Miller Theater

What a great evening of music and testimony - Natalie and her husband are both outstanding artist and musicians! Great venue and excellent staff!!

She was amazing!!! Very personal and put on a fantastic show!!’ Such a great song writer and artist! Loved getting our picture with her! ❤️

Great venue and great music. Wasn’t sure about Alley Veneble, but she got a standing ovation and can really play guitar. The rest of her band are very talented. The highlight of the night was Kenny Wayne Sheppard and he and Noah were great.

St. Paul & The Broken Bones: 5/23/23 “I put my name in the hat for all the free ticket contests, you can’t win if you don’t play. So far this year has been very advantageous for me, St Paul tickets being my fourth big win. The concert was held at a favorite of mine The Miller in Augusta, my seats —front row center balcony. In full disclosure I had to do some prior-to-show homework on the 8 piece Southern Soul band from Birmingham. Formed in 2012 they’re one of the newest bands I can remember seeing as a headliner in quite a while, the other being Greta Van Fleet. As I worked my way through their 5 albums (with 5 charted singles) it wasn’t difficult to latch onto their soul man style tri-horn and Hammond sound. Salute to some good newer music! Arriving at the venue and just prior to taking my seat up top I flashed my membership fab and headed down the orchestra isle for a close-up of the stage. From L to R the set up was: Hammond organ, guitar, drum kit (with what appeared to be a tabletop fan’s grill design on the drum head), bass, three piece horn section and additional keys. In the background were four upright standing circular lights which had the appearance of the inside of a concave fabric snap or a socket wench piece. Orange amps were stacked on the stage and there were no video screens. The Broken Bones who had just sold out the Peace Center in Greenville on Sunday maintains quite a following and it didn’t take long to fill the venue. At 8:30 p.m. the band (without singer Paul Janeway) took the stage beginning a 1.35 hour / 18 song set with the unrecorded instrumental ‘Chicken Pox’. Upon entering on stage Paul shouted out, ‘How are you doing Augusta GA?’ and burst into the first of a total of five songs from the debut (and best in my estimation) album ‘Half The City’. The Saint himself (so named for his lack of vices) who at one point was a preacher in training, is a dynamic lead singer and without doubt the leader of the band. Working the crowd skillfully, he made his way through selections from each of the albums and landing on ‘Sanctify’ he took to the isles. Literally he walked the isles on both sides of the orchestra while singing, then climbed the stairs up to the balcony. Stopping he mounted the balcony railing just nine seats over from us and sang outward toward the band on the stage below. Why stop there, next we had ‘Band Instrumental Jam I’ featuring solos by Jesse Phillips on bass, Al Gamble on keys, and finally Browan Lollar on guitar. Honing things back in Paul addressed the wound up audience, ‘Calm down, we’re all together tonight, alright?’ He then introduced the first of two songs off the new record ‘City Federal Building’. ‘It’s about my daughter who was at the time in 2020 not born yet so they told me to write a bunch of letters before she’s born and that’s the record that came out a couple weeks ago, so a sentimental record with terrible advise and probably when she’s a teenager she’ll hate it so much.’ It didn’t take all but one song to shift the tempo back up full throttle again with ‘Like A Mighty River’ Paul pulling his bass player across the stage by his guitar cord reeling him in like a fisherman. With a ‘If your gonna groove now’s the time’ he introduced the #31 ‘GotItBad’. Then with a ‘Y’all havin a good time? We’ll it’s about to get better!’ a second instrumental jam commenced, this time featuring the horn section. Chad Fisher performed an amazing three minute solo on trombone. When’s the last time you heard a trombone solo LIVE? Next Amari Ansari on saxophone took to the audience isles to finish it up, his motto, ‘Everything’s a stage if you make it one!’ Allen Branstetter on trumpet held everything together in perfect balance. A rousing rendition of their #3 ‘Apollo’ brought the regular set to a conclusion. A four song encore began off acoustic with another from the new record ‘Lonely Love Song’, Janeway cautioning us, ‘It’s acoustic so if you don’t like it, don’t tell us alright, this song is off the new record, this song is for my little girl’. Everyone liked it. St Paul could do no wrong vocally, his range has been described as impeccable and unmatched from massive high pitched belts to calm quiet whimpers. ‘Broken Bones And Pocket Change’ the first song Janeway and Phillips ever wrote that give the inspiration for the band’s name followed. While singing the song Paul literally crawled the stage losing both shoes in the process. He finally reached the drum riser and stripped off it’s curtain and wore it like a bed sheet. Ending the song there was a round of applause for drummer Kevin Leon, Paul informing us that he had been in the emergency room at 4:30 a.m., ‘We didn’t think we were able to play the show tonight, he has been a champion tonight.’ The evening concluded with their #’6 Call Me’, everyone on their feet. There was an unannounced opener ‘Rich Ruth’ from Nashville [ambient electronic/spiritual jazz]. It was only their second show with St Paul. Rich aka Mike with Charlie, Taylor, and Sam on saxophone performed a 30 minute / 5 song instrumental set. NPR has labeled St Paul as one of the nation’s best live bands, a tight ensemble with a retro-soul sound, balanced drumming, a grooving bass, individual horn solos and a dynamic lead singer. This show was a big win for a music lover such as myself!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #783)

