Allman Bros concert

two awesome guitarists! saw the original Allman band half dozen times before motorcycles took their toll, they could jam!

God bless the Allmans ... PND, I am envious I missed the show,

I am a HUGE ABB fan ... too many shows to count and I have seen the Mule enough times to earn the name Horseface. The name was a Mule inspired flash the boys came up with after the Chicago AAB shows some years back. The story goes – I wanted “Rocking Horse” and was willing to scream like a Mule for it. At a song break I broke into a Mule frenzy that some say sent Warren and Derek into a huge exchange of laughter but then again, it might have been the roses (or the brews). Never get away with that at a Neil show …

For those ABB fans that missed the DEAD/ABB show at the Gorge a few years back - you missed a classic. It was the tour where Warren covered for Jerry and I tell you, it was a great day to be alive. Tennessee Jed never sounded so good! I was told it was on the anniversary of Duane’s contribution to Derek and the Domino's Laya ... Warren ended the show around 1 AM with “After Midnight” a tribute to Clapton and yes, we got to hear Layla. If you folks have never seen a show in George Washington, please do it! Get a camp site and stay the night … nothing can compare. Then there are the Beacon shows, Chicago, Gainesville, Shoreline, and Seattle, Sturgis, Portland and a classic show at the Pualip fair in front of maybe 2000 fans. You would have thought they were performing in front of 100,000 – such a great show. I never get tired of seeing them and the last Gorge show was outstanding. I have pictures for anyone interested. The Doobie Brothers warmed up, and that was it own special bit. Like a lot of you younger guys, I have been a live music fan for 30 years and have seen more shows than I can count. All of the most classic and enjoyable memories have been the Grateful Dead, Allmans, and the Mule. I am a jam band fan and always will be.
I wish Greg all the best, from the bottom of my heart and I hope he lives to be 120. If he has to go, Lord please take him after Whipping post. Tough as nails … he will probably outlast me and rightly so. I will keep dumping hard earned cash into this hobby, just trying to catch part of the magic I enjoyed at so many ABB shows.

Cheers! And now … some Rocking Horse!

With no disrepect to Horseface - The Allman Brothers Band has NOT been the same since Dickey Betts got fired ( okay since Duane and Berry passed on ) I have been following them since the early to mid seventies when my older brother was listening to them - wanted to go to Watkins Glenn with my brother at 16 untill my parents put their feet down....but the '' original sound '' is gone, it lacks that soul that was there. Warren and Derek are great guitarists - they really are - but somehow their style of slide is just too schreeeechy for me. I find myself going ....stop the slide and just play. Dickey and Duane had a smoothness together that was music to my ears. I am lucky to see Dicky's band come through my town at least once a year and I get to hear those old classics Dickey / ABB tunes and my brother and look at each other and give it that ; '' yeaaaah '' this is more like it. Hey, the ABB is still great to see and I have made the pilgramidge to The Beacon Theatre but I find myself passing on them and instead going to see Gregg on this own. It's more fun and with more spontenaity. I got like this with the Grateful Dead.....where I found myself going to see Jerry more on this own as the Dead towards the end where just not all that fun to see anymore. I realize everything changes and these are still great musicians to see - especially in this world now where the only ones that seem to get the the spot light are the entertainers of the world and not the great muscians. That's who I go to see these days. Check out Widespread Panic who even after Charlie Houser's passing ( Jimmy Herring of ABB took his place after a little auditions ) is a great band to see.

You should check out the ABB recordings from the New Orleans jazz fest. You can order them from the jazz fest website. I have one from 2004 that has Chuck Leavel sitting in with them. They play a really tasty version of Jessica and do a great cover of Van morrison's Into the Mystic. The sound quality is excellent.