Photos by Merideth C. & Review by Dave G.
A lot of rock bands have a gimmick to help them be more easily remembered. It can be masks, outrageous clothes, wild personalities, or any number of things. For Kentucky based American hard rock band Black Stone Cherry, gimmicks are the furthest things from their mind. What Black Stone Cherry cares about is rock and roll. There is a level of authenticity that many rock bands simply don’t have. It was obvious from the first notes that these guys care about the music, the fans, and nothing else.
As the opening act for Chickenfoot, it was crucial that Black Stone Cherry brought an enormous amount of energy to a crowd that would be expecting it at a Chickenfoot show. Black Stone Cherry did not disappoint. Coming off of a recent sold-out tour headlining in the UK, the band was certainly prepared to give the crowd a great show. Guitarist Ben Wells and bass guitarist Jon Lawhon constantly changed sides on the stage while kicking and head banging. Drummer John Fred Young beat the skins with a fury while his wild, lion-like mane flew in every direction. Lead singer/lead guitarist Chris Robertson’s smooth, soulful southern voice carried the band through hard driving songs like set opener “Maybe Someday” and “White Trash Millionare,” from their latest album “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” On slower songs like the heartfelt “In My Blood,” Robertson’s vocal range had the crowd enthralled.
I’m really disappointed that I hadn’t heard Black Stone Cherry before this show. I have a lot of catching up to do with this band. Their 9-song set could have easily contained another 5-6 songs and I certainly wouldn’t have complained. Black Stone Cherry really has what it takes to be a hugely successful and popular hard rock band. I am going to be keeping a close eye on them and will definitely not miss them when they make their way back to Detroit, likely as a headliner.
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Set List
Download songs from this set list by clicking the iTunes icon!
- Maybe Someday
- Blind Man
- In My Blood
- Rain Wizard
- Like I Roll
- White Trash Millionaire
- Hoochie Coochie Man (Muddy Waters cover)
- Blame It On The Boom-Boom
- Lonely Train
Find out more about Black Stone Cherry
- blackstonecherry.com
- Buy merch from Black Stone Cherry's online store
- Twitter: @blkstonecherry
- Black Stone Cherry on iTunes:
