Allman Brothers: 2007 Beacon Run

It must be springtime because the Allman Brothers annual Beacon Theater run is about to begin. This is the first year that I'll be attending one of the nights of this now infamous yearly residency. I finally decided I ain't wastin' time no more. I wasn't going to miss it again.

I have been seeing the Allmans in concert for the past decade. Over that time, I've witnessed many incarnations of ABB and I think that most would agree with me in saying that the current lineup featuring the dual guitar leads of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks is the best lineup they've had since they reunited in 1989. I would love more than anyone else to have Dickey out front, playing smokin' leads on Blue Sky and Jessica, but the harsh reality is that those days are lost and gone forever. And Derek is one of my favorite guitar players out there today. His playing gives me goosebumps. Dickey never did that for me.

This years NYC dates are:
3.22 - 24 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
3.26 - 27 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
3.29 - 31 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
4.02 - 3 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
4.05 - 7 Beacon Theatre New York, NY

I just recently read a Jambands.com interview with Allman's drummer Butch Trucks. It got me even more pumped for the upcoming run. In it, Butch describes an emotional moment during last year's Beacon shows:

"I’ll also say that I have never been through an experience like last year. You play a group of shows and, normally, out of 10 or 12 shows maybe 3 or 4 click and just really hit the note---everybody is right there. Last year we had 15 in a row, I’m talking every single one of them. For instance, one night we started with “Mountain Jam.” It was in such a powerful pocket that I was just playing my body was just doing it and I wasn’t thinking at all. And it was just right in the pocket. We finished a song, and I cut off the timpani and I just broke down and started crying, it was so powerful. And, I sat down my drum, with tears running down my cheeks, and I looked up at Marc [Quinones] and said, “Now what the fuck do we do?” It was the first song of the night. And he said, “I guess we go home.” And it was like that all 15 shows. Every single night was just, just hitting the note. I’ve never ever had a musical experience like that in my life."

Read the full interview here