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A fond farewell to The Allman Brothers Band

Well, this is it folks..... Tonight's concert at the beautiful Beacon Theater in New York City is the last performance by one of the best American rock bands to ever take the stage. Forty five years after we first heard the beautiful guitars of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, the rhythmic bass of Berry Oakley, the percussive interplay of Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson (Jaimoe), and the incredible soulful voice and organ wizardry of Gregg Allman, the band is finally and officially calling it quits. Bravo boys .... it's been an absolutely fabulous ride !

I first saw the Allman Brothers Band in 1971 at the old Philadelphia Spectrum, where they were the opening act for Johnny Winter. I was a tenth grader, and was immediately hypnotized by Duane and Dickey trading licks on "Whipping Post" and "Statesboro Blues," Gregg singing the blues on "Done Somebody Wrong" and "Stormy Monday," Berry pounding the bass line on "Revival," and Butch and Jai Johnny drumming up a storm on "Elizabeth Reed."

I have since seen them about a million times, through many line-ups. Always, always, always ..... a great show by incredible musicians. Thanks to Chuck, Lamar, Warren, Derek, Marc, Oteil, and many others for taking the stage after the passing of Duane and Berry, and the exit of Dickey. You guys have always shown the utmost talent and togetherness, and it's been a tremendous pleasure enjoying the music with you all these years. Happily, via the internet and a wealth of wonderful records and CD's, the legacy of the band will continue. The music goes on forever, even as the road comes to an end. Thank you boys, from the bottom of my heart, for forty five years of happiness.
The Allman Brothers Band ..... one of the best bands ever !
adam18
scm
313 posts
 
Best concert I ever saw was the Allman Brothers playing on the lawn at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs NY on a beautiful spring day and it was a free event !
Having just finished up their Fillmore gig.. they were tuned up and TIGHT !!
Can`t imagine a better concert by them anywhere or anyplace thereafter...EVER
adam18 OP
670 posts
 
Wow ..... That must have been an incredible afternoon. I live about 45 minutes south of Skidmore, and the enjoyment of the wide variety of music in and around Saratoga is still fantastic. Jazz, rock, blues, country, folk, classical, and ballet .... all great stuff. But the Allmans performing for free on the campus lawn .... must have been an amazing show. I saw them at SPAC last summer, on tour with Santana .... great show. Warren and Derek were spot on .... and when they were joined on stage by Carlos ..... Unbelievable ! The usual songlist was superb .... but a real treat was Warren singing Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" as a salute to Bill Graham. Holy Cow !!!
maxnewid
449 posts
 
You need to check out www.musicvault.com. This site has a lot of Brothers video performances through the years. Also, there is some extremely rare footage of Chuck Leavell playing with Sea Level and BHLT (Betts, Hall, Leavell, and Trucks) doing some really cool versions of Allman Bros. songs. And a Gregg solo performance from the early 80's....
hankk's avatar
hankk
23 posts
 
I guess all great things come to an end. Good to see it be a mutual agreement. These "artists" were in it for one thing, THE MUSIC. They respected the fans as much as the music they played and stayed true to both. Hopefully there approach and loyalty to the music will be a lesson to up-coming artists. Thank you.
nmiller1202
18 posts
 
Anyone GOVT MULE fans? Their Live with a little help from our friends New years eve 1998 at the Roxy in Atlanta recording is pretty GREAT! Allman Brother fans should appreciate this group and I am sure aware of. This recording is very good as the studio did a great job mixing. Classic southern rock at it's finest regardless of what generation. Warren Haynes, Allen Woody, Matt Abts, Chuck Leavell, Bernie Worrel, Derrick Trucks, Jimmy Herring...Just buy it, you will thank me.
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