A fall night in West Virginia just feels right for Southern rock, when it’s cool enough for denim jackets and warm enough for cold beer.
The Hollywood Casino Events Center in Charles Town, West Virginia, isn’t exactly a honky-tonk, but Blackberry Smoke made it feel like one on Saturday night and the crowd, half small-town locals, half die-hard travelers in vintage tour shirts, buzzed with slow-building anticipation. But before Blackberry Smoke came out swinging, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band lit the fuse.
If there’s a better way to start a Southern rock show than with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, I haven’t seen it. At Hollywood Casino on Oct. 11, they rolled out like a Delta freight train, all stomp and slide and gospel grit. Reverend Peyton himself, bearded, broad-shouldered, and grinning like a man who’s been up all night pickin’, throttled that guitar until it sounded like a Harley engine growling through a storm.
They’re technically a trio, but you’d swear there were six people up there. Breezy Peyton on washboard and backing vocals adds both fire and mischief, scraping metal like she’s trying to spark a bonfire and drummer Jacob Powell, pounding the kit, kept it raw and thumping like a back porch jam gone rogue.
They played a lean, raucous set with Peyton’s slide runs slicing through the air like lightning bolts. By the time they closed with “Pot Roast and Kisses,” people were grinning like they’d just come back from a family reunion that got a little out of hand.
And that was the trick, they made a casino ballroom feel like a backwoods revival tent. When Blackberry Smoke took the stage, they didn’t make a big entrance. They don’t need to. The lights dimmed, the band strolled out with quiet confidence, and then bang “All Over the Road” hit like a bottle breaking against a brick wall. You could feel the crowd tighten up in the best way, like a coiled spring.
Charlie Starr was dressed in his usual low-key blend of outlaw cool; long hair, denim and boots that have seen some miles and he stepped to the mic, cracked that sly half-smile, and led the band straight into “Hammer and the Nail.” It’s the kind of song that’s built for live rooms, all groove and grit, and watching Brandon Still on keys lock in with Kent Aberle’s drums was pure satisfaction.
Watch the official music video for “Hammer and the Nail” by Blackberry Smoke on YouTube:
Blackberry Smoke moved right through “Six Ways to Sunday” and “Good One Comin’ On” without a pause, the crowd singing along like they were at church. Blackberry Smoke’s magic has always been that balance between precision and looseness, they play tight as a vise, but it feels effortless and that feeling never lets go.
“Hey Delilah” rolled in next, that slow Southern sway that sounds like it was written on a porch swing at sunset. The lights dipped to gold, and you could almost see the Appalachian haze hanging in the air. Charlie’s voice, part honey, part rust carried that ache that good Southern rock always has.
“Let It Burn” and “Believe You Me” kept that slow build going, both drawn from their newer material but delivered with the soul of old friends. Paul Jackson and Benji Shanks wove twin guitars like muscle and melody, trading licks that hit somewhere between Allman Brothers’ grace and Skynyrd’s swagger.
By the time “Pretty Little Lie” and “Waiting for the Thunder” rolled out, the band was deep in the pocket, and the crowd was right there with them. Those songs hit with the weight of Southern poetry: heartbreak, grit, and the stubborn refusal to give up your own damn soul.
Halfway through, they slowed it down for “Sleeping Dogs,” stretching it into a near-jam session with Brandon Still letting the Hammond B3 moan like an old ghost. Then, as if to remind everyone they weren’t a nostalgia act, they snapped right into “Azalea” and then Bad Company’s “Run with the Pack.”
Watch the official music video for Bad Company’s “Run with the Pack” by Blackberry Smoke featuring Paul Rodgers and Brann Dailor on YouTube:
That’s one of the most underrated things about Blackberry Smoke, they never sound like they’re stuck in any one decade. Sure, their roots are showing, but they’ve got their own branches too. They’re not just echoing Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Black Crowes, they’re carrying the torch and setting their own fires with it.
When they hit “Ain’t Got The Blues,” the whole place sang it back like a shared memory. You could hear the West Virginia drawls mixing with Southern twang and even a few Midwestern vowels. It’s that kind of music; borderless, honest, lived-in.
There are songs that you hear on record, and then there are songs that only fully exist live. “One Horse Town” is one of those. When Charlie started that opening line, “In the tiny town where I come from…”, a hush fell over the crowd. You could see people nodding, mouthing along, maybe thinking about the towns they left behind.
It’s funny how universal that song is. Doesn’t matter if you’re from Alabama or Pennsylvania, everybody’s got a “one horse town” somewhere in their story. The way Charlie and Richard Turner’s bass lines intertwine on that song, it feels like home and escape all at once. Then came “Run Away From It All,” an anthem for anyone who’s ever needed to throw the truck in gear and not look back. It hit that perfect spot between freedom and regret, the kind of song that belongs on a late-night drive down I-81 with the windows down and no destination in mind.
After a short break, they returned for a two-song encore that just plain rocked. First up was “Dancing Days,” their faithful and heartfelt tribute to Led Zeppelin. It wasn’t about outplaying the masters, it was about paying respect and they nailed it. The crowd sang every word, and Charlie’s tone was warm, reverent, and just a little dangerous.
Then came the closer “Ain’t Much Left of Me.” If you’ve seen Blackberry Smoke live, you know that’s the exclamation mark. It’s a song about survival, about making it through the bad years without losing your spirit. The guitars howled, the drums hit hard and the audience turned into a single roar.
Watch Blackberry Smoke perform “Ain’t Much Left of Me” live from Southern Ground Studios on YouTube:
You know what sets Blackberry Smoke apart? It’s that they make you believe in the road again. Not just the literal one, though that’s there too, but the long, tired, beautiful road that connects towns like Charles Town to Macon to Nashville. Their music isn’t polished for playlists; it’s lived-in, scarred, and full of stories that still matter.
And Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band primed the engine. Together, it was the kind of night that reminded you why live music still matters, even in an age where everything’s streaming, buffering, and disposable.
If you were there, you probably felt it too, that mix of sweat, guitars, and good old-fashioned joy that lingers long after the amps cool off. And if you weren’t, well, there’s always next time. Everyone knows that Blackberry Smoke don’t just play shows, they throw revivals and on Saturday night in Charles Town, West Virginia, business was damn good.
Setlist
1. All Over the Road
2. Hammer and the Nail
3. Six Ways to Sunday
4. Good One Comin’ On
5. Hey Delilah
6. Let It Burn
7. Believe You Me
8. Pretty Little Lie
9. Waiting for the Thunder
10. Sleeping Dogs
11. Azalea
12. Run With The Pack (Bad Company cover)
13. Ain’t Got The Blues
14. One Horse Town
15. Run Away From It All
Encore:
16. Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin cover)
17. Ain’t Much Left of Me
Here are some photos of Blackberry Smoke performing live at Hollywood Casino on Oct. 11, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band opening Blackberry Smoke at Hollywood Casino on Oct. 11, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
