The first time that I ever saw the Allman Brothers Band
in concert was also the first time that I ever entered the Beacon Theater in
New York City. I was anxious to see the famed room and hear what a concert
sounded like in the theater. I was also anxious to hear the Allman Brothers
Band perform “Midnight Rider” and “Blue Sky.” Those were the only two songs
that I wanted to hear and anything else that they played would be fine with me.
I knew that there was no guarantee those two songs would be performed, but I
was hopeful.
I’ll admit, when I first went to see The Allman Brothers,
I was pretty much going just to say I saw the Allman Brothers Band. I wasn’t
well versed in their catalog and only knew their staples. I owned two Allman
Brothers Band records and one was their greatest hits collection. But it was
The Allman Brothers and I wanted to see them. This was also during the height
of the March Madness tours that they played every year. The Allman Brothers
would take over the beacon theater for several days throughout the month of
March.
The Beacon Theater is absolutely breathtaking! A
magnificent work of art that is also a fabulous place to witness a concert. The
theater opened in 1929 as a movie palace and vaudeville. The architecture in
the theater is amazing---really a sight to behold. Our seats for the night were
in the lower balcony, but it didn’t matter where we sat. There isn’t a bad seat
in the cozy theater. The Beacon Theater holds just under 3,000 people at max
capacity. With such little seating, every seat is a magnificent one.
After finding my seat, looking around, and taking in all
the scenery, I settled in to wait for the Allman Brothers. I talked with my
uncle about the songs I really wanted to hear and expressed my desire for “Blue
Sky” and “Midnight Rider.” My uncle was hoping to hear “Jessica.” A short time
later the house lights went out and the Allman Brothers Band approached the
stage with a loud roar of approval. The band ripped into “Statesboro Blues” and
the night had begun. “Statesboro Blues” sounded incredible and I thought it was
a great opener to the evening. It was a grand way to start the show.
After “Statesboro Blues” I realized that I may have been
in over my head. I didn’t know another song until “One Way Out” which came
seven songs later. And after that it would be another 6 songs until one I
recognized was played. And that was “Dreams” which was the second to last song
of the night (not counting the encore). I’m not saying that the song selection
was terrible, it was just that they were songs I was unfamiliar with. I knew
this was a risk when I agreed to see the show, but the reality of it hit hard.
I couldn’t sing along with songs I didn’t know, so I would have to find a
different way to appreciate these songs. One of those ways was watching Warren
Haynes.
Warren Haynes is an absolute genius with a guitar in his
hands. Just watching him perform all night long was worth the price of
admission. His guitar playing is up there with the greatest of the greats. He
makes the guitar sing and produces notes that are just mind blowing. It’s hard
to believe that so much power can come out of one man with a guitar in his hand.
When Haynes would break into solos I would just close my eyes and let the music
wash all over me. It was mesmerizing. It also made me wish even harder to hear
“Blue Sky” as I wanted to know what Warren Haynes could do to that solo in the
live setting.
A lot of great songs were played but not a lot of the
huge hits were played. Granted, they played Revivial and Dreams and Mountain
Jam, which was incredible, but most of the songs I just didn’t know. Sadly, I
would not get “Blue Sky” or “Midnight Rider” that evening. I told myself that
if I was going to see this band in concert again, I would have to immerse
myself deeper into their catalog.
The encore was a bit of a disappointment in that only one
song was played. And while it was a great one, “Southbound,” I was hoping for
more. Unfortunately, there was no more to come. At the end of my inaugural
Allman Brothers experience I decided that I would return to see them again. I
certainly was not disappointed with my first Allman Brothers experience, it’s
just that I hadn’t prepared myself with their music enough to fully really
enjoy the concert in a way that I am accustomed to. That happens sometimes. I
loved the music and I loved listening to the music, but I just didn’t know most
of it. That knowledge would come later.
Setlist
Statesboro Blues
Come And Go Blues
Down Along The Cove
Stand Back
Sailin’ Cross the Devil’s Sea
Blind Willie McTell
Bag End
One Way Out
Old Friend
Dark End of the Street
Done Somebody Wrong
Revival
Hot ‘Lanta>>>
All Along The Watchtower>>>
Hot ‘Lanta
Dreams
Mountain Jam
Encore
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