Poor communication? Not having a well-planned strategy for the final year? Shocking!!!!
Butch sounds like McCartney around the time of the Beatle's breakup. Has to remain in the spotlight no matter whose idea something was. Perhaps McCartney is a bit more talented; however.
Nothing we haven't heard before, but it's interesting to hear Warren lay it out in a little more detail. Among other things, it was interesting to see Warren basically throwing Butch under the bus for being the one who caused all the confusion with his "accidentally on purpose" comment on Jam Cruise.
It also doesn't seem like much of a stretch at this point to ID Butch as the "one member" who developed cold feet after everybody had agreed that it was time for the ABB hang it up. Think about it, if Butch is spreading the word that "Derek is leaving the band" that implies there is still a band to leave. Based on the last Gregg interview, that sounds like nothing more than wishful thinking on Butch's part. You can certainly have some version of the ABB without Warren and Derek, but no Gregg, no ABB, and Gregg seems like he is truly done.
It really is a shame that Warren and Derek had to go out the way they did. After all both of them did for the ABB they deserved a little better, not to mention the fans.
It really is a shame that Warren and Derek had to go out the way they did. After all both of them did for the ABB they deserved a little better, not to mention the fans.
I'm not sure how all the fans felt but this fan felt this band gave all it can and ended it with a show that was as good as any show I've ever seen.I got alot...did I deserve it..hope so! 😉
It really is a shame that Warren and Derek had to go out the way they did. After all both of them did for the ABB they deserved a little better, not to mention the fans.
I'm not sure how all the fans felt but this fan felt this band gave all it can and ended it with a show that was as good as any show I've ever seen.I got alot...did I deserve it..hope so! 😉
I don't think this is Warren throwing Butch under the bus. They asked him what happened and that is what happened.
I count myself among those whom I have met that are the biggest fans ever of the Allman Brother's Band. But I've got to agree with Rob to some extent on the exiting/final curtain of the band.
While there is no arguing that the band went out with an outstanding Beacon final performance, the activities leading up were not exactly what you'd describe as poetry in motion.
First there was the "accidentally/on purpose" leakage from Butch on the Jam Cruise.
This was followed by the synchronized announcements by Warren and Derek that they would be leaving the band.
This brought about the first semi-official announcements that the band, itself would be calling it quits.
Then came words from Gregg that, "we're not disbanding, we're just replacing Derek Trucks ...".
At some point, Gregg acknowledged that this probably would be all for the band - which brought suggestions from Butch that the ALLMAN Brother's Band might possibly continue without the remaining namesake member ("it's not necessarily up to Gregg ...").
As far as the fans go, there was no attempt to organize anything resembling a farewell tour to say goodbye. By now, it was all happening too soon and too quick. There was no effort to broadcast (in any way) the finale to fans worldwide who were not fortunate enough to procure tickets. Unless I'm wrong, the final show wasn't even professionally recorded or videotaped for future distribution.
All along, there was a seemingly constant lack of communication of ideas and planning between and among the band and management.
After all was said and done, it seemed most likely that the band had actually decided to call it quits several years earlier.
This was done with all the grace of Homer Simpson bending over to tie his shoe and falling headlong down a cliff - bouncing from crag to crag on his descent. DOH!
As far as Warren throwing Butch under the bus? Butch always seems to do a fine job of placing himself there with no help from others. 😉
Beacon run just became too big.
If it were possible to do a short 3-5 show run, it maybe could have lasted.
Gregg just can't physically sustain that many shows like they were trying to do.
Even though I didn't make any of the last few runs, they ended it professionally.
Now everybody is making music on their own and they seem pretty happy.
Although Butchies bank account gets the jones around March every year.
So I would be inclined to never say never.
This was done with all the grace of Homer Simpson bending over to tie his shoe and falling headlong down a cliff - bouncing from crag to crag on his descent. DOH!
As far as Warren throwing Butch under the bus? Butch always seems to do a fine job of placing himself there with no help from others. 😉
Case in point are Greggs recent comments about how happy and satisfied he was of the way the final tour/shows went down. Maybe he was referring to this while looking at his banking statements .
These guys are all human, and all going in different directions. As Derek once said, the Allman Brothers had been year-to-year since 2000 anyways. Who can blame them for all having a different idea of what the future held? I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for Gregg, Butch, and Jaimoe to call it curtains for something that was such a mammoth part of their lives, especially since it sounds like it was more of a decision made by Derek and Warren. People retire from jobs, but musicians never stop playing music. They could have had a better plan and been more clear with the media (Gregg and Butch themselves announced to a crowd at Wanee 2014 that the end of the Allman Brothers was just a "rumor"). It was what it was, I'm sure there are no hurt feelings, probably just itchy musicians.
