Set 1:
You Don't Love Me
Firing Line
Statesboro Blues
Who's Been Talkin'
Come and Go Blues
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Hoochie Coochie Man
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Hot 'Lanta
Set 2:
Standback
Done Somebody Wrong
Dreams to Remember*
Leave My Blues at Home
Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?# >
Franklin's Tower#
Whipping Post > Circle > Whipping Post
Encore: Southbound*
*w/Deep Banana Horns
#w/Rob Barraco-Keys

REVIEW
Before the show, I complain to Warren. "You're not supposed to be that good opening night," I tell him. "Don't worry," he assures me as he gets on the backstage elevator. "We'll get better. I promise." His word is good enough for me.

Not a single song repeated from the night before. I wonder when the last time was the band did that. Not a one. And except for the obvious surprises, tonight the band stuck closer to home, playing-- again, with notable exceptions-- a more familiar Allman Brothers set.

The lights go off, the curtain comes up. Derek begins peeling off lines over the percussive bed that presages "You Don't Love Me." Warren joins in, then Gregg. They vamp on this riff a good long time before turning over and
kicking into the song. It is a solid, upbeat opening. At song's end the band cools down but Butch keeps it going, his pounding eventually becoming the foundation for "Firing Line." Derek soars over tight ensemble playing,
then Warren plays a pure vintage Allman Brothers solo for this still-new song. Warren is more front and center tonight than he had been on Thursday.
His slide work highlights "Statesboro Blues," with Gregg's keyboards also in the mix over the three-man drum shuffle. Warren's slide solo is solid and familiar.

The drummers again lay down the rhythm track, this time to "Who's Been Talking." Warren shines on the intro, then Derek on the solo, with Warren pushing him until the band is swinging behind them. Then a long, ringing note pulls us back to the verse. Jaimoe steps to the fore, his deft touch grounding the song as the band brings it way down. There is a sublime, soft
bluesy jam, anchored by Jaimoe's sparse accents, with lots of room; Derek peels off jazzy lines as the band touches down to a soft, sweet ending. Early highlight.

Derek and Gregg weave their talents together on "Come and Go Blues." Then Marc leaves the stage for "Desdemona," a vocal tour de force for Gregg. During the jazzy interlude Derek hints at teases of "My Favorite Things." Indeed, for fans wishing the band would play that song, you should listen very, very carefully to the jazzy interlude of "Desdemona," because maybe they're playing it every other night, sort of, and you're missing it. Derek's solo builds and builds. Then Warren starts, slowly, before bringing the energy up. Gregg grabs the song by the throat back from the guitarists and sings the hell out of it, bringing it home.

"Don't Keep Me Wonderin" is a blast of it all coming together-- heavy Oteil bottom, Gregg's organ adding texture, spot-on guitars, propulsive drums. All crushed down to four minutes or so. It is as dense as a white star. Next Warren goes into that neck-choking blues intro thing that heralds "Hoochie Coochie Man." When it sounds like his guitar is finally dead Derek
steps up and lays waste to his own ax. Back and forth they go, building the tension, until Oteil releases it with the thundering Oakley bassline that brings on the song. Oteil grounds the song while Derek soars; it is, like
the entire first set, very "meat and potatoes."

Next up, the first surprise of the night-- a faithful rendition of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Gregg's organ and vocals are front and center; the harmonies are, as on last night's "Gilded Splinters," a surprise and delight. Derek plays short, aching lines over the vocals, then his solo gives voice to the song's protagonist. Then-- and if this didn't get to you, you just weren't paying attention-- the na-na-nas.
"Hot 'Lanta" closes the set. Marc lends a Latin tinge to the song, Gregg's organ is pronounced. Derek solos, but then Warren does one of his "pull you out of your seat" jobs to close the song.

The first set was solid and stayed close to home, save for "Dixie." But on the whole the band did not reach the heights of the night before. Yet.

The second set opens with "Standback." It is a full frontal assault. Oteil, as always, is driving the song; Derek totally throws down. Then "Done Somebody Wrong," featuring a Warren solo. Derek plays a brief solo at song's end, comprised mostly of a single extended note.

Next is where things begin to get interesting. With (I believe) the Deep Banana Blackout horns, Warren rips into the soulful "Dreams to Remember," an Otis Redding song that is in a similar vein to "Loving You Too Long." It is slow, soulful, and Warren sings the hell out of it. The horns play their charts, and Derek responds, almost echoes, as if from off in the distance;
it is a beautiful dynamic.

"Leave My Blues at Home" is a rock-solid groove. The band is playing mostly catalog songs, but they are inhabiting them in a solid, aggressive fashion.

From here on in, its off to the races. Rob Barraco from the Lesh band comes out, and the band launches into "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" Warren handles the vocals; Derek plays the lines between the verses. Then he solos, pulling out the sadness of the song.

But this is a song that can be interpreted, musically, two ways, and after the chorus, Warren's solo just reeks of joy, peeling off a patented Warren Haynes ceiling-strafing solo. It is the solo you want to hear right now. Barraco plays a similarly upbeat, tinkly solo, then Derek soars.

The part of this song where they sing the title line is over a 2-chord progression, so the transition to "Franklin's Tower" is so seamless that it takes a few three-chord go-rounds before the whole crowd has caught on. Derek's solo over the "Franklin's Tower" chords is liquid sunshine. Then Barraco hits a crescendo in his own joyous way, and Oteil sings the verse.
At the end Warren literally rains down notes, his solo a true "hittin' the note" moment.

This two-song medley is one of the most joyous and delightful and magical stretches I've ever heard from this band, easily rivaling the "Layla" debut last year.

"Whipping Post" is pure unadulterated release. Derek solos, the song drives along into the verse and chorus. Then when it gets to the slow snaky part, Warren steps up and begins a solo that doesn't know at first whether it wants to be "Amazing grace" or "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" Soon it resolves itself into "Circle," and Derek falls in with him. Then Gregg
picks up the melody, and the band falls into place. And the band is playing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" Fully, unmistakably.

No vocals though, and after a nice long go-round, Warren descends back into the murky swamp of "Whipping Post." He is smoking, letting it all out, locking in with Oteil. The song comes to an end, and you are bathed in light.

The horns are back for the encore. Gregg, the guitars, and horns begin the anticipatory riffing that will burst into "Southbound." Derek plays lead lines, then Warren throws the switch and we are off and running on the song, a raucous and appropriately sloppy version.

No drum solo, no bass solo tonight.

Was this show better than opening night? Who can say? I'm not making a
comparison. But I ain't complaining.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
Don't Want You No More>
It's Not My Cross To Bear
Every Hungry Woman
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl*
Wasted Words*
Statesboro Blues*
Rockin' Horse>
No One Left To Run With

Set 2:
Key to the Highway*
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
Black Hearted Woman
Same Thing
Need Your Love So Bad
Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had
Don't Think Twice#
Dreams
Elizabeth Reed > drums > bass > Oteil w/brother Kofi > Elizabeth Reed
Encore: One Way Out
*w/Thom Doucette- Harmonica
#w/Susan Tedeschi-Guitar and Vocals

REVIEW
Tonight the band took a sharp left turn, deep into the vein that runs from the Mississippi delta up through Chicago-- it was clearly blues night at the Beacon. In large part, this was driven by the presence on many numbers of Thom Doucette on harp. But you could probably find "Schoolgirl," "One Way Out," "Can't Lose What You Never Had," "Same Thing," and "Key to the Highway" on a good Chess anthology. If John Hiatt hadn't already copped the title, I might have called this review "Crossing Muddy Waters."

"Don't Want You No More" is an upbeat opening, with Derek taking a solo, then Warren peeling off a ringing solo. Warren leans on the transition note, and the first heavy blues of the night kicks in, "Not My Cross to Bear." Warren plays some stinging blues lines; Derek follows with a full, round tone. Derek is as front and center in the mix this year as Warren, which was not always the case. Again Warren leans on the closing note, transitioning the band into a driving "Every Hungry Woman." This is the first song repeated so far on the run, and it is night three.

