Shawn Ryan
Led Zeppelin has been to town a couple of times, did you know? So has Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Queen and the Eagles. This month, Fleetwood Mac will be here twice.
All those bands, and several more, are wrapped up in Black Jacket Symphony, the Birmingham-based outfit that, over the past couple of years, has become one of Chattanooga's most popular bands.
On Friday, April 7, BJS is at the Tivoli Theatre to perform Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" from start to finish - first song on Side One of the LP to the final song on Side Two, in order. They'll come back in the second half to do a batch of Fleetwood Mac hits.
And more importantly, note-for-note.
BJS is not a tribute band. When they perform AC/DC's "Back in Black," no one comes out dressed in schoolboy clothes like guitarist Angus Young. When they do The Beatles' "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul" or "Abbey Road," no one tries to look like John Lennon or Paul McCartney. These are musicians focused on the music, who take the time - a lot of time - to learn it inside and out.
And it's not just guitar, bass, drums and singer. BJS brings in whatever is needed for a particular song. Need a cello? Here's a cello player. Need a guitarist who can play the three-finger intricacies of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again"? Got it.
The band is especially careful when finding singers. Great effort is put into finding someone who sounds like Don Henley of the Eagles or Freddie Mercury of Queen - a quest that took several years, by the way.
The band has performed more than 25 albums, including Elton John's "Madman Across the Water," the Who's "Who's Next," U2's "The Joshua Tree" and David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust."
Full disclosure: I'm a good friend of BJS founder J. Willoughby, who came up with the idea about seven years ago, noticing that classic-rock albums are still being bought and played all over the world, even though the bands themselves may be long gone.
Friendship aside, I know a stellar concert when I hear one. BJS doesn't present some cheesy deal. The light show is professional; the sound is immaculate; the performances spot-on.
If you want to see them, though, move fast. BJS shows sell out quickly. For instance, there are only a few seats left for Friday's show, but they'll return to Chattanooga on April 28 to do "Rumours" again, and tickets are still available.
BJS is a big enough deal in Chattanooga to have landed a headlining spot at Riverbend on June 9. They'll perform Journey's "Escape," then do a second half of Journey hits.
If you want to hear classic-rock songs played the way you've always heard them on your stereo or your radio, go see BJS.
Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com.