The band scheduled their usual March Madness at the Beacon Theatre in New York. They were scheduled to play 14 shows, but they managed to play only 10 of them because Gregg Allman came down with bronchitis and couldn’t sing. The band played two of those 10 shows without Gregg, but then they postponed the remaining four shows until a later date. Gregg has his own Gregg Allman & Friends band, Derek Trucks records and tours regularly with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Warren Haynes has Gov’t Mule. Given the busy schedules of the individual band members, the “later dates” came in October. In addition to the four make-up dates, the band tacked on two more shows. The final date – October 28th.
I belong to the official Allman Brothers web forum, Hittin’ the Web with The Allman Brothers Band. As soon as the dates for the final shows were announced, much speculation about who would be there commenced. The biggest topic was Dickey Betts. Would he or wouldn’t he be there? Would there be any other guests like Beacon runs of the past? The answer to both questions turned out to be “no.” The band decided they would do this run themselves. However, according to Gregg Allman, they reached out to Dickey, but he was “on a hunting trip.” Derek Trucks confirmed the band tried to get Dickey, but Dickey’s manager called “bullshit.” So who to believe? It doesn’t matter – Dickey didn’t show. There were three musical “guests” – they just weren’t people. Three of Duane Allman’s guitars, two of which are owned by daughter Galadrielle, were in the house. Warren and Derek played them during the run. The next subject of speculation was “the final song.” What would it be? Opinions varied between Whipping Post, One Way Out, No One To Run With, and Little Martha. I thought it might be Little Martha – the only song Duane Allman wrote. But in the end, the band had a surprise – more on that later. A theme emerged during the final six shows – Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The old gospel hymn that was sung at Duane Allman’s funeral crept into the set lists one way or another. On one night it might be just an instrumental tease, other nights Gregg and Warren would sing a verse or two. But every night, that theme was there.
A couple of days ago I received my copy of the final show from Hittin’ the Note. Most of the shows that I bought were 3 CDs, some are only 2. This show has 4. When the original six members were all in their twenties, the length of their shows became legend. When they closed the Fillmore East in July 1971, they went on-stage at 2am and came off-stage at 6am. Butch Trucks often tells the story about that show. When they finished the show you could hear a pin drop. No applause, just all smiles. And then the doors opened, the first rays of the new morning sun came in, and this New York crowd quietly walked out. Butch quotes Duane as saying “God damn! It’s like leaving church!” This final show wasn’t like that. The band was “hittin’ the note,” and the crowd was amped up. They played three sets instead of their usual two. It’s become cliché that whenever a sports team plays the game of their lives, it’s referred to as “leaving it on the field.” In the musical context, sometimes the Allman Brothers Band “left it on the stage,” and sometimes they didn’t. That’s not to say that the shows where they didn’t leave it all there were bad. On the contrary – they’re just old and can’t do it like they used to night after night four decades ago. But having listened to this show, I can honestly say these old guys lived up to their legend. So enough of the qualitative, here’s the Joe Friday “just-the-facts” scorecard:
The final setlist:
Set One:
Little Martha >
Mountain Jam >
Don't Want You No More >
It's Not My Cross to Bear >
One Way Out
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
Midnight Rider
High Cost of Low Living
Hot’Lanta
Blue Sky
You Don't Love Me
Set Two:
Statesboro Blues
Ain't Wastin’ Time No More
Black Hearted Woman
The Sky is Crying
Dreams
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
Set Three:
Melissa
Revival
Southbound
Mountain Jam >
Will The Circle Be Unbroken? >
Mountain Jam
Encore:
Whipping Post
Trouble No More
After the thunder and frenzy that was Whipping Post, the band all gathered center stage and Gregg, usually a man of few words began to speak:
“A few years ago, just a few years ago, I was called to come and meet these guys in Jacksonville, Florida. And it was kinda like, a little stiff in the room until one of them handed me a lyric sheet and said “Sing!” And this was about 3:30 in the afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida, March 26th, 1969. Never did we have any idea that it would come to this. We give you a heartfelt ‘thank you.’ And now we’re gonna end on the first song we ever played, that broke the ice.”
Given that Gregg didn’t know any of his future bandmates except for his brother when he walked into that first rehearsal, I have no doubt that the “one of them” who said “Sing!” was Duane. With all of the stories I’ve heard and read about Duane, that way of saying hello would be totally in-character for him. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall the day a new music genre was invented…
Usually the talkative one who tells the same stories over and over again, Butch Trucks simply echoed what Gregg said. The band would bookend the Allman Brothers Band with the first song they ever played.
Jaimoe, who usually says fewer words than Gregg [if you can believe such a thing is possible], said this: “Hello hello, thank you! Thank you so much. We couldn’t have done it without you. Two things I always wanted to do in my life – I wanted to be Mr. America and I wanted to be the world’s greatest jazz drummer. Well, I gave up on Mr. America, and on my way to New York City I went to Alabama to meet Duane Allman. And then I was a jazz drummer, that’s when I discovered what that was all about. So thank God for Duane Allman and all these fellas, and thank God for you!”
The band picked up their instruments and played one final song, which indeed was the first song they ever played as a band – Muddy Waters’ Trouble No More. Five hours after they took the stage, at 1:30 AM on October 29th, the 43rd anniversary of Duane Allman’s passing, the band came off stage for the final time. The circle was and is unbroken.
1 comment:
... And the road goes on forever...
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