What better way to say goodbye to summer than with a concert by the river? Charley Crockett helped us wave farewell when he brought his “Age of the Ram” tour to Live Oak Bank Pavilion in Wilmington, NC on Monday night. In just over ten years, Charley has released a staggering 17 studio albums, and the audience was lucky enough to hear a little bit from nearly every one of them. From the first notes of “Crazy Woman Ridge”, a song off the tour’s namesake Age of the Ram album, the crowd was on its feet.
Throughout the next several hours there were songs from his early days all the way up to his 2026 surprise release Clovis. A few covers were peppered in as well, including Tanya Tucker’s “The Jamestown Ferry”. There were a couple solo acoustic tunes during his set, but for the most part, Charley was backed by an incredible band that appeared to thoroughly enjoy jamming together throughout the night. Charley is no stranger to the area, having played a couple years ago at nearby Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, and back in his earlier days opening for JD McPherson at Brooklyn Arts Center. With each show, a friend seems to tell a friend, and the venues gradually get larger and larger. Live Oak’s wide-opkentucky too long, en presence on a smaller footprint gave the audience the feeling of an intimate show while set outside in the open air.
Warming the crowd up for the night was opener Durand Jones and The Indications. Though it might seem unconventional for an R&B group to open for a country artist, these two blended together in all the best ways. Charley has a soulful, folk presence in so much of his music. For example, “Kentucky Too Long” off the aforementioned Age of the Ram, is reminiscent of a Bill Withers tune, and that soulful vibe ebbs and flows its way through his music. Durand Jones takes that same sound and blends it into a jazzier vibe, at times making you feel like you’re in a small supper club, rather than in Wilmington’s downtown. The crowd danced along, swaying to sounds of the bass, the saxophone, the trumpet, and a soulful mesh of nostalgia.
A handful of dates remain on the Age of the Ram tour with a chance to catch both Charley Crockett & Durand Jones and The Indications. North Carolina certainly hopes to see both of them back here very soon!
Review & photos by I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Music Journalist K.T. Lafferty
Charley Crockett
Durand Jones and The Indications
