Acclaimed American rock band Blackberry Smoke will embark on their extensive “Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock N’ Roll” this summer with special guests The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, Jaimoe. Kicking off July 30 at Bridgeport, CT’s Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre, the tour will include stops at New York’s Pier 17, Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, Dallas’ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Alpharetta’s Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Boston’s Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion and Morrison’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre among many others. See below for complete itinerary. Tickets for the newly confirmed dates go on-sale this Friday, May 21 at 10:00am local time, full details can be found at www.blackberrysmoke.com/tour.
Created to honor the various influences within Southern music, each show will conclude with a unique collaborative finale including Blackberry Smoke, The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and Jaimoe as well as additional surprise guests. The Allman Brothers Band Museum At The Big House will also have a new mobile set up on-site at each show, featuring never-before-seen archival items including original hand-written lyrics, family photographs, iconic clothing and jewelry, one-of-a-kind instruments played by the band and more. Jaimoe will also be available for meet and greet opportunities at each stop. All 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.
The “Spirit of the South Tour” adds to a landmark year for Blackberry Smoke, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a group this year with the release of their highly anticipated new album, You Hear Georgia, out May 28 via Thirty Tigers (pre-order here). With the addition of producer Dave Cobb, a fellow Georgian, You Hear Georgia pays homage to the band’s deep respect for their roots. Across the album’s ten songs, Blackberry Smoke continues to embody Georgia’s rich musical legacy as they have for the past two decades, honoring the people, places and sounds of their home state.
Ahead of the release, the band has released four album tracks: “All Rise Again” featuring Warren Haynes, “Ain’t The Same,” “Hey Delilah” and “You Hear Georgia,” of which Starr reflects, “Lyrically, the song is about the South being misunderstood. It’s obviously a rough and tumble world, and there’s a lot of bad people. But there’s a lot of good people too. It started with the idea of how people might have a preconceived opinion of you because of a thick Southern accent, then expanded into the reality of how some people just seem to have such a hard time getting along, thanks to political or religious views, or simply what part of the country you come from.”
In addition to Blackberry Smoke—Starr (vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Brandon Still (keyboards)—the album features Benji Shanks (guitar) and Preston Holcomb (percussion) as well as special guests Jamey Johnson (“Lonesome For A Livin’”), Haynes (“All Rise Again”) and The Black Bettys (background vocals).
You Hear Georgia follows the release of 2018’s 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 BillboardAmericana/Folk Albums chart. Released to critical acclaim, NPR Music praised, “pushes the envelope while providing that famous Blackberry Smoke autonomy, delivered with soulful vocals, haunting harmonies and kick ass songs,” while Guitar World declared, “one of the hottest and most exciting acts around,” and Rolling Stone hailed, “part of a lineage that shares a love of Petty, the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., able to ride an Americana vibe or peel off a stomping riff and tie it all together without a hint of pretense.” Following Find A Light, the band shared three additional projects—a live album and concert film, Homecoming: Live In Atlanta, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album Sales chart, a 6-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions and Live From Capricorn Sound Studios, an EP of six covers that have ties to the studio.
Since forming in 2001, the band has continued to tour relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans. Their music has also been prominently featured in the hit television show, “Yellowstone” and they’ve performed on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly.” In addition to their work as musicians, Blackberry Smoke remains committed to charitable work and has raised nearly $500,000 benefiting children’s cancer research.
YOU HEAR GEORGIA TRACK LIST
1. Live It Down
2. You Hear Georgia
3. Hey Delilah
4. Ain’t The Same
5. Lonesome For A Livin’ (feat. Jamey Johnson)
6. All Rise Again (feat. Warren Haynes)
7. Old Enough To Know
8. Morningside
9. All Over The Road
10. Old Scarecrow
BLACKBERRY SMOKE CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
BOLD on-sale this Friday, May 21 at 10:00am local time
May 21—Cherokee, NC—Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center
May 22—Cherokee, NC—Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center
May 30—Lake Charles, LA—Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino
June 11—Houston, TX—House of Blues
June 12—Austin, TX—Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally 25th Anniversary
June 25—Sunbury, PA—Spyglass Ridge Winery
June 26—Augusta, NJ—Rock Ribs & Ridges Festival
June 27—Middletown, NY—Orange County Fair Speedway
June 29—Lafayette, NY—Apple Valley Park
July 1—Lewiston, NY—Artpark
July 2—Scranton, PA—The Peach Music Festival
July 3—Woodford, VA—Dominion Raceway
July 9—Bloomsburg, PA—4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals
July 10—Bloomsburg, PA—4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals
July 30—Bridgeport, CT—Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre*
July 31—Canandaigua, NY—CMAC*
August 1—Huber Heights, OH—Rose Music Center at The Heights*
August 3—St. Louis, MO—St. Louis Music Park*
August 5—Dallas, TX—The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory*
August 6—Memphis, TN—The Soundstage at Graceland*
August 7—Ashland, KY—Riverfront*
August 10—Jacksonville, FL—Daily’s Palace*
August 12—Baltimore, MD—MECU Pavilion*
August 13—Asbury Park, NJ—The Stone Pony Summer Stage*
August 15—Charlotte, NC—Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre*
August 17—Raleigh, NC—Red Hat Amphitheater*
August 19—Cincinnati, OH—PNC Pavilion*
August 20—Nashville, TN—Ascend Amphitheater*
August 21—Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheater*
August 25—New York, NY—Pier 17 at South Street Seaport*
August 26—Boston, MA—Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion*
August 27—Reading, PA—Santander Arena*
August 29—Dubuque, IA—Five Flags Center
September 2—Milwaukee, WI—Summerfest 2021
September 9—Roanoke, VA—Dr. Pepper Park at the Bridges
September 10—Selbyville, DE—The Freeman Stage at Bayside
September 11—Bristol, TN—Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 23—Indianapolis, IN—Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park†
September 24—Sterling Heights, MI—Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill†
September 25—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica†
October 8—New Orleans, LA—House of Blues
October 9—New Orleans, LA—House of Blues
October 28—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
December 3—Lake Wales, FL—Orange Blossom Revue Festival
*“Spirit of The South Tour” with special guests Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and Jaimoe
†*“Spirit of The South Tour” with special guests Allman Betts Band, Jaimoe and TBD
The fall Canadian tour has been postponed until next spring, details on the rescheduled shows to be announced soon.
