It was the “new” BR549 that played the Birchmere Thursday night, but an old strategy ---a crackling blend of honky-tonk, hillbilly swing and rock and roll energy---that enabled them to prove they remain one of most entertaining live acts going. Original members Gary Bennett (guitar/vocals) and Smilin’ Jay McDowell (stand-up bass) left the band earlier this year, but singer-guitarist Chuck Mead, drummer Shaw Wilson and versatile instrumentalist Don Herron have carried on, filling out the quintet with guitarist Chris Scruggs and bassist Geoff Firebaugh. Longtime fans have been shaken by the personnel changes, (which may have accounted for the smaller-than-usual turnout for the perennial Birchmere faves) but the familiar BR549 spirit was clearly palpable.
Whether he was putting a filthy twist on “Charming Betsy”, tearing through Charlie Daniels’ “Uneasy Rider”, belting out originals like “Bettie Bettie” and “Chains of This Town” or introducing the decidedly goofy-looking Scruggs as “the Jedi-Knight of Hillbilly”, Mead was as enjoyable as ever, perhaps now feeling secure as the band’s unquestioned leader. For his part, Scruggs proved a player and singer of very high ability, showing real honky tonk chops as he cut loose on nuggets like Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Shotgun Boogie” and Onie Wheeler’s deliciously weird “Onie’s Bop”.
While the group played 29 songs, they hardly looked like they’d broken a sweat, and this revamped lineup sounded like they could match the length of the four-hour marathons that made the original lineup legends at Robert’s Western Wear Nashville’s lower Broadway. More importantly, Thursday’s show seemed a strong indicator that the BR549 story is far from over.
Washington Post, 2002
