I wonder if it will sound any different than the 4 CD Instant Live that's been available for years...
I wonder if it will sound any different than the 4 CD Instant Live that's been available for years...
Probably not much. Seems like a good way to celebrate the 10th anniversary by repackaging the show for a new generation.
It's a great and important show, hopefully fresh ears hear it. My first introduction to At Fillmore East was the repackaged Fillmore Concerts over 20 years after that dropped.
I can understand why this is being released now as it's the 10 year anniversary. I have no plans to buy the official release coming out.
I bought a copy someone sold the big music store here and the instant live CDs sound fine. Haven't played it in several years. Have to dig it out and give it a listen again.
I always skip over Blue Sky.
10 years since the band broke up and broken promises it seems. I've been waiting 10 years for a hot show with Dickey and Jack Pearson. I saw about five that smoked so hopefully some decent recordings exist.
A Jack Pearson show was promised in 2014 but.........that's right. Nothing happened. So far.
@robertdee I saw a bunch of Jack Pearson/Dickey era shows; the return of Dimples to the setlist was a treat
Yeah I saw several Jack/Dickey shows and Dimples was always nice. As far as I know first time it was played since Duane died.
@robertdee I believe that's correct. There was the one pay per view with Jack Pearson in 1998, but other than that there has been no official documentation of his time in the band that I know of and that's really too bad because he's phenomenal.
@jack_frost There is a song or 2 on the 50th boxset with Jack
The Last Concert release has been remastered so it will have improved audio over the Instant Live. But as pointed out here, by releasing this show it will reach new ears. Far fewer people know about Instant Lives than search for "Allman Brothers" on streaming services or yes, even buying CD's from major outlets 🙂 !
I was fortunate enough to be there for that show and it was outstanding. They really went out with a barn burner.
I'll get right to it...
@rowland It's nice and a good thing they recorded the last Allman Brothers Band concert and it's cool the musicians turned in a great performance.
I read an interview with Butch Trucks after this concert when he was promoting The Freight Train Band and he was asked about the best show the ABB ever performed and it was the elusive NEXT to the final night at the Fillmore East. And Butch said they thought the tape was running and it was recorded but no it wasn't.
So was it the best ABB concert? Legend says yes but there is no way to prove it.
The last night at the Fillmore was recorded and that is where One Way Out on Eat A Peach came from.
Bill Graham is laudatory about the next to last night the next night.
And Done Somebody Wrong on closing night was especially HOT HOT!! Is this how next to closing night sounded on every tune??
good post robertdee, yes that holy grail closing show stayed w/Bill Graham for a long time - this partial recollection of it from Bill is from the Nolan biography
“They began an improvisational piece, with the interplay of the guitars & the organ. They did pattern structures, playing off against each other. We turned the stage lighting down a little. Turned it down more. It was heavenly music. It wasn’t hard rock. They just played all these melodic blues riffs…
”They walked off the stage. The sun came shining through like a ray. Duane was just water, like someone coming in out of the rain. We stood there arm in arm, watching the people leave. I will not forget what he said: ‘man it’s like leaving church’.”
@robertdee Here's my story of attending the Fillmore East closing run.
https://duaneallman.com/the-night-they-closed-the-fillmore-down/
The released recordings are from the private function (invited guests only) on Sunday night. It was broadcast on FM and that's why there are recordings in circulation.
It was a fine show but it's not the "holy grail" show Butch referred to.
To my knowledge no recordings have been found of the final public shows (Friday and Saturday night), both of which lasted until dawn.
Cheers,
Rowland
I'll get right to it...
@stephen Thank you @stephen. I will be 78 in December and first saw the band in 1970.
I was in New York City every summer for years. In 1964 I went to the World's Fair in Queens and saw a model of the proposed World Trade Center. I went to the Fillmore a few times in 1970 and it was closed in 1971 by the time I got to NYC. A couple of times in 1970 the Allman Brothers were not there. And tower one topped out in 1970 and tower two in 1971 but it was 1973 when they got the interior completed.
