Richmond Raceway (Richmond) and AEG Presents announce acclaimed American rock band Blackberry Smoke will bring their “Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock and Roll Music” to Virginia Credit Union LIVE! at Richmond Raceway as part of the Virginia Lottery Concert Series on Tuesday, August 18 at 5:30 p.m. Blackberry Smoke will be joined by special guests The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers, and The Allman Brothers Band’s Jaimoe for the evening’s all-star jam.
Tickets will go on sale to the public online at vaculive.com or in-person at The National Box Office at 708 East Broad Street in Richmond, Va. on Friday, March 6 at 10 a.m. Virginia Credit Union and RICHMOND NATION members will receive an exclusive pre-sale for the Blackberry Smoke concert on Thursday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Commonwealth Mall at Virginia Credit Union LIVE! will feature concessions, displays, and merchandise on the day of the event, with gates opening at 4:00 p.m. The address for Virginia Credit Union LIVE! is 900 E. Laburnum in Richmond, Va. Parking for the event is located in Lot D, at the corner of Laburnum and Carolina Avenues, and can be accessed through Gate 4 on Laburnum Avenue. Parking is $10 cash only for the public and free for Virginia Credit Union members with lots opening at 3:00 p.m.
“Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock and Roll Music” was created to commemorate the various roots and influences within Southern music. The concert will conclude with a unique collaborative finale featuring 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 setup. 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 on-site at the museum and available for meet and greet opportunities. 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.
“We feel privileged to have this opportunity to get out on the road and bring some of these unique items to the fans,” said Richard Brent, Director of The Big House Museum. “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, Georgia, 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.”
“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,” said Charlie Starr, lead singer for Blackberry Smoke. “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 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 here)—which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album Sales chart—and a 6-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions (stream 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 album in 2004, the band has independently released six full-length records and regularly toured building a strong and loyal community of fans. Blackberry Smoke has had two Billboard chart-topping country albums, Holding All The Roses (2015) and Like An Arrow (2016) with the latter also topping Billboard’s Americana/Folk album chart.
In addition to their work as musicians, Blackberry Smoke have raised more than $400,000 to benefit children’s cancer research through a variety of “Brothers and Sisters” events such as the Holiday Homecoming shows, the “Brothers and Sisters Reunion Weekend” in Maryville, Tenn. and the Ride For CURE event hosted by Tom Glavine, which included more than 500 motorcycle riders participating in a ride to raise critical funds for CURE Childhood Cancer. To learn more about Blackberry Smoke, visit blackberrysmoke.com.
The Allman Betts Band was formed by the sons of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts in November 2018. The band consists of Devon Allman on guitar/vocals, Duane Betts on guitar/vocals, Berry Duane Oakley on bass/vocals, Johnny Stachela on guitar/vocals, John Ginty on keyboards, R. Scott Bryan on percussion/vocals, and John Lum on drums.
In 2019, the band released for their debut album, Down to the River, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band. The album was recorded live with classic techniques and vintage gear in an historic Alabama studio. Nine songs were tracked on two-inch analog tape and the album became a Top-10 entry on several rock charts including #1 on iTunes Rock in June 2019. For more information on The Allman Betts Band, visit allmanbettsband.com.
Learn more about The Wild Feathers at thewildfeathers.com and The Allman Brothers Band’s Jaimoe at jaimoe.com.
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