Next up is another run at "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The harmonies are bright and spot-on, Warren and Marc joining Gregg on the na-na-nas. Oteil, who is not at the mic, is leaning back, eyes closed, smiling ear to ear, singing along. The song features a short, honey-drenched solo by Derek between verses, then a longer one, with a more molasses-like flavor..

Thom Doucette comes on, and before he is even set up, there is a clear affinity going on between Doucette and Oteil (he sets up next to Oteil on the far side.) The band rolls out the "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" vamp, with Doucette blowing over the top. Warren sings, accepted by Doucette, who fits this song like a glove. Then Doucette takes the first solo as the band grinds on, reminiscent of the original, but also distinctly reminiscent of early Dead versions as the band adds some jam to the mix. Then Warren takes his solo, playing that "Spoonful" type lick he uses to launch. Later in the song Derek starts soloing, leading the band in a "brought down" jam, with Doucette in the background. Derek's lines grow fuller and fuller; at first he's hardly there, then he's everywhere. The band falls in, the jam built on triplets (that waltz-type pattern that everyone calls a tease of "The Other One"), and then, like its time to flip the pancake, they're back over into the "Schoolgirl" riff. As the song fades, Warren repeats "I go home witchoo" over and over, even after he's too far from the mic to be heard, as Doucette dances over the riff. Highlight.

An Oteil funk riff leads into "Wasted Words." Solid version, Doucette lending flavor. Oteil is on fire, clearly digging Doucette. He comes alive on "Statesboro Blues," a song where his part is usually simple and basic, but he pushes against Doucette, stepping up from the basic bumpa-dumpa blues bassline, and the song shakes and shimmies.

Doucette leaves the stage, and Warren makes the loud Mule fans happy with "Rocking Horse." Warren's solo is intense; there is smoke coming from his Gibson by the time he is done. Derek, of course, goes just the other way, starting off with a sparse, jazzy flavor. Eventually his attack becomes complex, cascading lines, spurred on by vigorous Warren chording. Derek sounds like a glass machine gun. Back into the verse, then Warren has the band hang on that closing, slightly off-kilter note and they erupt into "No One Left to Run With." The Bo Diddley beat invariably revs up the crowd, and it is a popular set-closer.

"Key to the Highway" opens the second set, and there is something about it that makes it one of the more joyful blues standards. Maybe its the message ("I've got the key to the highway" is a more optimistic scenario than "my baby left me"); maybe its the 8-bar structure. Gregg sings, then Doucette takes the first solo. Then Derek plays the blues, then Warren, using more notes, upping the ante. Then Warren sings (he's doing the vocals Chris Robinson did Thursday), then a rollicking Derek solo, then Gregg sings. Doucette takes a solo. Then Derek solos, and soon Warren joins him, the pair of guitarists playing different, almost dissonant lead lines together, developing brief tension. Then, they become harmony lines, a release of the tension, and the song comes to a close. Highlight.

"Aint Wastin' Time No More" features Derek's signature glassy, ringing tone. This is a song where that tone fits like it was meant to be there (even though it was written before he was born). Warren complements Derek with a slide solo of his own. Then a high-energy "Black Hearted Woman."

"The Same Thing" has been a highlight of the set since Warren returned to the band, in large part because it is a song where Oteil truly shines, bringing a new dimension to the tune. The band shreds on the song, then after running through it, Oteil takes off on a funk-based solo, fingers flying. Soon the drums join in, and Derek brings out the implied melody to Oteil's solo by adding chords behind him. Then, suddenly, Oteil-- still soloing like Amelia Earhart-- nods to the guitarists as his solo comes around, and bam! The band is back on the riff, only now it is a funk riff, not the song, but the riff defined by Oteil's solo. Warren and Derek are careening off each other like there is no driver. (Oteil is the driver, but he's got maybe two wheels, tops, on the road.) This furious jam resolves back into the emphatic close of "Same Thing," which was just around the corner from that funk jam all along. It is another, bluesy-funky highlight.

"Need Your Love So Bad" is another pure blues that tonight has a "Stormy Monday" vibe, especially as the guitar chords evoke the latter song. I don't know the last time the band has played this-- or any-- Enlightened Rogues song live; its been quite a while. Derek fills the room on his artful solo; he is clearly drowning in his own tears. Another bluesy surprise, "Can't Lose What You Never Had," follows; this version is bigger, darker and less melodic than the band's recorded version, relying on a heavy grinding riff.

Susan Tedeschi Trucks strolls demurely out, pushes her glasses to the top of her head, straps on a guitar, and does a miraculous transformation from soccer mom to Big Mama Thornton on "Don't Think Twice," which she sings as a blues. For all intents and purposes this song is a Susan/Derek duet, a call and response, as Derek lays down the melody on the intro, then Susan sings a commanding bluesy vocal. As she sings the line "We never did too much talkin' anyway," Susan steals a glance over at Derek; then again as it is time for his solo. Then Derek plays the sweetest solo over Susan's strumming of the chords. Derek's solo brings a grin to your face; it is pure love. Then back to Susan's vocals. For one song, this small woman has stolen the room.

Next up is "Dreams." Tonight is Warren's turn to solo. He relies on the slide, playing a slow boil of a solo that goes deep inside. Then "Elizabeth Reed," beginning with Derek lightly soloing over a Marc vibe. After the theme, Derek takes the first solo; then Gregg on organ, then Warren plays a solo comprised of big fat sticky notes. The song gives way to the drum solo, which was omitted Friday night; then Oteil comes out for the bass section. Oteil is joined by his brother Kofi on flute, and the two of them are essentially dueting. Kofi tosses the ball to Derek, who brings the band in to drive the song home. "One Way Out" is the encore, completing the bluesy circle of the night, Doucette back onstage to stretch out the groove. It is a long hot sweaty night.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
Revival
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Good Clean Fun
Worried Down With the Blues
Midnight Rider
Trouble No More
Woman Across the River
Soulshine
Instrumental Illness > drums > Illness
Set 2:
Walk on Gilded Splinters
Done Somebody Wrong
Old Before My Time
44
Leave My Blues at Home
Desdemona
Mountain Jam
Encore: You Don't Love Me > Whipping Post jam > Black Hearted Woman jam > Whipping Post close

REVIEW
Monday night seemed like Night of the Living Drummers. The tautness and athleticism of the three-man drum section seemed to be the theme off the show.

The "Sopranos" theme was back as opening music when the band bopped into a sprightly version of "Revival." It was concise, with some nice licks traded by the guitarists. "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" featured some stretchy, bendy notes from Derek and some nice organ work by Gregg. Then "Good Clean Fun" totally swings, with some nice riff-based guitar work and a tasty Gregg organ solo.

Warren steps up for his first vocal performance of the night, "Worried Down With the Blues." Derek tosses in some nice accents on the verse,and his solo is a slow boil. Warren stretches the intro note on his solo, then back into the verse, then Derek plays a fat solo as the energy comes down and Jaimoe is perfectly accenting the song. Then "Midnight Rider and "Trouble No More," both pretty much by the book. Gregg takes another sweet organ solo between verses on "Woman Across the River." Then Derek takes an unusually aggressive solo, the band falling into step behind him. After they go back into the verse, Warren's driving, insistent solo brings the song to a close.

Jay Collins joins the band on sax for "Soulshine," and it may have been my vantage point (on stage in the wings) but I didn't think he added much. Maybe he was higher in the mix in the house. Gregg sings the first vocal, accompanying himself on some church style organ. Derek's solo splits open the ceiling and the sunshine comes pouring in. Then the outro, with Derek and Warren all release over the sax and organ.

"Instrumental Illness" closes the set, featuring a rare first set drum solo. In truth though, the entire song is a drum solo, as many sections feature a single player interplaying with the drums. It is an impressive 25+ minute display of musicality and pure athleticism for the rhythm section.

