Blackberry Smoke's return to Paris takes place under difficult circumstances. Drummer Brit Turner, currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer, is forced to sit out the performance after falling ill at the previous show. Fortunately, the band arrives prepared and Kent Aberle steps in behind the kit, allowing the tour to continue and the Bataclan date to go ahead as planned.
Any concerns about the disruption quickly fade once the music begins. Blackberry Smoke has spent more than two decades refining a sound that draws equally from Southern rock, country, soul, blues and classic American rock and roll. The ingredients are familiar enough: multiple guitars, rich vocal harmonies, deep grooves and the occasional extended instrumental passage. What separates the band from countless revivalists is the quality of the songs themselves.
The set moves comfortably between established favourites, newer material and deeper catalogue selections without any noticeable drop in momentum. Songs from You Hear Georgia sit naturally alongside older compositions, illustrating just how consistently the band has built its repertoire over the years. There is a confidence to the performance that only comes from a group that knows exactly what it is and has spent years honing its craft.
Perhaps the most striking realization comes from hearing so many of those songs gathered together in one evening. Blackberry Smoke has now been active for more than twenty years. Not so long ago, they were frequently discussed as one of the bands carrying the torch for classic rock traditions. Standing in the Bataclan tonight, listening to the audience respond to song after song, that conversation feels increasingly outdated. They are no longer the future of classic rock, they are part of its present tense.
SETLIST:
