great, the seating was nice and the crowd had an energy that lead me to know that this night would be very special. Natchez, Mississippi's own Bishop Gunn


open the show and Travis McCready had the crowd eating out of his hand. This was a seated venue, so I wondered how long it would be be- fore people were up and dancing. It lasted about two songs and the bishop Gunn faithful were up, dancing and singing along. What struck me is that as much energy as the crowd gave the band. they gave it right back. This band is solid from top to bottom. and the gui- tar work of Drew Smithers is outstanding. He finger picks a lot and the tone he gets is magi- cal. There is a reason why this band was picked to open for the Rolling Stones. The band con- sists of Travis McCready on vocals, harmonica and guitar; Drew Smithers on guitar; Burne Sharp on drums; and Ben Lewis on bass. Be sure to catch a show and check them out at bishopgunn.com or on any of the social media platforms. After a quick stage change ( its amazing


how quickly those hard working heroes get the


job done) Blackberry Smoke hit the stage. I said hit, and I mean hit it in a full run with one of their classic songs, “Shake your Magnoila.” The crowd jumped to their feet, and except for a few times, very few people saw their seats for the rest of the night. It was like magic, and every musician on stage was on fire. This is where I knew I would struggle with this review, because for you the reader, my words can’t begin to describe what took place. I just can’t find the words to convey the magic that hap- pens when every person in a band is having their best night, everything they try works, and it all comes together to make magic for those in attendance- but that's what was happening, and I was just in awe. The set was a great mix of songs from their entire catalog. At one point Charlie Starr payed homage to one of his he- roes and mine, Ronnie Van Zant of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, and promised they would not leave without covering one of the bands songs. Over my 60+ Smoke shows, I have heard them do a few Skynyrd songs, but tonight they broke out one I had never heard them do before- "Don't Ask me no Questions." To say this was a highlight is an understatement and the crowd responded by singing along with the song of their hero, and again answered the most fa- mous question ever asked in rock N roll "If I leave here tomorrow will you still remember me." That is the question Ronnie would ask during the bands most famous song, and on this night in Jacksonville, Florida the question was surely answered with a resounding “we will never forget!” They also did a piece of "Mississippi Kid" during one of the others songs. At one point during the show I looked over at my wife who is also a veteran of count- less show and the look of pure joy on her face let me know that it was not just me that was ex- periencing a once in a life time show. She was right there with me, and we looked at each other in pure astonishment over what we were experiencing. Another highlight happened during


band introductions, Charlie would play a snip- pet of a song after each introduction and at some point, he broke into "I'm Eighteen" by


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