Oteil kicks things off, accented by Marc. Gregg's organ comes to the fore on the first go-round of the melody. Then Derek plays a sequence of single notes, then the notes become bursts. He seems to stop time with a bent-note solo, mostly just Derek over the drums. Oteil lets loose in counterpoint to the melody with Collins over the top; the drums are pushing against him, asserting themselves, introducing some dissonance. Next Warren solos, and it is time for adventures in melody as he explores various themes. Oteil is more prominent now in the mix. Warren's long, adventurous solo ends up as just guitar over drums, and leads into the extended drum solo. Marc and Jaimoe trade off in a drummer's call and response, with Butch providing the solid underpinning. It is as if the other instrumentalists have left, but the song is still there.

Eventually Oteil lays his bass on top, Warren adds a solo, and the band is back. They collectively re-state the song's theme, then Oteil hits the bass line for the final go-round.

It is a long set-- over at 9:40. Truth be told, though, outside of the drumming pyrotechnics on "Illness," it seems somewhat rote.

The second set picks up where the first set left off-- with drumming. A brief ensemble drum piece serves as opening to "Walk on Gilded Splinters," which in the Allmans' hands is less a gumbo number than on Dr. John's version. The vocals are tight. The band swings on "Done Somebody Wrong," Derek leading the way on his swinging solo, then going back into the stop-time on the verse. Warren adds a solo, then Derek wails over the band's stop-time close.

"Old Before My Time" features a very quiet arrangement, and Gregg's vocals are restrained, and more effective for it. The band is clearly experimenting with dynamics. Butch is the sole drummer. Marc joins in as Warren harmonizes with Gregg. Gregg plays a heartfelt organ solo, then Derek a wistful one, with Gregg providing the underpinning.

Warren goes into that fat, stinging "Forty-Four" riff, with Derek playing against him on the counter-lines. Warren peels off a fierce solo over the song's insistent riff, then Derek squeezes off impressionistic lines, then hits a deep down note and riffs off that a while.The ensemble kicks in, driven by Gregg's organ, with Derek wailing over the top. Then, perfectly,Warren pulls it back in with that slow, fat riff. Derek and Warren play harmonic lines between the vocal parts. Then Derek takes off, wild yet reigned in, over the soft,soft fade. It is impossible not to smile if you are truly listening. Highlight.

Gregg follows up with an up-tempo "Leave My Blues At Home." Then the band launches into "Desdemona" in what I'd call the "Dreams" slot, and it works. From "Desdemona" on the show hits its stride. Gregg takes the first solo on keyboard, Derek hovering nearby, then peeling off quick lines. Derek pulls out one sustained note reminiscent of Carlos Santana; then he is soloing over Gregg's keyboard work. The solo brings the crowd to its feet. Warren begins his solo with a direct quote from "My Favorite Things" to the delight of the crowd; the jazzy mid-section of "Desdemona" resembles that song. His solo builds,Oteil joins in, and soon Oteil is pushing Warren with his dexterous, heavy bottom end.

Out of the close to "Desdemona" Butch is off and running on the pounding drum beat that heralds "Mountain Jam." Derek's vamp over the beat has the place resonating; then the twin guitars are glorious as they state the song's central theme. Warren's solo is punctuated by Gregg's organ work; Warren is improvising further and further away from the core melody of the song. Derek takes a solo, then Gregg, then Warren again, Derek joining in with chorded accompaniment. Warren tosses in a "Norwegian Wood" tease; then the band is into a misty space of improv. Oteil steps up, the guitarists are off in dual synchronized exploration. Derek plays something more than a tease of "Little Martha" and Warren joins him as Oteil changes basses. Then the band is into the closing riff of "Mountain Jam"-- a full version arranged to exclude the solo sections of the drums and bass.

The band doesn't leave the stage before the encore; they huddle behind the drums with manager Bert Holman. Then they take their positions and begin a drawn-out opening that eventually turns over to "You Don't Love Me." Derek wails at the top of the neck. Just as the song winds down, rising like a phoenix from its ashes, clear as a bell, the guitarists emerge in that dark murky "Whipping Post" place. Suddenly they are racing along in the latter part of "Whipping Post." Without the bass intro, I don't think the house realizes exactly what is happening. The jam builds in intensity, until it seamlessly turns over into a jam reminiscent of the coda to "Black Hearted Woman." The energy gets higher and higher; then they ease back into the "Whipping Post" space and close the show with a "Whipping Post" style ending. No vocals.

From "Desdemona" on they were firing on all cylinders, and the encore may have been the best thing played all night. On the whole, though, the show did not attain the magic high that some others have. That's a natural consequence when you compare a band to itself. There is no quantifying why; as Bill Ector of the Hittin' the Note magazine tells me the next night, when we discuss this, "Some shows are just better'n others. And I can't say why." But they were playful and exploratory, and for the drummers especially it was a hell of a night.

And if it was the only show you saw this month, you left the building blown away.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
One Way Out
Aint Wastin' Time No More
Statesboro Blues >
Who's Been Talkin'
Black Hearted Woman
Stormy Monday
High Cost of Low Living
Into the Mystic
Can't Lose What You Never Had
Set 2:
Standback
Come and Go Blues
Gambler's Roll
Hot 'Lanta
Rocking Horse >
Afro-Blue >
drums > brief bass solo (Norwegian Wood tease) > returning jam >
No One Left to Run With
Encore: Whipping Post

REVIEW
What a difference a day makes.

You really can't tell by looking at the set list (unless you're as big a sucker for "Afro-Blue as I am). But for some ineffable reason, tonight's show was steeped in the mojo.

As the Sopranos theme fades, the band is making tuning noises that evolve into a spacy opening jam; Warren offers a distinct "Les Brers" tease.. Then they throw the switch on a spot-on "One Way Out," with Warren lighting it up. Then the band eases into "Aint Wastin' Time No More" like you ease into a hot bath. I'm running out of ways to say it-- Derek played good. Then Warren. Warren played good too. Nice and good they played.

A brisk "Statesboro Blues," then Warren launches into the opening blues lines of "Who's Been Talkin'" before "Statesboro" has fully grinded to a close, playing with a stinging clarity. After an extended intro-- with beautiful clear tone-- Warren sings the vocals with authority. Derek plays a counter-melody to Warren's soloing; then, with one extended note, Derek turns Warren's blues playing on its side, and now its Derek's Blues, something totally different and singular. Warren steps up and again cuts like a knife, then back into the vocals. There is an extended fade, the music growing soft-- something they are doing more and more often-- and Derek channels fusion playing over the band's bluesy bed on the fade.

"Black Hearted Woman" is driving; then a change of pace to "Stormy Monday." Warren shines as he takes the final solo; he is obviously feeling it tonight on the blues numbers, totally nailing every blues-based solo that comes around. Gregg turns in a nice vocal on "High Cost of Low Living," with Derek putting the song to bed on his extended closing section. Warren steps to the Mic for a moving "Into the Mystic," and the band closes the set with "Can't Lose What You Never Had." The guitarists play lovely harmony lines, then Warren shreds, again playing clean, driving blues. It is a nice, emphatic set closer. The set is well-paced, and even though it is markedly shorter than the night before, it has that special something going on. The band is totally in the groove, in the "now," from start to finish.

A bouncy "Standback" opens the second set, again featuring nice work from Warren. Derek hits the mark on "Come and Go Blues," then Warren follows and again is deep in the blues pocket. "Gambler's Roll" features a gritty Gregg vocal and some soulful organ playing. Gregg's organ provides the ideal lead-in for Derek's lush notes on his solo.

The band flies through a big, sizzling version of "Hot 'Lanta," which gives way to "Rocking Horse." Warren's solo is almost a duet with Oteil, the two of them trading lines, squared off, leaning into each other. Warren brings his solo section to a crescendo with some fast chording. Then Derek immediately goes off in a Miles Davis kind of direction; his solo begins clearly inspired by the horn players he loves. He is playing over the band with an almost be-bop quality. Then, from nowhere, he totally de-constructs the song as he leans hard on a note while he de-tunes-- warping, distorting the note that hangs in the Beacon air, twisting the song like a Mobeus strip. Then he pulls it back in and is off and running again, now in a more traditional vein. It is one of the most thrilling moments of improvisational guitar playing I have ever witnessed.

