Article Contributed by Backstage Flash
Published on 2026-06-18
Charlie Starr | Blackberry Smoke | June 17th, 2026 - photos by Backstage Flash
Blackberry Smoke’s Rattle, Ramble & Roll Tour steamrolled through Cheyenne, Wyoming, last night. The band is celebrating twenty-five years together as a premier rock and roll outfit. Formed in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia, the band has consistently worked hard both in the studio and on the road. They are warriors of mile markers, motels, and modern-day musical magic. The band has a unique way of blending southern rock, country rock, blues, and jam music all into one mind-bending package of soul-scorching sweetness.
The band's diverse and eclectic musical styles have landed them on charts that span those same styles. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and dozens of singles during their musical adventures. They have topped the U.S. Billboard country music charts and the Billboard 200, with their album The Whippoorwill hitting the Top 40. The band’s fifth album, titled Like an Arrow and featuring Gregg Allman, hit number one on the U.S. Billboard country and Americana/Folk charts, as well as the UK Rock and Independent Albums charts, during release week. Just to give you a bit of the band's recording background and accomplishments that have established them as one of the most successful recording bands in modern history.
The band's true colors appear in full force every time they hit the stage. The band's southern influences run deep, and they hold them near and dear within their hearts and firmly in their back pockets at easy reach. Bands like The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, and The Marshall Tucker Band have inspired them to take all they have learned and run wild with it. Blackberry Smoke’s guitar army of hard-driving rhythms and chunky guitar tones would make Keith Richards blush with joy and respect.
Last night in Cheyenne, when the band took over the historic theatre, they owned it for the next two hours. They played fan favorites from many different eras of their musical career, as well as newer material. The band's current release, Rattle, Ramble and Roll, is a triple album and the band's first-ever studio best-of release. It was included at the merchandise booth last night with a bunch of other very cool band gear. Check their website for more: https://www.blackberrysmoke.com/products/rattle-ramble-and-roll-lp-triple-vinyl
Charlie Starr, at the wheel of the musical ship on guitar and lead vocals, looked really happy. He is soft-spoken and laid-back until he puts a guitar around his neck, then look the heck out! It’s almost like Clark Kent stepping into a phone booth and coming out with a six-string and a story to tell. I swear he turns into a superhero of hard-rocking southern swagger coupled with fierce guitar skills and melodic moods. His guitar tone was thick and chunky while strumming and searingly smooth and precise during his well-crafted solos. Paul Jackson and Benji Shanks, also on guitars, created a wall of sound and a tapestry of melodic moods and tempos. The three-guitar army filled the room with hard-driving, soulful guitar arrangements that had boots stomping and butts shaking.
The rhythm section provided by Richard Turner on bass guitar and Kent Aberle on drums was nothing short of a freight train running through the room with no brakes. Thick bass grooves shook the audience's core, and the powerful percussive assault on a perfectly good drum set was off-the-hook, bone-rattling. They built such a strong foundation for the guitars to lay on top of. It really felt like so many layers perfectly placed in and around each other, creating a cohesive coexistence on stage. Brandon Still on piano was playing such tasteful, cascading melodies and big, bold, sustaining notes on the organ. I had to look twice to make sure he wasn’t standing on his Hammond B3. The sounds emanating from the keyboard area of the stage were rich and warm, filling the theatre with rocking fullness.
After twenty-five years, the band shows all the signs of another twenty-five yet to come. That is exciting to think about. I told someone I was photographing this show recently, and he said to me, “Oh my God, I love that band. They are a no-BS rock band that is not trying to reinvent the musical wheel. They are simply spinning it harder and faster than it’s gone before.” I have found, by talking to the band's fans, that this is the general consensus. Pure rock, raw energy, and family vibes are the catalyst for Blackberry Smoke, and man, we are grateful for them.
Duane Betts & Johnny Stachela opened the show last night. Betts, the son of the late Dickey Betts, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, has certainly taken his life experiences, knowledge, and musical passion to staggering personal and introspective levels with his newest album, titled Isle of Hope. This album, released on Sun Records, is only six days old, but its soul runs deep into the past. Betts is confronting the realities of life’s highs and lows on this record, not only by implementing the deepest transformative periods of his life, but also by stretching his musical creativity along with it. When you listen to the record, you hear many different instruments that have been assembled into a diverse and also transformative structure. The production qualities caressed into every groove by master producer Dave Cobb are extraordinary. Betts lost his most precious friend and mentor in Dickey, but he learned so much from him along the way that it all seems to have powerful purpose and peaceful reflection. It's all on this album, and man, it’s beautiful.
Betts and Stachela, armed with acoustic guitars, played a stripped-down show that was pure and rich with raw emotional energy. Both of their guitar skills were front and center in this stripped-back format. There is something about two guitar players weaving their rhythms and solos together. They each took turns playing the core chord progressions while the other overlaid solos or melodic fills over the top. The precise melodies wove through the room with crystal-clear clarity and soothing tone. They played songs from the new Duane Betts album, as well as a few familiar tunes, including the signature Allman Brothers Band tune “Blue Sky,” written by Dickey Betts. The crowd loved hearing the two-acoustic-guitar version of the classic song. They also covered Neil Young’s classic hit “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.” The forty-five-minute set was full of guitar harmonizing, improvisational freedom, and lots of heart.
The Lincoln, now in its sixth year in business as a premier live music venue operating in downtown Cheyenne, is doing an amazing job bringing great shows to the historic theatre. The richness and warmth of the nearly 100-year-old space were very inviting and comfortable. There was standing room in front of the stage and an expansive upper balcony with comfortable seats if you wanted a place to sit and relax. The production staff was super professional in creating a wonderful live music experience. The sound system and lighting were extraordinary, bringing the majestic room to life as a modern-day musical destination. Thanks to The Lincoln for hosting these amazing acts in southern Wyoming, and thanks for creating a cool space to rock. Thanks to all the bands and their crews, and special thanks to the audience for coming out and rocking!