Three Dog Night: 4/30/23 “It wasn’t the the halls of Shambala but Sunday evening did bring me within the walls of the Miller Theater, Augusta GA for my first ever time seeing Three Dog Night. The 1,300 seat venue where every seat in the house is a good one (as well as the sound) proved to be the perfect place to bring joy to you and me, and just about everyone in attendance. On cold nights one can stay warm by sleeping beside their dog, on colder nights with two dogs, and if the night were freezing it was said to be a ‘three dog night’ hence the origin of the band’s name! Since June of 2021 the American Rock Band from LA has been rolling through their hits non-stop all across the U.S., booked solid clear through October of this year. Tonight was no exception, the one caveat being that once the house lights would come back on the band would be off for a whopping eighteen days! Danny Hutton now 80 is presently the only original member as a number have passed on, the most recent being original drummer Floyd Sneed in January of this year. The band however remains musically tight with Dave Morgan’s vocals (formerly of the Association) and Howard Laravea (formerly Frankie Valil) on keys, with Paul Kingery on guitar since 1982. Tim Hutton, Dan’s son carries the beat for the band on the four string. Before settling into my 11th row center orchestra seat (ideal for overall sound and view), I made my way up to the stage for a close up revealing from L to R: bass, drums with Three Dog Night’s logo on the drumhead, acoustic guitars and microphones for the frontmen, keyboards including an old school HAMMOND, electric guitar. No video screens. The view fueled my anticipation for an evening of hits that a portfolio of 11 studio albums with 23 charted singles including 4 #1’s was bound to deliver. At 8:15 p.m. the lights went down and the band took the stage for a one hour and twenty-five minute / 17 song set beginning with 1971’’s #12 ‘The Family Of Man’. The well seasoned full house were treated to a polished, no frills, no bells or whistles, just the music experience. Sixteen of the evening’s seventeen songs were top 40 charted singles. The band glided through the first six songs without a break. Morgan showed visible emotion beating his chest and waving up and down with one hand on 1969’s ‘Easy To Be Hard.’ Finally Danny spoke introducing the next song, and following suit, members addressed each song of the balance of the set. With a German accent he led us into ‘Play Something Sweet’ describing it as the type of song you’d be likely to hear on The Lawrence Welk Show. He described ‘One (Is The Loneliest Number)’ their breakout hit from the eponymous record cut in a mere four days as not their first choice of a single. ‘We are gonna select the first single on the album because we know what’s going on, so we released the first song of the album it’s called ’Nobody’ and nobody did nothing.’ They allowed the record label to chose the next single which was ‘One’ and were shocked when they received calls from Dee Jays all around the country phoning in about the song. ‘One’ peaked at number five. ‘Let Me Serenade You’ was dedicated to all the lovers struggling with inadequacy in expressing their feelings. ‘All you have to do is put on the record and say this is how I feel.’ The 75 year old Morgan who played the entire evening with a broken hip took a seat for ‘Sure As I'm Sittin’ Here.’ ‘There are millions of people all over this world who would trade their pain with mine without a moment’s hesitation.’ ‘Life is short and maybe we better enjoy it while we got it.’ Describing 1971’s ‘Liar’, a song the critics felt had a very angry chorus, Danny stated how the band simply would not be pigeonholed by a certain style or genre. ‘We never thought about being this kind of group, or a rock group, or a progressive group. That was not our thing, we always served the song!’ Pat Bautz did a skillful job with both vocals and drums on the #1 ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. Howard Laravea was a wizard on keys with a definitive progressive edged solo-intro on ‘Eli’s Coming’ (think Moody Blues). The second to last song they described as being special to them as well as a hard song to sing. It was a new song ‘Children Of The World’ from a brand new full release coming out later this year. ‘We are gonna do one new song— don’t go to the bathroom.’ All six members took to the mic harmonizing the entire song a capella. Their Beach Boys styled vocals were so tight that one could have sworn they were singing to a recording. It was actually no wonder as Hutton in the early years prior to Three Dog had worked and recorded with Brian Wilson himself. Rounding out the evening was none other than their huge number one ‘Joy To The World’. Yes, Jeremiah was a bullfrog and still is! The evening had an unannounced opener Jay Psaros, an independent musician from Boston accustomed to playing her small bars, clubs, pubs and restaurants. Three Dog Night called him back in 2021 and brought him on the road for sixty dates and he’s been with them ever since. In his own words, ‘You don’t say “let me think about this” when you get a call like that. You just say yes.’ Commenting on the Georgia crowd, ‘It’s that southern hospitality that’s making me feel so good today’, his 30 minute / 7 song set was well received. A highlight of the evening for me was scoring a Paul Kingery guitar pick from the stage. TDN made their official debut back in 1968 at the Whisky a Go Go and they’ve been a go-going with numerous change in personnel ever since, a true American classic and one not to be missed in a town nearest you!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #776).