The closing note of "Rocking Horse" hangs in the air as the band begins anticipatory riffing. The jamming grows more defined and intense, Derek hinting tentatively at the "Afro-Blue" melody. Then the release comes as the guitars state the "Afro-Blue" theme in harmony. The theme gives way to a Derek solo,and Derek lets loose-- I swear, he almost emotes on stage. I'm sure that he was grimacing on the inside; this was clearly his bag. On Warren's solo, he again trades lines with Oteil; then Warren plays a line that is clearly a kick into hyperdrive, and Oteil instinctively knows to jump in WITH him and play together. Oteil propels Warren on, the band locks in with them. Then the song's theme is re-stated as the drums come to the fore. Then the band winds down and we are into the drum solo. "Afro-Blue" appears to occupy its logical spot in the set-- an "Elizabeth Reed" for the 21st century.

Out of the drums, Oteil offers a "Norwegian Wood" riff. Then Warren joins him and the two of them are improvising over the drums. Derek comes back on, tosses out another "Little Martha" tease (the third I recall hearing this run). Finally the full band is on stage and they dive headlong into "No One Left to Run With." Gregg's vocals re especially strong; the band slides into that Bo Diddley beat, and the guitarists toss in a little "Mountain Jam" tease before the song finishes.

For the encore, Oteil announces "Whipping Post" with a seat-shaking opening riff. The band races headlong through a version of the song that is sheer power and fury. Derek hits a big fat note that hangs in the air; then his solo hits the note as the Beacon is resonating.

Maybe it was the pacing. Maybe it was something in the water. Maybe it was the alignment of the stars. But tonight's show-- even though it was a little short-- had the magic going on. Warren was smoking all night, especially every time there was a blues to be played. And Derek is just indescribable, melding classic jazz influences into the band's sound. And as Butch noted in the guestbook on the band's website, the experimentation with dynamics-- the playing softly with intensity-- continues, and it is thrilling to behold. It is as if the band has spent three years coming together, and now that they have it is time to grow. I did not see that coming. And the prospect is almost a little frightening.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
Every Hungry Woman
Midnight Rider
Firing Line
Woman Across The River
Desdemona
Wasted Words
Who To Believe
Hoochie Coochie Man
Done Somebody Wrong
Set 2:
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Trouble No More
End Of The Line
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad* >
Franklin's Tower* (1)
Need Your Love So Bad
Dreams
Instrumental Illness > drums > bass > Illness
Encore: You Don't Love Me> jam > Will The Circle Be Unbroken (2)
*w/Rob Barraco-Keys
(1) Setlist said "Dreams to Remember" instead of both WDLGTBSS and "Franklin's Tower."
(2) Setlist said "Southbound," with the Deep Banana horns.

REVIEW
After the first show I was worried the band had peaked too soon.

I am no longer worried.

As the final weekend rolls around, the band is doing two things simultaneously-- they are finding, falling into, their "zone."

And, they are growing. They are pushing, poking, expanding beyond that groove even as they hit it, and evolving into something new, pushing against type, experimenting with dynamics. I figured they'd keep getting better. But who thought they'd also GROW?

I also learned something. I learned it no longer makes any difference what the setlist says, what songs they play. Because with the odd exception (say, "Midnight Rider," generally given a reading close to the recorded version) pretty much anything can happen on any song.

Bert introduces the band, and with a minimum of fanfare they are into a thundering "Every Hungry Woman." Taut harmony riffs give way to short, clipped lines. Then more harmony lines, then Derek and Warren playing chords and lines in a 2-guitar attack on the extended outro.

More and more of the songs have these outros. In some cases, the outro is where all the action in the song actually is.

On "Midnight Rider," as usual Warren sticks close to the studio arrangement; the guitar part is no longer a solo per se but part of the song. Still, Warren manages to inject a distinct majesty. "Firing Line" is low-down dirty mean, the nasty intro and Warren's solo perfectly suiting what sounds like a dirtier tone from him tonight. Derek plays a vibrant, stellar solo, then Warren a suitably dirty one.

On "Woman Across the River," Derek packs a wallop early in bursts with short lines between Warren's verses. Derek plays the blues on his solo, then Gregg lays some organ down over a percussive groove. Derek "does a Warren" on his solo, finishing with furious chording, turning the ball over to Warren for some furious singing. Derek is featured again on the outro. As above, these bits-- after the song is over—are among the best bits of the show. This one goes on and on, Oteil throwing down flurries of emphatic notes for Derek to chew on. Then Warren takes the reigns and plays an exclamation point of a solo that reminds us he is, after all, Warren freaking Haynes. He pile-drives the song home.

"Desdemona" is next, and has emerged as a highlight of the set. Gregg plays a short, jazzy solo on the mid-section. Oteil makes himself heard. Then Derek steps up; he has a lot of room, and he's using all of it. His playing is long, slow, building, vibrating, exploring. He's got all the time in the world too. Finally, and not before the music is ready to go there, Derek begins the uphill climb to a point of climax. Then, after that, a soft, gorgeous touchdown for Warren.

Warren cools things down before accelerating to another climax. Then the third solo, this one a voice solo as Gregg grabs back the song for the verse.

"Wasted Words" has a slightly extended bass intro before the band flips into the twin guitar intro blast. Warren plays a fresh, vibrant slide solo that totally inhabits and updates the song. After the song proper, Warren is featured on the outro, then Derek plays rhythm and lead simultaneously. Soon Derek and Warren are trading long, languid lines, sometimes alternating, sometimes at the same time. The outro seems to go on as long as the song. It is a highlight.

On "Who To Believe," Warren's solo begins with a big ringing note that fills the hall. Then he works his way back to the melody as his solo unfolds. On his section-- which seems like an outro for a moment but is not-- Derek slides out deliberate notes over Warren's chording; then leading back into the verse, Derek makes the sky cry. As a friend says, "Haynes's rhythm work underneath Derek's solo is the whole thing."

Warren begins the "Hoochie Coochie Man" slide duel. The guitarists take two turns each. Derek earns an ovation on his final salvo as Warren turns toward the band to cue them in on the song proper. The opening riff of the song gives way to more Derek lead work, the band picking up the vibe behind him. Warren plays a dirty rice solo, the band whips up some red beans in his wake.

"Done Somebody Wrong" is a jaunty set closer after the "Hoochie Coochie" bomb. Derek solos over the band, but it’s that stop-time groove that's got your ass shaking.

After the set everyone is looking at each other. "That totally rocked, right?" Right.

The band opens the second set with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Derek is clearly beginning to "feel" this song; it shows in his melodic articulation of the singer's story. Next up, a brisk "Trouble No More." Then Warren treats us to more of that nasty riffing, propelling "End of the Line." On the outro Derek plays over that dirty bottom, then the guitarists trade lines. Warren shines on the hard gritty edge of the song, his dirty tone just perfect.

Rob Barraco comes out, and the band calls an audible, repeating the medley from night two. "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad?" is a great song for Warren vocally. Derek takes the first solo and you can almost hear the dominoes falling. Then the verse again, and Warren plays a beautiful, ringing solo. Barraco's solo, typically joyous, is actually the transition to "Franklin's Tower," as he is playing that song over the band's "WDLGTBSS" riffing. Derek is still flying over the top of it all. Then Warren strums the chords to go with Barraco's keyboards, Oteil steps to the mic, and the place goes nuts. Derek's solo on "Franklin's Tower" perfectly blends the two songs; Barraco spats lines of joy across Derek's soloing like Jackson Pollack. Out of the verse Oteil points at Baracco for a solo, and Baracco lays out some happy playing, then double-times it, and the band fills quickly in. It is release on top of release. Then Warren takes a solo, and Barraco keeps going underneath like its Ithaca '77. (Dead reference.) Whew. Highlight. No kidding.

