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The Allman Brothers At The Beacon – A Review

23 Mar

Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks - Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images North America

When you go see a band like the Allman Brothers, a band that plays with effortless technical proficiency, it is easy to make the assumption that you will hear excellent music. There is no doubt about that. But it would be a wide misconception to believe that the music will not be tinged with passion. Even with several dates at the Beacon Theatre, The Allman Brothers vary set-lists and demonstrate true fervent blues playing, without jeopardizing what made them a great band in the first place, pure talent.

The Beacon Theatre is a perfect venue for the Brothers. It maintains the feel of an old city playhouse with its intricate wall designs and large statues. The venue shoots you back in time. The vintage playhouse juxtaposed wonderfully with the Allman Brothers ode to blues that became a pervasive force in Tuesday night’s set-list.

The concert began with “Statesboro Blues,” a blues staple written by Blind Willie McTell turned into a huge Allman Brothers hit. The band came out immediately on fire with a wall-of-sound that combined Gregg Allman‘s voice with the three-man percussion brigade and Trucks and Haynes’ guitar work.

This was my first time seeing the Allman Brothers and I was unsure how Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes balanced the skill that both have. Haynes played rhythm for most of the night, but shared some solos with Derek on extended jams. Haynes’ voice never tired through the show, which was good because Gregg Allman faded as the show went on.

Allman’s lack of participation in the show was my only complaint. He sat behind the piano/keyboard for the entirety of the show and sang only a few times. Allman does have the best voice of the bunch. When he did call and response with Haynes, Allman won the vocal chops battle. Luckily, Allman picked an excellent band to support him, and they did for the majority of the show.

The band played nine songs during the first set, including a jazzy rendition of “The Weight” which included Steve Molitz on keys and Rich Robinson on guitar. Molitz, for those who don’t remember, was actually featured on this blog before with his side project Headtronics. He is an excellent keyboard player and it was awesome to see him live. (Check out that post here: https://musiccourt.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/open-your-mind-for-headtronics/)

A classic rendition of Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell” dominated the first set. It was not only an ode to a favorite blues musician, but, it displayed the wide range of musical talent that the band shares. Joining the Allman Brothers on stage was the Juke Horns, a group of talented horn players. They provided a wave of sound that complimented the backbone guitar riff. It was a bluesy rendition that blew the top off the Beacon.

The jams were on target all night and Trucks did an excellent job leading guests into solos and then whipping them at the solo game. During a lengthy jam, Trucks paired himself against Haynes and guest guitarist Tom Guarna in a three-way guitar duel, that Trucks won hands down. He is an astounding slide guitarist and a worthy successor to Duane Allman, who was honored along with Berry Oakley at the closing visual slideshow.

By the way, Derek Trucks totally teased “Norwegian Wood” in his solo for “Jessica” which was hilarious and awesome.

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The Allman Brothers at the Beacon

22 Mar

Catching an Allman Brother’s show at the Beacon Theater in New York City is more of an unpredictable event than a concert. While the band does entertain with music, the set-list through the Brother’s string of 13 Beacon shows constantly changes and you never know who will join them on stage. The band, consisting of Gregg Allman, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Jaimoe Johanson, Marc Quiñones, Oteil Burbridge, is tremendously talented. Every member has an immense musical library in their head that allows them to effectively jam through numerous complicated blues songs effortlessly. The Allman Brothers are the band to see if you want to witness musical proficiency.

Tonight will be my first time seeing the Allman Brothers and I am not sure why it has taken me so long to buy tickets for a show. Perhaps it is because it seems like they will always be a staple for their double-digit concert tour in New York City. No rush if they continue coming back. But, I do also feel that the band is just simply underrated and understated. All classic rock fans know the Allman Brothers, but only few dedicated fans truly know their music. Unlike the Dead, the Allman Brothers have a smaller following even though their music is jam blues/country rock at its finest. The untimely death of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley did not effect the band immediately. They were still one of the biggest draws. The band absolutely fell apart in 1976 because of conflict, therefore not perpetuating their music until they were reformed by Allman in 1989. This 13-year lapse did not help their popularity, and because of this they are still somewhat flying under the radar and not getting the credit that they absolutely deserve.

