Omaha World-Herald, 15 September 2005
By Niz Proskocil
At his home in Savannah, Ga., Gregg Allman kicks back in a chair with his dog on his lap.
The 57-year-old rocker is catching up on some rest and relaxation before hitting the road for some rock ‘n’ roll.
“I’ve worked my tail off,” Allman said in his weathered Southern drawl.
He and the rest of the Allman Brothers Band have been on the road for most of the year. A final leg of touring brings the group to the Mid-America Center for a concert Saturday night.
In addition to Allman (vocals and organ), the lineup includes Butch Trucks (drums and timpani), Jaimoe (drums), Warren Haynes (vocals, lead and slide guitar), Derek Trucks (lead and slide guitar), Oteil Burbridge (bass) and Marc Quinones (percussion and vocals). Founding member Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971. Longtime guitarist Dickey Betts left the group in 2000.
The concert’s set list will dig all the way back to the Allman Brothers Band’s self-titled debut album from 1969. The Southern rock group has plenty of hits, now staples of classicrock radio. Who doesn’t know “Ramblin’ Man,” “Melissa” and “Midnight Rider”?
Fans can expect to hear material from the band’s 2003 release, “Hittin’ the Note,” the group’s first studio album in nine years.
Allman said the response from fans has been fantastic.
“We’ve had sellout crowds. We’ve been very fortunate. We just love them all,” he said of fans. “They inspire you.”
Allman has been called one of the greatest white blues singers ever. He also had a successful solo career with the Gregg Allman Band, which had a big hit in 1986 with “I’m No Angel.”
Opening the show will be all-female rock quintet Antigone Rising, touring in support of its debut album, “From the Ground Up.” The album was released to Starbucks exclusively earlier this year and has sold nearly 100,000 copies.
On Tuesday, the album was released to retailers nationwide on major label Lava Records.
In a phone interview from a tour stop in Cleveland, lead guitarist Cathy Henderson said the New York band’s music is a mix of Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“Our live show is definitely a rock show. It’s an electric show,” Henderson said. “It’s very melodic, lots of harmonies and very layered, just like us. It’s going to be so much fun. This is what we’ve been working toward.”
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