Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears played last Wednesday (10/15/2025) at The State Room. To jog your collective memories, it was a very cold and rainy Wednesday. Lewis and the rest of the band had far less to say than they had to play, thundering through their catalog as hard and loud and fast as the band felt we could handle. Sometimes that meant unleashing an extra-long caterwaul of a scream in the middle of “I’m Broke,” it felt personal. Sometimes it meant giving his fingers a rest and creating guitar licks using his actual tongue.
Photos by Paul Montano | @montanophoto
Having seen the band a few times (and in a few states), and largely to sold-out, jam-packed venues, the thought kept surfacing last week that the band somehow deserved a better reception than they got. It didn’t feel like enough. Those that did turn up were a happy lot—myself included, sharing one long uninterrupted smile, start to finish—and Lewis’ band still gave us an electric performance, but the crowd could’ve been bigger…maybe? Something. Again, it was a wet Wednesday. And temperature dips scare folks away sometimes.
It did make it real easy to amble up close to the stage and witness how fast Lewis is on his guitar. And how damn good he is at playing, too. He thundered through all of the favorites, including “Sugarfoot,” “Bitch I Love You,” and “Booty City,” and plenty of others. It was urgently performed. We tried matching the energy Lewis and his Honeybears provided. We failed, I think, but there were attempts. Lots.
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