The last time the band played on March 22 at the Beacon Theater was in 2007. The last song of set II was “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” one of my personal favorites. Here it is for your listening pleasure:

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Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan

19 Nov

Let’s get this straight. Bob Dylan is a musical legend, but his skills have certainly diminished over the years…and drug use. He is an iconic figure of musical intuition and perseverance, a man that is more of an idol than an actual living, breathing performer. So, when you get the chance to see him grace an audience with his presence, well, you go. And, go I did.

On Wednesday Nov. 17, Dylan stopped at Binghamton University to instill in students, faculty and residents a quick lesson on how to rock and how to stay alive. The 69-year-old performer played a straight one hour and a half set of blues. I understand many virgin Dylan concert-goers went anticipating an acoustic guitar strapped around Dylan’s next with an harmonica in a sling attached to his mouth. They expected him to run through old favorites like “The Times They Are ‘A Changin.” But, that’s just not how he roles any longer.

Please understand this folks and don’t be upset. Dylan changes music genres more than weather changes in Binghamton. He is now on a blues fix. If he continues to play, who knows, he may go back to playing “Lay Lady Lay” like he did in 2002. But, Wednesday night saw Dylan and his excellent band (who all matched in grey suits…except for the rebellious drummer) truck through some blues music.

Blues allows Dylan to concentrate a little more on the music. He was singing, yes, but no one could really understand his words. But, that’s okay, no one could understand him 40 years ago. While Dylan’s guitar playing was dull, his keyboard playing was on par and he blew the harmonica with passion.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI

Passion. The word of the night. Dylan may be 69, but he was moving around stage with a youthful nimbleness that I did not expect to see. He swayed while he played the guitar and actively participated with his band when he was near them. When he was at the keyboard he was certainly more detached and he concentrated on the song at hand. But, a surprisingly energetic Dylan had the crowd of around 5000 tapping their feet and dancing. By God, it seemed like Dylan was enjoying himself.

That is the reason why he continues to play. The man has plenty of cash. But, he loves performing. At the heart of his being is an entertainer and music has always been calling. It doesn’t matter what type. All that matters is that he can be on stage playing the music. That is respectable, and fans have to be excited that they can still see a living legend when he buses to their town to play a set.

The highlight of the night was “Highway 61 Revisited.” My favorite Dylan song was played with enthusiasm and, while it may have been hard to follow him, I still sang along. And then came the encore with “Like A Rolling Stone.” He has transformed the song and the way it is sung, but, it was still fun to sing the chorus with a crowd full of people.

Listen. Was he sharp the entire night? No. But, you go to a Dylan concert with a split mindset. You want to enjoy the concert, yes. But, you are seeing Bob Dylan. The name itself can almost make the show.

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Bob Dylan Tonight

17 Nov

Bob Dylan’s list of pseudonyms is long. His never-ending tour is longer. Tonight I will be seeing Mr. Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a. Bob Dylan, a.k.a Zimbo, a.k.a Bobby The Hobo, a.k.a Luxury/Boo Wilbury, at Binghamton’s Event Center. And, whatever name he chooses for the performance will be just fine with me. Seriously, I would not mind a Traveling Wilbury reunion tonight. Roy Orbison can come back from the dead for an amazing reborn performance.

The never-ending tour is just that. Bob Dylan has performed around 100 shows a year since 1988. That is 22 years folks. I am 21. Maybe there should be another name addition for Dylan. The Machine. That is what he has become.

I saw the tambourine man a few years ago at Nassau Coliseum. The show was an interesting experience. It was not what I expected. Dylan transformed his well-known pieces into unrecognizable tracks. I looked at the set-list after the show and seriously questioned whether I heard some of the songs on it. But, after reviewing the concert over in my head I realized something.

