The Allman Brothers Band

Well, I first saw the Allman Brothers Band from the 2nd row of the auditorium at Marrietta College in Sept/Oct of 1971, approximately 2 -3 weeks before Duane so sadly died. the opening act was the Chicago bluesman, Luther Allison, and he did, as Duane so fondly said while warming up on stage just before the Band hit its first note, “Luther Allison just put another dent in BB King’s ass” – and that quote will stay with me forever.

They were absolutely awesome that night and I distinctly remember watching Duane slide well between his pickups on his Les Paul during Trouble No MOre.

Well, there will never be another Duane Allman, but the boys played well on this opening night at the Tower. There were a few missed cues (Gregg actually started laughing at one early entrance he made), but they were “spot on” that night and, after 3-1/2 hours, my girfriend (who had never seen the ABB before) and I walked out smiling, happy, and still boogeying from the show.

It was a glorious night, the crowd was loud, receptive, well-behaved and just SO into the band, and you could see the ABB could feel it.

It was great to see them again (probably my 18th or 19th time) and Gregg was in fine voice, the percussion section just HIT IT, and Warren and Derek – what can you say?

A great night and even greater to hear they will be back at the Beacon in 2011!

God rest, Duane and Berry. And I do miss Dickey – his fluid leads, tone and texture are a great part of their legacy, but time moves on and none of us stays the same. The road may go on forever, but each of us chooses his or her own path upon which to travel.