Guest Book

Well, I'm 63 now. Randall, you always remember. Thank you. And thanks to everybody else for the kind words. Been around here for a long, long time now. Always tried to be honest. Said some things I wish I hadn't, learned. May say some today I'll regret. LONG RAMBLING POST WARNING, so beware. I have a new concert buddy these days, Susan. We've had a blast at several shows, she knows how to have fun. It was her first trip to NYC and I wanted to cram a lot of the NYC experience into a short amount of time. Also wanted to pretty much leave her spent, show her and myself that I remain invincible. Well, I'm not. I'm 63, and pretty much succeeded in running myself in the ground. Was too run down to make it back to the Irridium after the show, and moving slow today. Sucks. We took the shuttle in from the airport so Susan could see Grand Central and the concept of New Yorkers getting around by train and various other means that don't involve a car. Plus the beautiful architecture. Checked in to the Milburn, then to the Viand for some basic NYC quisine. Jaimoe ambles by on 75th, turned a couple of heads. We headed for Strawberry Fields, and I showed Susan the famous meeting place of Bluedad and Leeann :freaked: Then to Strawberry Fields. It was at this point that I really had to accept the arthritis I've been dealing with couldn't be just dismissed. Had to rest a moment before grabbing a cab to the Irridium. Show was already up and running, and the room was dark, we found a couple of spots at the tiny bar, got a couple of $9 beers, got into the excellent show from Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton, with guest Junior Mack. Really quality stuff. Spotted a couple of folks I knew....Atl. Barb, Mr. Joe, Wharf Rat (Happy Birthday Chuck!), but really didn't see any other familiar faces in the dim light. Break comes, I spy Sari and Terri heading out the door for a smoke, get their attention. And they take Susan along for a puff, tell me where Jacqie and the rest are. And it was like a homecoming. May end up being the high point of my life. I don't know why I am so drawn to the people here, don't really understand the dynamic. I just know it is. And it was great to spend another 5-10 minutes of life totally immersed in it, there in the Irridium. Happy Birthday indeed. Got to chat briefly with Tommy and Scott too, told them how much I enjoyed their recent shows in Macon. We had trouble getting a taxi back to the hotel, involved a lot of walking. And my back and hips were screaming at me to stop. I'm having trouble with the words for the Brothers show that night. This band is white-hot brilliant. I sense a higher level of comfort among the members, and a display of ability that is likely to be the measuring standard for improvisational musicians for as long as we can keep civilization together. It was wonderful to see Gregg take more organ solos, his voice very strong. Enjoyed very much the song from his new CD, and it was great to see the audience applauding solos, VERY enthusiastic. It always does my heart good to see Scott and Tommy as guests of the Brothers. Two men I have come to respect as individual people. I love this band. I say again, I love this band. But we need to be real. The train wrecks in Every Hungry Woman and Whipping Post were real. Could be a number of factors here. Fatigue, earpiece issues, Warren and Derek changing places. Gregg is 4 months older than me, and has damn sure lived a lot harder. And been through a terrible trauma with major surgery and recovery. But whatever is wrong needs to be addressed, imho. Could be as simple as more recovery time or moving Warren back to that side. We know from Warren's ability to sing and play at the same time that multi-tasking is something he is good at. Perhaps queing Gregg is part of that. And it could be that more quality, focused rehearsal time is needed. That is what I suspect. That is what I believe they must do before Wanee. If this band is to continue beyond that point. And it may be difficult, with all the conflicting schedules of the offspin bands. Being a member of The Allman Brothers Band means being an integral part of the best there is. It has to be very demanding for a musician. But the bar is set very, very high. That's part of being a member. There has to be some serious talk among the members at the end of the run. The potential is there for even more greatness. The potential for the end is also there. Like my back and hips, it's something that must be addressed. After the show, thinking about the struggle getting a taxi that afternoon, I chose not to go back to the Irridium. I never thought it would come to that. Effin' reality. Sunday morning, back at the Viand for breakfast, I told Susan that the only people I had missed that I really hoped to see was this guy from Mobile that I only get to see in New York, and the lady that goes to the shows with him. We pay up, open the door, and there's Jody, with GPM not far behind. Tell me there's not a spiritual aspect to this place. On to the airport, waiting for the plane, a familiar face with a guitar case. I watch, see him take a seat at a restaurant. Amble over and tell Scott how much I've enjoyed his music during the weekend. He asked us to join him, but I know enough to give these guys their space. I'll be at his gig with the Decoys in B'ham. So, back home and at work. We got Donna Hopkins Friday, Scott and the Decoys on Sunday, Col. Bruce next Friday, and Derek and Susan on Thursday after that. Looking forward to playing as hard as I can. Can't let one precious day slip by. My trip to New York was my birthday present to me. '03, '05, '07, '09, '11. Hope I'm back in '13. Hope the Brothers are too. I can't describe the fun, or how happy it makes me. Some of y'all understand. If you've read this far, thanks. Thanks for letting me be a part of your world, thanks for being a part of mine. Hope to see y'all soon. That Duane Allman was some guy. eapfp