This is Bob Dylan. He is a cryptic trend-setter. The man changed rock n’roll and didn’t care what you thought. That’s why we love him right? From social activism to electric to country to swing to gospel, who cares. Bob Dylan effortlessly amalgamates genres and creates a bubbling cauldron mixture of excellent music and lyrics. So, for those going tonight, take a spoon. The soup may taste weird, but, this is Bob Dylan we are talking about. If it didn’t taste odd, something would be wrong.

In preparation for tonight here is one of my favorite Dylan songs off of my favorite album:

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An Adventure in Philadelphia: Weepies!

8 Nov

I will say it. I may hate the Philadelphia Phillies, but, the city of brotherly love is quite nice. Yes, it may be a pain to drive through. Conflicting one-ways and odd voluminous circles do not assist drivers by any means. But, Philly has a quaint charm even when you are surrounded by large colleges and skyscrapers. So, yes, I like the city’s aesthetics. But, in my two visits to Philly, I have experienced both a snowstorm and, just last Friday, a true adventure after seeing The Weepies in concert.

Let me explain.

Those people above were great. The Weepies performed Friday night at World Cafe Live, a small venue by UPenn’s athletic facilities. How do I know? Well, I parked in a UPenn owned lot when my friend Anthony and I arrived at the venue after our quick drive from Binghamton. Seriously, we hit one spot of traffic entering Philadelphia, and, I only made one wrong turn.

The concert started an hour after we first stepped into the venue. Credit brick breaker for helping that hour go by.

Now, when I say this venue was intimate, I don’t only mean it was small. The Weepies like to set the mood before their shows. The lights were dimmed after the opening act (which was Weepies’ lead man Steve Tannen’s brother Greg…very talented by the way) Electric candlelight (I feel like I am setting up the scene of “Lola”) was provided by several fake candles. The setting was delightful. It was also exactly what one would expect from a pop band like the Weepies. Their music is infectious and innocuous and therefore, the concert set-up should imitate that description.

Steve and Deb are excellent together. They opened the concert with “Please Speak Well of Me,” one of my favorites off of their new album. Take a listen

Listen to the background of the track. Hear the rhythm. That was executed by the band’s lead guitarist and drummer who imitated the sounds through natural sounds (banging their legs with open hands and snapping). Who else opens I show like that?

The night continued with a good mixture of old and new songs that were all sung by the relaxed audience. Seriously, the band reflects the audience and this crowd was just lulled into a good Weepies’ trance.

Steve and Deb obviously have awesome chemistry, heck, they are husband and wife. They were laughing on stage as both told stories on how songs were created. One involved pornography, and yes, I am not kidding. I love hearing how lyrics are written, so, this was welcomed.

By the end of the night, The Weepies swept through all of their known material. They ended the night with a kiss and left the stage. It was a great show. The post-game party was not at all what Anthony and I expected.

I disagree Philadelphia. It was most certainly dark out. Here was the plan. Anthony has a friend who goes to Villanova. We would stay with him and then leave the next morning. No need to make the long drive back up to Binghamton after the concert, right? Well, in short, wrong. In the opening act, Greg Tannen premised a song by saying it had a long story that went with it, but, not wanting to expatiate, he just told us that he was with a girl and now he is not. I could do the same and leave my story at what I told you all above, but, I am going to explain.

Anthony’s friend didn’t answer our first phone call. His phone was not even on, and, according to an automated female voice, his voice message box with full. Okay, not what we wanted to hear, but, Anthony and I had plans to eat dinner after the concert anyway. The dinner plans were abandoned after we could not find parking. This also came after phone call #4 to said friend. Every phone call produced the same voice. The prognosis was bleak.

I decided that we might as well drive to Villanova and eat something there while we waited for his friend to call. Yeah, we did not take down his address. Yes, captain hindsight, it was a bad idea. On our way to Villanova, we did pass the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, AKA Rocky Steps, and like the dimwitted tourists we are, Anthony and I ran up them. It was awesome.

We arrived in Villanova and still did not receive any word from the friend. I took off my coat and got comfortable. After a stop at a Wawa (best place to get gas and eat after 12 a.m.), I started the drive home. In the span of 12 hours, I drove for half of that time. But, we did get to see the Weepies, so, when all was said and done it was definitely worth it.

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