Charlie Starr with Benji Shanks Presented by the Allman Brothers Big House Museum Douglass, Theatre, Macon, GA December 13, 2017
with Billy Bob Thornton, and that night I played a few songs onthe Douglass stage accompanied by the legendary Tommy Talton, opening for The Boxmas- ters. Standing on the stage that helped to launch the careers of folks like Otis Redding and Little Richard can be a bit intimidating, yet I felt right at home. Same thing Wednesday. Comfortable seats, won- derful people. Met a few of the Brothers & Sisters Blackberry Smoke fan club. Got to see several old friends. And then there was the music. Two hours of perfection. Both Charlie and Benji had an arsenal of gui-
tars in tow. Starr believes in the right tool for each job - or song. I love that. Just a few of the highlights for me personally
Gilbert Lee Photo The first time I ever heard Charlie Starr live
was back around 2001, just after his band Black- berry Smoke had started making waves in and around Atlanta, and then nationally (and now glob- ally). But that night at the Handlebar in Greenville, SC, there were about as many patrons as a local band pulls in. The Smoke had yet to be spread. When it did manifest, the curious followed the smoke to it’s source, where they found a raging fire- a band that was able to play a Zeppelin or Black Sabbath tune or George Jones or Willie Nelson with equal skill and conviction. That fact, along with the output of albums, EP’s, bootlegs and video added fuel to the flames. Then came the merchandising. There are so many Blackberry Smoke branded items now, I am sure it keeps Gene Simmons awake at night. But I digress. In a few years I would see Smoke again,
many times, every time accompanied by KUDZOO staffer, friend and the number one Smoke fan, Scott Greene. But one thing I’ve always wanted to see was Charlie Starr’s acoustic show accompanied by red hot guitarist Benji Shanks. This week I got my wish, thanks to Richard Brent and the Big House, who presented a free concert by Charlie Starr and his songwriting and duo partner Benji Shanks. What a great gift! Thank you Big House! First of all, I love the intimacy of the Dou-
glass Theatre. My first visit was several months ago when we had my book signing at the Big House
included “I Ain’t Got the Blues Anymore,” with Charlie inviting the audience to sing a chorus with- out him, and everyone knew the words. It must be a great feeling as the songwriter. I enjoyed Charlie reminiscing about his Dad, who was a “No b.s.” kind of guy, and told Charlie there was no Santa Clause at a very young age. Later in the set he did the song about his Dad as well, one of my favorite Smoke songs, “The Good Life.” There was a great cover of the old country hit “Busted,” and a beauti- ful WIllie Nelson and Ray Charles classic “Seven Spanish Angels.” Charlie and Benji also performed great covers of Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes” Zeppe- lin’s “That’s The Way.” Awesome. Being in Macon, and given to recent passing
of brother Gregg Allman, I found it especially mov- ing when Charlie sang “Please Call Home.” with Benji playing Duane’s Goldtop, on loan from the Big House.He would later bring that instrument out again for their encore, “I Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More.” The show was one of the finest I have been fortunate enough to attend in a long time. Just so good. You should have been there! •
Set List:Randolph County Farewell; Lay it All on Me; What Comes Naturally; Running Through Time; Busted; No Way Back to Eden; Wildflowers; One Horse Town; Ain’t Gonna Wait; The Good Life; Please Call Home; Ain’t Got the Blues; I’ve Got This Song; That’s the Way; Crimson Moon; Sailin’ Shoes; Too High; Seven Spanish Angels; Free On the Wing; Ain’t Much Left of Me; encore: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More.
ONSTAGE
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