The band ratchets down the energy with "Need Your Love So Bad." Derek is fire and ice on his solo; Warren is a long boil. Gregg is singing the hell out of this song like it is 1979. The guy behind me leans forward to ask me, "How many different ways can you write 'they f***ing rock!"? It is becoming a challenge.

"Dreams" is up next, and tonight is Derek's turn. While I am as big a Warren Haynes fan as you're wont to find, Derek is practically genetically engineered to play this song. It is as perfect a match of song and instrumentalist as any in rock. On the solo section Derek pulls you inward, and suddenly the experience becomes a profoundly personal one, maybe even a spiritual one. You go where you go...

...and then Derek is picking up steam, he begins to pull you back from that space. Your head sways from side to side, you softly smile.

In time, Derek falls into the riff that marks the solo's end and the band is back into waltz time. It is just immense, a hell of a piece of musical work by this band. There is some exploration out of the end as the song is done, until it settles into the proper musical space for Oteil to launch the bass rumble that heralds "Instrumental Illness." Oteil shines on the early section. Derek solos, pushing the limits of the song's time signature. Wherever he goes, Oteil and the drummers find, stick to that 16-note beat. Derek varies the cycle. He plays faster. Slower. Throws out different feels. Whatever he does, the song's core riff bends-- but never breaks.

Twin guitars state the theme, then jazzy bass interlude. Warren takes a solo over a Marc Quinones conga and cymbal beat; now Marc is driving the song. It is almost a Warren/Marc duet. Then back to the riff, and then drums. The drum solo is oddly mesmerizing tonight. Butch tosses in his "The Other One" rhythm about midway through, and the other drummers jump on it. Finally there is a full stop, then Oteil is playing sweet melodic bass lines that evolve into "Little Martha." He plays a minute or so of the beginning part of the song, then begins rhythmic vamping that inevitably makes its way back to the song's core riff as the band returns. Then Oteil solos, over the band before propelling the song to a close.

The band begins a jam that isn't sure at first whether it wants to be "Southbound" or "You Don't Love Me" but quickly resolves itself into the opening jam to the latter. They move into the song, and then Derek peels off a stinging solo over a great Oteil groove. Gregg sings, then a Warren slide solo-- this is "You Don't Love Me" with a "Southbound" rollicking hot potato quality-- Gregg sings again, Derek solos, then Gregg vocals, then Warren on ferocious slide. There is a jam at song's end; Warren gives us a "Norwegian Wood" tease, the guitarists solo together a bit, then Derek solos accompanied by aggressive Warren chording. The guitarists play ringing lead lines that are reminiscent of many of the songs in the band's catalog, yet which are none of them. Finally they pull it in and Warren leads the band into an instrumental version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," Warren soloing throughout, Derek soloing underneath. Then the full band brings song and show to a glorious, triumphant close.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
Can't Lose What You Never Had
No One To Run With
Statesboro Blues
Rocking Horse
Good Clean Fun
Old Before My Time
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
Leave My Blues At Home
One Way Out*
Set 2:
Mountain Jam > drums >
Walk On Gilded Splinters
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
The Same Thing#
Don't Think Twice@
High Cost of Low Living >
Mountain Jam (conclusion)
Encore: I've Got Dreams to Remember^, Southbound^#@
*w/Leroy Parnell- Slide
#w/Danny Louis
@w/Susan Tedeschi- Guitar and Vocals
^w/Deep Banana Blackout Horns

REVIEW
We have reached the point now where criticism, per se, is just wholly subjective. "Don't worry, we'll get better," Warren joked when I complained the opening night was too good.

Who knew?

The show begins a little on the late side, at 8:30, with Bert acknowledging the 35th anniversary in his introduction. "Can't Lose What You Never Had," a fine first set closer earlier in the run, is also a fine set opener. Derek's cutting licks ride atop Warren's insistent rhythm playing, lightly under the verse, then to the fore between the singing. Then Warren's concise solo brings the song to a high octane finish.

Then "No One to Run With," a solid 1-2 opening that clearly pleases the crowd. Warren tosses off the song's Bo Diddley chords as Derek plays against them. On "Statesboro Blues," Derek's solo late in the song is especially transcendent.

"Rocking Horse" is up next. Warren begins his solo section with a feedback-drenched note. Playing off of Oteil, he moves from chords to bleeding, blistering notes. For his solo, Derek uses some jazzy chording to establish a space, then when he's satisfied he plays a blues-based lead that he winds down, then he's peeling off slightly dissonant lines as he builds and builds again. Oteil goes deeper, dropping the bottom down a flight of stairs on Derek, who's fingers are now a blur as he flies across the fretboard, filling the house with line after line. Then Derek, Warren and Oteil all fall into harmonic playing, and the band slams back into the song.

Tonight "Rocking Horse" gives way to "Good Clean Fun," one of the better songs it is paired with; the band seems to like to launch right into something out of the last stinging off-kilter note of the song. "Good Clean Fun" is propelled by Warren's fine rhythm playing. Derek takes a solo, with Warren adding guitar harmony to it; Gregg solos on the organ over the outro, then Derek joins in, then Warren, chording, pushing the jam on. It is pure nasty groove.

This band puts guitars-- and solos and lead playing-- so much to the fore that sometimes the classic rhythm playing can get overlooked. Warren is one of the finest rhythm players doing this kind of music, and on many songs-- this one, "No One to Run With"-- it is his rhythm guitar that pushes the band, lays down the groove that defines the song and gives the others the melodic riffing to lock onto.

On "Old Before My Time," Warren's solo tells the song's story with heartfelt melodic resonance; Derek offers up a tasty lick before the vocal close. This song is almost a folk song.

"Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" is next, a vehicle for the kind of extended improvisational dynamic work that has peppered this run and become one of the most exciting places in the show. Derek and Oteil lay the bottom down as Warren sings, then Warren takes that solo of his, playing over Oteil, totally nailing the blues, straining against the song's lockstep rhythmic groove. Then back into the vocals, and Warren stops playing as Derek lays tasty guitar lines over Warren's "I go home witchoo." Derek hits a long, sustained note, then moves into fat, snaky slide lines. Warren plays a counter-melody to Derek, pushing the song into a faster time signature with his chording, and the band falls in behind him. Now Derek is playing an entirely new solo, glass flying against string. Finally Warren steps forward, the signal for the band to snap back into the song's core riff, a nifty feat of ensemble derring do. Warren sings the final verse, Derek playing soft glassy lines over his vocal fade. For a moment it is just Derek, quiet as a mouse, licks that hint at the entire song; then Derek, Warren and Oteil wrap around the riff that brings the song to an end. Highlight.

"Leave My Blues at Home" features a guitar duel of short lines passed quickly back and forth on the outro. Then Warren brings up Leroy Parnell, who immediately lays down some pure Allmans slide. All three guitar players swap slide lines as if of a single mind; Derek grins at Parnell, who is clearly having a blast. There is a brief three-man blues interlude, then Derek takes the final, extended pre-song solo before the band rolls into "One Way Out." It is a slide orgy; holy geez, now there are THREE of them! It is almost too much of a good thing. Almost. Finally the song brings the set to a high-energy end.

Butch and Derek do their thing as the second set begins, Butch's Big Beat heralding the arrival of Mountain Jam. Derek dances around the beat, states the song's theme in his riffage, then backs away from it, back into the dance. Warren joins the riff fest, and then the two of them state the song's theme. Derek takes a solo over Gregg and the drums, with the occasional dab of Oteil; one of the band's dynamic tricks is that as a 7-piece, they can choose at any time to be a trio, quartet, etc. Warren begins playing, joining Derek on the solo. Gregg is up next, laying down some nice organ work with Oteil flying underneath. Warren takes a solo that he builds to just short of frenetic, and then he just stays there, letting the tension mount. Derek joins, and both guitarists play big hanging notes that guide the music down to the drum solo section.

In the middle of the drum solo there is a distinct shift in the beat, as the rest of the band is returning to the stage, and they have just segued into "Walk On Gilded Splinters," which opens with drums. Somehow, though, you are pretty sure you have not heard the last of "Mountain Jam."

