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And the Beat Goes On

The Allman Brothers Band: brilliant guitar work, and more

Ryan O ’ Malley

Forty years can do a lot to a band. Veteran jam pioneers the Allman Brothers Band has seen everything from numerous lineup changes to more than one untimely passing. Still the band has utilized the music and let it be their guide throughout their relentless touring schedule which included a stop at the historic Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland this past Tuesday.

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Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band.

Photo by Ryan O’Malley

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The Allmans – keyboardist/singer Gregg Allman, bassist Oteil Brrbridge, drummers Butch Trucks, Jaimoe and Marc Quinones, and co-lead guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks – were joined for this year’s outing by Widespread Panic who delivered a hearty two-hour opening set, before most members joined the Allmans at different points throughout its set.

Playing for more than two hours, the Allmans started things off with a lengthy “Trouble No More.” The band wasted little time paying tribute to late founding member Duane Allman, whose likeness flashed on the back-drop after a message saying “dedicated to a brother.” For some bands, the move could be an over-used gimmick. For the Allmans, it’s sincere.

Other early set highlights included a thumping “I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” featuring Panic’s John Bell and Sonny Ortiz, and a touching rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” which Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks’ wife, lending her tender voice to the number.

Of course, brilliant guitar work has defined the Allmans four-decade legacy, and Tuesday did not disappoint, beginning with a crisp take on the classic “Southbound,” with Panic’s top-notch guitarist Jimmy Herring sitting in, but never taking the spotlight away from the dueling Haynes and Trucks.

When there are two monumental forces like Haynes and Trucks, it’s nearly impossible to even think about comparing them. Their mutual understanding of each others’ musical ability is easily the high point in any show. On songs like “One Way Out,” “The Sky is Crying,” and “Dreams,” the two not only ripped through searing solos, but gracefully bowed back while the other had their moment. Let’s not forget their co-lead exchanges with one another. Plain and simple, this alone is worth price of admission.

It’s mind-blowing watching the two craftsmen in their ideal setting, with Haynes’ blues-rock shreds leading up to a perfect slide intro by the sometimes-overlooked Trucks. Trucks, who at age 30 could hold his own with heavyweights like Clapton, Beck, B.B. King, and yes, even late founding member Duane Allman, has now been an official member for a decade and it’s overwhelmingly clear the slide master has given new life to the bands’ music.

After a run through the staple “Melissa,” and a tight “Stand Back,” the band ended its set with the instrumental crowd-favorite “Mountain Jam.” The guitar-driven jam is always a blast live, but at Merriweather the band added a rousing “Dazed and Confused” cover in the middle of the song as an extra treat.

Not ones to let the energy fizzle, the band encored with a blistering “Whipping Post” complete with the gigantic last note out of the solo, provided on Tuesday by Haynes.

After 40 years together, some people might classify the Allman Brothers Band as hippies who are just trying to relive the ‘60s. It may or may not be true, but one thing is clear – the band has taken those hippie songs, discovered new life for the music and brought them to a new generation of fans. To them, it’s what the music’s all about.

And the beat goes on…

Ryan O’Malley is the music journalist for The Sunday Dispatch and a correspondent for The Weekender. He may be reached at musicjournalman@hotmail.com