This is from Jambase. Makes Butch look even more like an egotistic ass. I saw Clapton in 06 with Derek in the band. At no point did Derek upstage Clapton. Derek was great and took some mean solos but EC does not seem to be the type to be worried about getting upstaged. A few years after having Derek in the band, has no problem sharing the spotlight, touring with Winwood and Jeff Beck. Also, why would Derek want to be a sideman in EC's band? The main reason why he took ABB year to year was because he wanted to do his own thing. At the slight chance that Butch's comments were true, why even bother to stir the pot and say it? And then flippantly add in Derek is leaving the band, which wasn't true? 
"Butch Trucks was the one who shook the jam circuit upside down from behind the microphone. Trucks told the class that Eric Clapton loves Derek Trucks like a son, but will never include him in his backing band ever again. Butch explained that at certain points, Derek’s solos elicited a greater audience response than any Clapton got and Slowhand doesn’t like being upstaged. Everyone laughed and then Butch added that Derek would be leaving The Allman Brothers Band at the end of the year. While this seemed like a side note to the story he was telling about Clapton, the reporter in me knows when he’s hearing breaking news. Butch had just opened a whole can of worms and I wasn’t the only person in the room with his recorder rolling."
Going by how long the "fax" incident has been discussed and how often it comes up again and again, I am looking forward to discussing this story on how the band ended for, what - at least another 10 or 15 years? 
I think Butch is like a lot of people from the pre-internet era. 25 years ago you could say whatever you wanted in groups like that and the likelihood of it getting out was small. Now you can't do that because everyone has access to the rest of the world.
That's why people make the "Gregg says the same things in every interview" comments because well he does. What used to be a local interview for whatever paper he was talking to now gets put out on the internet for the whole world to see vs 25 years ago when it was just for that local area.
Some people who grew up in the pre-internet era think they can say whatever because it's not going to get wide coverage and haven't adjusted to the 24 hour news cycle.
I am guessing Butch's comments about Derek/Clapton was just him playing to the crowd, but I'm pretty sure he has no actual inside information on how Clapton would select his band members. It is comments like those that cause fans to make the comments they do about Butch.
[Edited on 6/17/2015 by WarEagleRK]
Don't forget Gregg got the ball rolling at New Year's by announcing Oteil had left the band.
Unless I'm wrong, the final show wasn't even professionally recorded or videotaped for future distribution.
The Instant Live recording is very good.
Unless I'm wrong, the final show wasn't even professionally recorded or videotaped for future distribution.
The Instant Live recording is very good.
No offense to the folks who produce instant lives, but I've got a stack of 'em and none of them have the full-production fidelity of a post-mastered recording.
I meant the kind of recorded product issued with full packaging - pictures, credits, etc. I think they missed a marketing opportunity here. And I don't mean to be pickin' pepper outta $hit or anything by pointing it out.
I read the interview a couple of days ago & once again Warren cemented his reputation as a first class guy.
He was asked 4-5 questions concerning Dickey & the break-up etc... ground that has been tilled numerous times & he answered all with grace & honesty. -With no malice towards Dickey! I don't think I have ever read or heard him run another musician down.
Gregg & Butch should learn ( but never will) how to conduct themselves in an interview like Warren & Derek!
[Edited on 6/18/2015 by stevechild]
Is the "one member with cold feet" definitely 100% Butch? Because from the random quotes that came out around that time, I read a few from Gregg that sounded like he was the one that didn't want to break up. Anyone know?
Seems to me there were several reasons for the break up.
1) Dickey won his arbitration against the band, which meant he was NOT coming back.
2) Susan wanted Derek with her full time, and the combination mega band was his way to still have financial security playing somewhere else.
3) The original band had an energy that the Warren-Derek line up did not have EVERY night. Some nights it was there, some nights it wasn't. When you just go thru the motions and play the songs, that is not satisfying to the musicians, and they all know it, they all feel that. The ABB songs were not songs that Derek and Warren created or were part of. As Gregg said they did not want to become a parody of the original band. I do think that Warren brought something quite intense to the band, his prior years with Dickey gave him an edge. Derek's slide was great in the band, but his tormented solos belonged with DTB, not ABB. That's where his spirit was free.
I think Warren and Derek were the creative energy in the band for the better part of the last decade. Warren left the band in 1997 because of stagnation. From Alan Paul's book, Warren expressed concern about playing the same set lists over and over in the mid 1990s. I often wondered if that might have been a condition for Warren re-joining the band in 2001 - greater control over making set lists, choosing which songs to rotate in and out, diversifying arrangements, etc. Clearly, there was stagnation again after the 2009 Beacon run. There were some terrific shows 2010-2015 but I think they peaked in 2009. I dont think Warren and Derek were content to romp through the old chestnuts for another year.