Derek's solo finds the place where gumbo and blues slide meet. You can see Warren visibly enjoying Derek's playing. Bearing witness to the evolution of this song since opening night-- watching this band take command of a new song-- is truly a thing to behold.

On "Aint Wastin' Time No More," Derek fills your head with an oddly deep, dark wistfulness that is, if you think about it, the essence of the blues. Indeed he comes in blue, but he finishes radiating light. Danny Louis joins the band for "The Same Thing;" his presence is probably responsible for the song staying a little closer to earth tonight, but it is no less powerful. Warren solos out of his fierce vocals; the band is percolating on schedule, right up into the Oteil bass solo that usually flips the song into a funk space. Oteil plays an extended solo over the drum section, then the band slams back into the song. Warren looks at Louis, who plays some barrelhouse piano on his solo. Derek sidles over and urges him on; the song stays in the blues pocket but nonetheless smokes.

Ms. Susan Tedeschi Trucks saunters onstage to lead the band through "Don't Think Twice." The band is still as Derek plays the opening salvo of the song, plays to his wife, with just one drummer providing sparse percussion in the background to augment Susan's light strumming. Susan steps to the mic and again, the crowd is hers. Derek's solo is a thing of beauty, and no one is digging it more than Susan. Susan's powerful bluesy singing brings the song around-- again, this is for all intents and purposes a duet-- and as she wraps up the vocals, Derek winks at her. Then he gets a kiss on the cheek and she is gone. For me, this song is always a highlight. If you aren't happy now, you've never been in love.

On "High Cost of Low Living," Derek's fat tone accentuates Gregg's emotive singing between the verse lines. Derek plays slide and Warren chords in unison, between and underneath Gregg's vocals. Then Derek is squeezing out glassy, goopy lines. Warren takes a solo in a call-and-response with Derek. There are no bird calls, but the playing is definitely avian. Warren is chording at the top of the neck, and he, Derek and Oteil bring the song sweetly home. This interlude-- the second half of "High Cost," the part after the vocals are done-- is a musical highlight.

The band doesn't quite stop playing, though. Out of "High Cost" they are back into "Mountain Jam," and now, indeed, there are bird calls. Finally the guitars play the stately march part of the second half of the song, Derek takes a solo that has him working from high to low end of the fretboard. He is ringing the bell, meandering further and further away from the core riff; Warren is too. Finally they fall into step, again Derek's slide and Warren's chords, with Warren periodically tossing in licks instead. The music is huge, resonant. Derek slows; Warren adds accents as the two of them guide the music to a graceful touchdown on a hanging Warren note. Then Derek goes back into the main theme of the song, Butch is pounding away, and band is driving it home.

For the encore, Rob Somerville and B Smith from Deep Banana Blackout join for Warren's deeply soulful reading of "Dreams to Remember," the Otis Redding song. The horns are spot on and lend a nice authentic Staxx/Volt tinge to the proceedings. At song's end Derek plays wispy lines that are just barely there, as Warren retreats from the mic; Derek continues his elusive lines over the horns on a soft, exquisite fade. Then everyone (but Parnell) is on for the inevitable stomp, "Southbound." There is a great, driving Derek/Warren rhythm, Danny Louis adds more roadhouse piano over the chorus. The horns, then Susan, get a solo spot; Derek beams as Susan plays. Gregg takes off, then joined by Louis; then an all out romp, then horns, and finally a rip-roaring Warren solo brings the night to a close.

On the one hand, I maybe liked the night before better. On the other, I prefer two fives to a ten.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
Black Hearted Woman
Trouble No More
Don't Keep Me Wondering
Worried Down With The Blues
Midnight Rider
Stand Back
Hoochie Coochie Man
Stormy Monday
Elizabeth Reed > drums > bass > Elizabeth Reed
Set 2:
Don't Want You No More>
It's Not My Cross To Bear
You Don't Love Me*
Woman Across The River
Soulshine
Done Somebody Wrong# (no Derek)
Dreams
Instrumental Illness
Encore: Whipping Post
*w/Deep Fried (Matt Abts-drums, Johnny Neel-harp, Brian Stoltz- guitar)
#w/Leroy Parnell- Guitar

REVIEW
By acclimation, Saturday night is the show of the run... so far.

Sitting by the soundboard, I scan the setlist, and am somewhat disheartened that so many of the songs are the old ones. Soon, though, I remember the lesson: it matters not what they play; almost anything can happen on almost any song.

The opener, "Black Hearted Woman," bears this out. The band is fast out of the gate; as usual, the outro jam is driven home with as much intensity as the song itself. It is a stinging version, with a full frontal Warren attack on his solo; both guitarists are soaring frenetically over that outro jam.

A quick "Trouble No More" is followed by "Don't Keep Me Wondering,"highlighted by some nice Derek slide work. "Worried Down With the Blues" features some forceful, downright sorrowful vocals from Warren; Derek plays
a powerful slide solo, then Warren answers with a clean, stinging solo of his own. You begin to feel Oteil on the bottom. Back into the verse; then Derek is peeling off high, pained notes. Warren joins him and the two guitarists bring the song to an emphatic close.

"Midnight Rider" is next, always popular with the crowd. Then "Standback;"Derek and Oteil are prominent, like rubber and liquid glass respectively. Warren riffs underneath Derek's airy soloing; the song is a bouncy, jaunty romp.

Warren steps forward for the first slide attack on the intro to "Hoochie Coochie Man." Warren's solo piece is a blues throwdown; Derek's response is a melodic exploration. He passes the baton back to Warren with a heavy, shaky, emphatic note. Warren plays some more cat gut blues; then Derek deploys a fat bluesy tone even though he isn't quite playing the blues.
Derek builds, Warren brings in the band, the music swells headlong into that driving riff. As with all good Allman Brothers shows, the drummers are locked in and propulsive. Derek poses some questions with his lead lines; Warren provides chorded answers; the band is back into the insistent beat of the song. Oteil is flying in, around, across, under the verse. Powerful.

"Stormy Monday" is the perfect change of pace after the "Hoochie" assault. Gregg is totally feeling it on the opening organ swells, melding with Warren's playing of that classic chord progression. Derek's licks are tasteful, moving from minor to major with the song. Gregg evokes vintage Ray Charles on the vocals; more than a few people comment that his singing
is the best it has been in years (and the more astute listener might say the same about his keyboard playing.)

As the band segues into the solo sections you wonder how such a sad song can have the capacity to make you so damned happy. You realize it has something to do with the articulation of your pain, the sharing of it, then the dissipation of it. Derek is playing a jazzy solo, then a bluesy slide solo; the transition seamless, Gregg's church organ insistent underneath. The
drummers are driving the song, yet restrained; only veterans can deploy so ginger a touch. Oteil picks up the pace for Gregg's keyboard solo, and the band follows; then Warren plays a solo that cuts like a hot knife through butter. It is the deep, deep blues; it taps into the wellspring of pain and salvation that makes you go get too drunk on Saturday night, then show up at church Sunday morning, all in one package, because these are two sides of the same coin. The crowd expresses its collective pleasure as Gregg sings the post-solo vocals. Clearly, this and "Hoochie" are highlights.

From the closing notes of "Stormy Monday," "Elizabeth Reed" emerges. The drummers' work is especially noteworthy, with some Derek exploration going on; he is testing the waters, then pulls the band into a transitional jam that meanders deliberately over to the "Elizabeth Reed" space. There is a momentary full stop, then the classic rhythm and lines that presage the song's entrance. Derek is playing long, languid lines while Warren plays that moody chording that gives the song much of its feel. Derek is filling space with the size, if not the number, of his notes. Finally the guitars hit the twin guitar theme.

Derek takes the first solo, Warren chooses not to play. It is this kind of decision that marks the band these days; it is OK that sometimes less is more. The drums come to the fore as Derek goes be-bop, the two sounds intertwining. The band follows Derek's lead, playing with less fury, leaving more space. Warren starts his solo precisely where Derek ends his,
but soon moves back to the traditional soloist/band dynamic of this song. The pace picks back up; Derek adds lines to Warren's solo. Then Gregg solos, then Warren starts again, with drums backing him but not much else. He starts slowly, but soon he is unfolding bursts on a long, hot, sweaty solo. Finally we descend to the drum solo. Jaimoe and Butch are pounding
and flailing away; soon Marc joins in, adding that high end Latin feel to the top of the drumming ensemble. Butch seems to be possessed tonight.