You asked, so I will answer. Three Dog Night was great. They played their best known songs and played fresh versions of them. I was on my feet for Joy To The World. On the other hand, i'm trying to remember if I've ever been to a gig where there was no encore. I thought it was a lack of class there was no comment about an original member of the band, Floyd Sneed, who passed away a few months ago. The one thing about TDN has always annoyed me is that the instrumentalists are treated like secondary support people at an Elvis gig and not the integral part of the band they are. But to the critics who call them a pop band, I disagree and argue they are soul rockers, they fuse the soul of The Temptations with the rock of Steppenwolf.

My first Will Downing concert and it hopefully won’t be my last. Great performances all around! Thank you Will for stopping in Augusta.

We would to see them come back along with the Coasters. We really enjoyed their shows.

Jeremy Camp has an amazing show. Love his songs. Love the way he interacts with the audience. Venue was great. Everyone was very nice. Would love to see Jeremy Camp again.

The band was great! The venue was very nice, felt like I was In Nashville watching them at the Ryman again but the venue pushed the alcohol just a little too much.

The SteelDrivers: 8/11/22 “Driving to my favorite all-around music venue Miller Theater in Augusta GA, being a bluegrass novice I anticipated a rather challenging concert rundown to ensue. I resolved in mind that I would keep it simple at best. With Member COMP tix’s in hand I made my way to row 10 center orchestra for what would turn out to be a unique event of sorts. After all, the band from Nashville which had originally featured Chris Stapleton as lead singer could not be too shabby for all practical purposes. Gary my usher had informed me that the crowd would be rather small with about 400 of the 1,300 tickets sold. By showtime more ‘Steelheads’ showed up giving the stage level seating a healthy appearance. The stage featured 5 bar stools and L to R banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, and guitar each mic’ed, and monitored individually. The backdrop featured the ‘Bad For You’ album logo, a blue heart with a spike through it with wording in gold banners. The band had Facebook Lived the previous evening from the Grand Ole Opry mentioning the Georgia show, ‘Were gonna be doggin’ it since we’re doing the Opry tonight.’ Doggin was anything but, SD delivering an energetic 20 song set tellin’ stories and trading licks. With Stapleton long gone founding member Tammy Rogers (fiddle) was clearly in charge. ‘You’re not gonna hear ‘Wagon Wheel’, ‘Rocky Top’ or ‘Freebird’, Rogers commented, one fan calling out to play Freebird from Orchestra Left. ‘We love to hear you sing as long as it’s the same song we’re playing!’ Matt Dame on vocals replacing Kevin Damrell just one year ago showed out with strong and confident vocals. I had not been aware of the change but knew the vocals did not match the recent albums, and when I closed my eyes ‘in the style of Travis Tritt’ was what I heard! The Driver’s clearly know how to have fun on stage. The band never sat on the barstools which doubled for bar tables all evening long: Tammy drinking wine in a glass, Michael on bass with a longneck, the other three with red solo cups. There were bottled waters provided on stage that were never opened. Their roadie never swapped out a simple instrument, he simply walked out between songs and replenished the drinks. The harmonies during ‘Midnight Tears’ and ‘Peacemaker’ were an absolute audio pleasure. There was self-described ‘cajun-grass’ rendition of ‘Glad I’m Gone’ bringing out smiles from both the performers and audience members. A surprise of the evening was the opener, ‘Granville Automatic’ branded as country but with a definite lean toward Americana. Vocals, guitar and tambourine were all the Nashville duo of Vanessa and Elizabeth needed to win over the audience. Granville who have written songs for both Billy Currington and Sugarland (clearly intelligent lyricists) featured all their own songs, a number on the subject matter of Nashville’s lost history. A highlight of the evening was meeting the band afterward and chatting about Vanessa’s recent trip to Paris and their upcoming performance in Walhalla!” by DAve (Concert #685)