In 1970 all six of the band members were young and they always played with a lot of energy. The sets were about the same every night but solos and the jams, Liz Reed and Mountain Jam were always different and they could really create and improvise together. I reluctantly went with a friend who liked them and played their debut album for me at his house and I wasn't terribly impressed until I saw them live and I was HOOKED. ABB been my favorite band since.
Back then they had the energy of teenagers but played like veteran musicians.
Last time I saw the original band was in 1971 at High Point College in NC.
@rowland Thank you Rowland. I appreciate what you linked and the work you do at the site.
It sounds as if the "holy grail" show was mostly incredible jamming and creating on the fly from the beginning.
I've now listened to the closing night show all the way through and it's a great show and One Way Out I've been hearing for decades because it is on Eat A Peach. Duane complains during the closing night show about the audience being so quiet. "What is it? Oh y'all are just high?"
I'll be 78 in December if I make it and first saw the band in 1970 and for me the Allman Brothers topped seeing Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and Duane's slide and tone and the rest of the band right with Duane ( so tight) bowled me over. A new feeling and experience hearing live music and it felt incredible!!! Oddly Jimi opened for the Monkees at the Greensboro Coliseum. I think that was 1968. Lots of young teens there to see the Monkees and the Monkees were huge in the late 60's. Perhaps as odd as it would be for the ABB to open for New Kids On The Block.
Hendrix was LOUD!!!! Big Marshall stacks and feedback and wild whammy bar contortions and I had never heard anything like that or saw someone play an electric guitar like that. I remember noticing the young teens there for the Monkees did not get Jimi at all. It was like an air raid siren blasting at them and they couldn't wait for the noise to stop!!
By the end of 1971 both Jimi and Duane were gone. It was like flipping out over James Dean and two more movies and he is gone!!!! So shocking and disappointing.
I don’t know where my IL’s are anymore so might pick this up, especially if the sound improved ( thought it was pretty good already )
I don’t know if I was overly biased at the time because I was so sad to see it all end, but I thought it was a top 5 show ever. Maybe even tops.
High Cost really stood out and Hot Lanta of all tunes they seemed to find and extra gear or 2 I didn’t know were possible. I recall that on a few others
Eager to revisit it all
I don’t know if I was overly biased at the time because I was so sad to see it all end, but I thought it was a top 5 show ever. Maybe even tops.
I agree. It was pretty epic, glad to have been there and still spin it now and then. I went to a few shows from that Oct 2014 run and the March 2014 run, and I think having a few under their belt helped them build to that final show. From what I saw the scattered Summer shows were a little looser without that momentum.
Really enjoyed your description of the holy grail night of June 26-27 Rowland - just great - I adore Peaceful World too! All 4 sides - never knew J Geils sat in w/the ABB in one of their first gigs after Duane Nov 1971 Carnegie Hall - do you recall the song he sat in on?
Am sure you know the photos of Geils onstage w/the Brothers earlier that year - they look like they’re outdoors, at night - the guitarist is wearing the glasses w/large dark frames he wore in that era - it’s always been said/noted that J sat in on Stormy Monday at the Boston Common gig - no recording is known to exist
thx so much for sharing🎼🍄 - your recollections of that overnight gig/that era of going to shows etc struck Familiar chords more than once!
Stephen I was at both the holy grail show and Carnegie hall. I view these 2 shows as exact opposites. The first being the best concert I have ever seen and the second the saddest. I remember the daylight coming into the Fillmore when the doors opened and if I remember correctly they played Revival. I commented to my buddy the daylight was the best light show I ever saw. To answer your question on J Geils, I think he played the whole show. I remember being very sad as Geils was ok but he wasn't Duane and the magic wasn't there. I gave up on the brothers that night and really didn't get back in until Derek. I listened to them of course but no concerts I was simply devastated by Duane's death. I truly didn't get to know Chuck until years after he left. I saw Derek with the DTB at a small theatre in West Palm beach and it lit a spark. Derek brought me back and I felt that magic again. As the Dead said "what a long strange trip it's been".
Any word on whether this will be released on vinyl?
i stopped with CDs when they stopped putting players in cars. Now I stream albums there, and play vinyl at home.
This is now available for streaming on Amazon Music. It sounds great!