Oteil hits a single note at the same time the drum solo ends; then he is silent a beat, two, three before moving to his solo. Oteil scatters notes, first jazz-inflected, then he flips over to funk. Soon he is riffing with the drums. The band returns to the stage, and plays the shortest of conclusions to the song. It is a hell of a way to send you off to intermission.

The drum solo in the first set makes the set longer, to be sure, but I believe it makes the second set more urgent and impactful, and has a positive impact on the show's pacing.

As the band goes onstage for the second set, I catch Warren's attention. "After the first show," I tell him, rushing my words, "I said I was worried that you were peaking too soon, and you promised you'd get better--" He doesn't need to hear the rest of where I was going. He shoots me a knowing, wily smile. "Nicely done," I manage to stammer out.

The second set picks up where the first set ends, and pushes you over the edge.

Gregg is a force instrumentally on "Don't Want You No More," a great vehicle for his creative soloing. Then Warren takes the band into the bluesy territory of "Not My Cross to Bear," playing sweet licks under Gregg's growling of the verses. Derek's lead section features glassier lines. The band goes into the mist after the song ends, perhaps to give the guests time
to set up; the drummers play triplets, and eventually the band emerges on the vamp that precedes "You Don't Love Me." Matt Abts is on a kit; Johnny Neel is to Oteil's right on harp, and Brian Stoltz is set up between Derek and Gregg on guitar.

Neel plays a killer harp solo; then he and Derek are soloing together over the pre-theme. Warren joins, and the two guitars and harp are playing in unison as the band is finally on the "You Don't Love Me" riff. Neel keeps blazing through Gregg's verse, then takes the first solo. Then Stoltz takes an extremely tasty, tasteful solo. Then Derek's solo leads back into
Gregg's vocals. Out of the verses Stoltz again acquits himself nicely; then another vocal section with Neel blowing away. Derek trades licks with, against the band's riff, on to a climactic, grinding wind down. Stellar guest spots; highlight.

What happens next is transcendent.

Warren leads the band into "Woman Across the River." his vocals are strong, as usual; this song is already a set highlight whenever it is included. Derek plays a furious solo, then back to the vocals. Somehow, the band seems huge. The music is on top of you, it is getting on you, all over you, seeping inside you, oozing out of your pores. Usually you go to a show, and
even when its good, its you in your seat, the band onstage, the music in the hall. Nuh uh. Now the music feels like it is coming from inside you, and you feel Derek's soaring, masterful solo, and then his and Warren's sweet trade-off, as if they are coming from inside you, like your heartbeat. The music is now playing you, occupying you. All you can do is smile as you rock back and forth.

On and on they go, the two guitarists; meanwhile Oteil's back is to the crowd, as he locks step with the drum section. The band is running and running like someone spooked a horse. Finally, bam! The song is hammered home to a close.

After where we've just been-- still are-- "Soulshine" seems almost redundant. They're not supposed to be able to do what they just did on a blues. Derek's flying lines do indeed make the sun shine, but on this song, at this point, it seems almost too easy. On "Woman" they crossed a threshold, and the rest of the night (indeed the next two nights) there was no going back.

LeRoy Parnell, who was apparently dissatisfied (wrongly) with his playing the night before, brought his own gear tonight; by the way, he is the nicest, humblest gentleman you could ask to meet. He plugs in, with Derek leaving the stage, for "Done Somebody Wrong." Parnell immediately tears off a solo with perfect intensity. His slide work is perfect, and in mid-song
he and Warren lean together as they both wail away over the band's stop-time.

Next up is "Dreams," and it is a Warren night. Derek offers a brief solo between Gregg's verses. Then Warren takes us away, masterfully handling the solo section, and you lose time because suddenly the band is back in waltz tempo for the song's finish. I cannot write about the "Dreams" solos, because when they are on the money, they take you away someplace. Suffice it to say, away I went.

Then Oteil lays down the opening thunder that has come to mean "Instrumental Illness." The sections and solos are unveiled in driving sequence. Again the listener is awash, going with the flow. Warren plays a solo that brings you to earth even as he pulls you out of your seat. He reminds you that this is a Saturday night show-- in all its splendor. The band comes to a full stop, then Oteil is off on the coltish romp through the song's signature bass line.

There is nothing more Saturday night than hearing the opening rumble of "Whipping Post" in a hot sweaty New York theater. Tonight the music has washed over, transported, transformed me. I could not ask for a better encore than the pure release that is "Whipping Post."

There is a tease of a tease of "My Favorite Things" in Derek's solo. Derek is using the entire neck, tripping out the familiar "Whipping Post" to something... more. Suddenly the frenetic soloing becomes a mad group dash back to the verse. Warren's solo is pure release; pure, sex-drenched release. The band then crashes headlong into the stop that precedes the
final verse, and Gregg's singing and the subsequent instrumental stretch puts an exclamation point on the evening.

I had come in sore and overtired. I bound out into the night bathed in joy. I positively reek music. I run into friends in and around the beacon; hugs abound.

Some day, when I want to remember just why live music is so special, I will think back to this night.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top

Set 1:
No One Left To Run With
Ain't Wasting Time No More
Statesboro Blues
Rockin' Horse
Every Hungry Woman
I've Been Loving You Too Long (1)
Same Thing (1,2,7)
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (1,2)
Revival
Set 2:
Dreams
Firing Line
Who's Been Talking (3)
44 Blues (3)
Hot 'lanta
Feel So Bad (1,4,5,)
Into The Mystic (1)
Southbound (1,2,6)
encores:
Mountain Jam>
Afro Blue>
The Circle Will Be Unbroken>
Mountain Jam

1. Asbury Juke Horns
2. Danny Lewis-Keys
3. Hubert Sumlin-Guitar
4. Susan Tedeschi
5. Mike Mattison-Vocals
6. Mike Gordon-Bass
7. Jeff "Tain" Watts- Drums

Review
Kirk tells me before the show that "according to Haynes, last night was the best of the run-- and unless something goes wrong, tonight will be even better." 

After the joyous colors the band had painted across the Manhattan sky on Saturday, you had to figure the closing show was going to be the cherry on the sundae-- not quite a let down, but maybe a sort of easing off. Getaway day.

You'd be wrong. Very wrong.

After some extended tuning that was entertaining in itself, the show starts on the upbeat with a blast of "No One Left to Run With." The band rocks hard over the bed of Gregg's keyboards. Warren is especially creative on his solo, and when the band locks into that Bo Diddley beat is there is glory in simplicity. Derek's solo work is riveting on "Aint Wastin' Time No More." Gregg's keyboard solo on "Statesboro Blues" is an early highlight. It is an upbeat but easygoing 1-2-3 punch to open the show.

Warren busts out one final "Rocking Horse," and things get less easygoing in a hurry. He plays a particularly ripping solo; after the hand-off, Derek plays some jazzy chords, then stops time for a moment, you drop to your knees, and then he's off and running again. "Every Hungry Woman" keeps the adrenalin pumping. 

The Asbury Jukes horns-- with several familiar faces from the Conan O'Brien show; a 5-piece horn section-- take the stage and the band slows things down with "Loving You Too Long," something of a curve ball given that they'd been featuring "Dreams to Remember" from the Otis Redding song book this run. The horn lines are outstanding. Warren belts out soulful vocals as the horns swell, then a horn section break; their sound is full and punchy, the charts beautifully arranged. After a second round of vocals Derek steps up for a solo, then he's trading voices with the horns, who are now doing more improvising. Back into the verse, Derek accenting Warren's singing, with the horns providing counterpoint.