“The vibe was majorly sentimental and reflective Wednesday evening in Augusta GA, the birth town of Amy Lee Grant. I say majorly because there were those upbeat and danceable songs such as ‘Angels’ and ‘Wise Up’, and you could tell when one was about to go down watching Amy kick off her shoes, one of the advantages of having a front row center seat. Two years out from emergency heart surgery and the 61 year old singer both looked and sounded great! Amy made her way onto a rather simple stage set a front a majestic set of baroque style bronze curtains, a perfect backdrop for the occasion. ‘I took my first breath in Augusta Georgia’ Grant shared with us (who she would later refer to as a ‘small but mighty’ crowd). A solitary loud and rather hearty ‘Welcome Home’ answered back, and in reply, a ‘Thank you my brother!’ What ensued next was a 2 hour and 15 minute (minus a very brief intermission) 24 song set list. I hadn’t seen Amy LIVE since 1985, so I knew the set could be slightly different 37 years later, and it sure was. The set revolved around the 30th anniversary of her ‘Heart In Motion’ album, with a big 7 song selection’s worth. There were no songs from her first three releases which was a bit disappointing to me as I consider myself an all through the years type of fan owning all of her releases. Early in, there was a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in Uvalde prior to ‘Find A Way’ (lyrics: I could stand here an angry young woman taking all the pain to heart but I know that love can bring changes and so we've got to move on), Amy was noticeably emotional. In that moment there was not a sound, a cough, a foot shuffle, nothing for an entire minute long, something to experience in such a large crowd. Mid-show there was an incredible rendering of a rather obscure album cut, ‘Ask Me’, a sexual abuse survivors story written concerning one if not two of Amy’s friends. Amy backlit turning her face to the rear of the stage and looking up into the spotlight held her hand up toward God, ‘Ask me if I think there's a God up in the heaven where did He go in the middle of her shame?’ So powerful! ‘Baby Baby’ got the crowd off their feet, two amazing female back up singers and Gene Miller (guitarist) on background vocals helped make the sound a perfect match to the album version. Amy gave credit where credit was do, ‘each year the songs seem to get faster and the pitch higher’. A highlight of the evening was a solo performance of ‘El Shaddai’, just Amy and guitar. When I closed my eyes, I could easily place myself seated in the middle of her living room. The same was true for a spontaneous acoustic addition to the setlist, ‘Somewhere Down The Road’. By the end of the set Amy had obviously become both touched and energized by the evening’s performance leaving the stage with a fist pump, high fives with the band, and a hearty, ‘Thank you for this magical night in my hometown’ to her faithful fans!” by DAve (Concert #655)

