
August 18—Richmond, VA—Virginia Credit Union†
August 20—North Myrtle, SC—House of Blues†
August 21—Orlando, FL—Lynyrd Skynyrd & Frynds Simple Man Jam: A Family Reunion
August 22—Jacksonville, FL—Daily’s Place†
September 12—Bristol, TN—Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion
BOLD on-sale this Friday, March 6 at 10:00am local time
*with the North Mississippi Allstars
†“Spirit Of The South Tour” with special guests Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and Jaimoe