Danny Louis joins the party for "The Same Thing;" Jeff "Tain" Watts is sitting in on drums for Jaimoe (Starbucks run?) The riff to the song is big and brassy, and Warren is directing traffic, pointing to Louis for the first solo. Louis is all over the keyboards in a soulful romp. The ball is tossed to the horns for a sax solo (Eddie Manion?); then the full section joins him. Derek's lead lines take the song back to the verse, which in turn gives way to yet another horn interlude. Then Oteil grabs the reins for his funk workout, staying in the pocket created by the horns. Then Oteil throws it back to Warren with a nod, and Warren passes the ball back to the horns. It is as if the music is moving around and around, each player or section grabbing it, adding to it and passing it on. The horn players trade lines, then Derek solos over furious Warren chording that brings the song to a forceful close. As usual, it is a highlight.

Next, Jaimoe returns and the horn section plays oddly southern, almost dissonant lines that announce "Dixie." "Virgil, come quick," sings Derek on guitar during the solo break. It has been a treat hearing this song become an Allman Brothers song over the course of the run, in no small part due to Derek's empathetic soloing. Danny Louis plays a nice tinkly solo, Gregg sings the verse for all its worth, Derek chimes.

"Revival" is the perfect set closer, the band going long on the "People can you feel it, love is everywhere" part. The people can feel it.

The second set opens with a gift-- one more Derek "Dreams." If it is less dramatic for its placement in the setlist, it is no less transportive. The song ends on a fat hanging note, Butch segueing into a heavy drum beat. Then the band stops momentarily and starts up again, and it is "Firing Line." Warren's nasty riffing creates a tug of war with Gregg's snarling vocals. Warren plays a slide solo that fills the hall; Derek shines on the outro.

What follows is a true treat for the hard core Allmans or blues fan. I'd seen it on the setlist (love those seats behind the soundboard), but knowing it was coming does not adequately prepare you for the sheer impact of actually seeing-- and hearing. Warren introduces Hubert Sumlin and brings him to the stage, where he sets up-- perfect!-- right next to Derek. Sumlin-- the hat, the suit, the tie, those fingers-- looks perfect. He was Howlin' Wolf's guitar player, he's 73, and he played on the originals of both tunes he sits in on. First, the band rolls into "Who's Been Talkin'." Sumlin begins by playing rhythm, then he adds tasteful licks over Warren's vocals. Sumlin is true old school blues; he tosses in the familiar riff from the Otis Rush song "For the Love," basically played by spelling out the notes formed by an A minor chord, sort of "da-DA da-DEE da-DA da-DEE-da." It is a classic blues lick, and years melt away as he lays it into the Allman mix. Warren sings the next verse, and as Derek takes a lead Sumlin sits. Hubert Sumlin and Derek Trucks. Together. It is just too perfect. Sumlin's smile is a mile wide as Derek plays the blues; Derek isn't exactly hating it either. On the song's instrumental mid-section, Warren makes the improvisational decision not to play, and the flame is turned down to a soft simmer as Derek and Sumlin are trading licks, coaxing subtle lines from each other from across the years. Warren lays in some judicious lines, Sumlin plays that old lick again, riffing off of it. Warren sings the verse again, then Sumlin teases out gentle licks over light drums. Derek joins, then Oteil fuels the seamless flip to the "Forty-Four" riff.

The whole band, following Sumlin's lead, is a model of restraint, even on Warren's vocals. You hear ringing, Chicago blues solo lines, and you don't have to look to know it is Sumlin, those big old fingers deliberately playing that guitar like it is an extension of his joyful, hurtful soul. Sumlin is hardly there, but as present as can be. Warren is digging into the vocals now, then the band is gently swinging, Derek and Sumlin trading lines, then all three guitars in unison wrapped around the song's drunken riff, then trading licks. Sumlin's playing has that wobbly quality that reminds you of old cartoons and scratchy records, in a very good way. After the final vocal section there is a great extended outro, and the song, finally at end, is a musical delicacy. The old man's deft touch speaks volumes about where this band is today-- and where they can go, how they can age with dignity and grace without sacrificing a thing. God bless Hubert Sumlin. And thank you guys for what may well be a once-in-a-lifetime treat.

"Hot 'Lanta" is up next, upbeat, hard, driving, Gregg again shining on this instrumental vehicle.

The horns, Mike Mattison from Derek's band, and the missus, Susan Tedeschi, join the band for a sprightly run-through of "Feel So Bad" that is pure Staxx-Volt. Mattison grabs the vocals by the throat, then Susan plays a stinging solo that brings applause from the crowd and a proud smile from Derek. Derek, indeed, cannot hide his deep love for her, and he beams as he looks from her to the applauding crowd and back.

Gregg sings a verse, then a sax solo and the horn section kicks in. Mattison sings a verse, the band locked now into a deep tight groove, the drummers totally in the pocket. Then Derek wails over Susan and Warren on rhythm. Gregg sings the last of the vocals; the groove on the outro-- 5 horns, 3 guitars, 3 drums, bass, keyboards-- is awesome to behold.

A gloriously melodic space overture leads into Warren's beautiful reading of "Into the Mystic." He strums the chords as the horns spice up and lend some brass to the song's melody.

Danny Louis returns, and Mike Gordon replaces Oteil, for the barnstomping set closer, the inevitable "Southbound." Oteil locks with the horns; it is, like "Same Thing," a hot potato song, everyone gets a turn to shine.

Like I said, those soundboard seats afford a peek at the setlist. This is what is listed as the encore:

Mountain Jam
Afro-Blue
Mountain Jam

It is a fitting, thrilling close to what has probably been the most exciting week of music of my life. Derek does his sweet dance over Butch's trademark beat, then plays at the "Mountain Jam" theme. Warren and Derek are reveling in the song's harmony lines. Derek solos, then Warren with Derek providing counter-melody. Then Derek flies over Warren's chorded grounding. Gregg takes off on an organ excursion. Then Warren plays what seems like a "Birdland" tease; but soon it is clear that the band has fallen in behind him and it is a full-on excerpt from "Birdland. Not a "tease;" more a "taste." Derek is immediately on it with him; the band follows. First Warren is riffing the "Birdland" theme, then once the band gets the message he is strumming the melody over general organized chaos. It is the perfect solution to the problem of how to get to "Afro-Blue." The jam shifts underneath Warren, and when it is time, the guitars state the theme to "Afro-Blue." The segue is remarkably smooth and well-executed, and "Afro-Blue," though not immediately recognizable to all, continues to grow as the perfect vehicle for this band. The guitarists state the theme together and the sound is pure classic Allman Brothers twin harmony guitar. Even though the song is totally new to the set, the song fits this band like a pair of old shoes. Soon Derek is off and running, tossing in what must be the tenth "My Favorite Things" tease of the run. Derek's extended workout races to a breakneck climax. 

The guitars restate the instrumental theme, using it as a transitional riff to pass the solo baton to Warren. Warren creates some jazzy, hanging-note space, then improvises off the core theme. He plays some stinging signature Warren Haynes licks over just drums, the three-man percussion section totally simpatico with his vibe. Then the music slows, and suddenly the band has taken a smooth turn into the gospel blues of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." (prediction: before the summer is over, Gregg sings this sucker.) It is unmistakable, deliberate, wrung out for all it is worth. And it is, like "Birdland," the perfect solution to the question of the segue on the setlist. The guitarists take turns playing with, then against, the melody, which leads into an extended finale which melts away, and the "Mountain Jam" licks emerge, Butch and the drummers underneath. Back into the song's close-- no drum solo tonight-- and these seven men bring the show, and the run, to an explosive, decisive, emphatic close.

********

Afterward, after this show for the ages, but after nine great shows comprising one long work of art, all you want to do is say thank you. You go back stage to say goodbye to your friends, and by chance you run into Derek Trucks and his lovely bride on their way out. "Hey man," you manage to say to Derek, "I just want to say thank you." He stops, looks you in the eye, takes your hand with both of his. "No, man. Thank YOU." 

What is he, kidding? But no. Because that's who these guys are.

Reviewer: Josh Chasin
Back to Top