“The house was full come Saturday night in Augusta GA with the most diverse audience I can remember seeing at a show. Jazz Education 101 was in session, Professor G in charge. I admittedly came with low anticipation expecting a mediocre event i.e. a 2 hour ‘Songbird’, but soon came to realize that, ‘Augusta this isn’t your Grandma’s Kenny G! We were last row center orchestra on the isle and I heard what appeared to be a youth practicing his horn, I quickly turned around and it was Kenny a few feet away warming up prior to making a rather unusual grand entrance from back to front. He had with him his same saxophone from high school, Kenny commenting how it was his longest relationship ever. I repented then and there! When I noticed the merch table selling solo artist CD’s from the band members, it should have been a clear indication that they are not your ordinary hired hands. Between hits, each one of the 5 member band were featured. The latin percussion heavy and complex, at one point closing my eyes I swore I was smack in the middle of a 1970’s Santana concert, then Kenny turned his soprano sax into the sounds of an electric guitar and I could hear Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’! Next percussionist Ron Powell did the unthinkable, a tambourine solo. Standing front and center he did things I never knew were possible on the instrument from kicking it up off the floor into the air and rolling it over his shoulders from one hand to the other and back again leading the audience in a clap along. There was a slap bass solo from Daniel Johnson bringing everyone out of their seats, Kenny introducing him as ‘The funkiest white bass player in America’. Kenny has endured some criticism from some of the traditional jazzists, but he gave all credit to the greats to whom it was due. The theater was transformed into a Jazz Club and we moved song to song from the 50’s into the 70’s improving Stan Getz ‘Desafindo’, to John Coltrane’s ’Naima’, to Average White Band’s ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. Kenny was both humorous and personable and announced that he would appear in the lobby to sign LP’s and CD’s. My highlight, ‘Kenny this was my 653rd concert and first time seeing a Kenny G show, thank you for making it such a great experience!’ Wow, you DO go to a lot of concerts!”, then he shot me the ‘peace sign’ signing my CD, capital ‘DA’ small ‘ve’ without me coaching him on it. How’d he know? If you get the chance to see Kenny LIVE, I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.” by DAve (Concert #653)

“One has to know that it’s not going to be your average run-of-the mill rock concert when the stage set has not one but three dulcimers, a grand piano, electric stand up bass, and an accordion! I watched from the front row fans come up and put folded scraps of paper a top the stage. Come to find the song titles scribbled on those papers plus anything else that came into Bruce Hornsby’s head would make up the evening’s set list. The improv made for a special night of music including a few old school faves with a Caribbean version of ‘The Way It Is’! The band members watched Bruce in earnest with smiles on face because you never knew what he was going to do next. Gibb Droll guitarist of The Noisemakers did a phenomenal job opening solo for Bruce with a five song set. Welcome to Augusta Noisemakers, now who are The Range?!” DAve

It was a great concert. The band seemed to be having a really great time playing together. All of the special guests were superb. I always try to see Chris Botti when he comes to Atlanta. Even though I had just seen him in November with the Atlanta Symphony, I made the drive to Augusta to see him again with just the band. I loved it and was so happy to see him come back down in the audience and play "My Funny Valentine!"

Front row center seat immediately in front of Jude Gold. Sound was so much better than November at the ball field in Greenville, SC. Highlights included calling out the encore request response to Cathy and them actually playing it, “Fast Buck Freddie” which was not on the setlist (which I could see on the stage). Watching Cathy throw down her cowbell seemingly in disgust at the end of “Jane”, and talking with their tech Todd Mills (who gave me a 3 pick set) after the show!

Solid rock show, no frills, great playing! I was able to secure row and center seats which landed me some guitar picks and a candid photo with Jerry Riggs. The atmosphere was great, sound was good, and a choice selection for the setlist made for a great evening!

My 4th time seeing Diamond Rio andI I just had to be front row and center this time. The sound, light and stage set up was right on the money! I got my money’s worth seeing Jimmy up close and personal on his Taxicaster solo. I would have paid more and given my memory 5 stars had they extended the performance just to have seen a couple of the medley songs in their entirety. Memorable moment, when Marty called me out from the stage to turn around and show the audience my Diamond Rio shirt!

Best Christmas concert ever-no one wanted it to end, including Chris who shook hands and posed in selfies from the stage at the end. Fabulous musicians and arrangements-blessed to have been at the first stop on the tour.

To be in the presence of a music legend and my very fave performer was fantastic! Thank you Augusta and the Miller Theater for bringing Kris Kristofferson!