Concert Wrap — The Allman Brothers Band, Sept. 26 @ Track Center
If there were stars in this show, they were inanimate ones.
The two most interesting things at Friday night’s headlining Bikes, Blues & BBQ concert by The Allman Brothers Band were the guitars of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, a sunburst-colored Gibson and a red Gibson, respectively.
Together, those two instruments cast an intriguing, compelling cascade of sound, a back-and-forth combination of agility, speed and prowess.
Haynes had his instrument singing at soaring heights; Trucks, in his well-documented stoic style, made playing lightning-fast fast riffs look no more complex than using a toothbrush.
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Perhaps more amazing is the dynamics the duo share when playing off each other in tandem.
On the beautiful instrumental “Jessica,” for instance, the interplay was equal parts fearless and precise, the notes so perfectly matched someone with their eyes closed would have had a hard time knowing there were two guitars in the first place.
Of course, this isn’t meant to discredit the other members of the Allman Brothers, a set of finely practiced tunesmiths. Many of the Allman Brothers’ songs, one could argue, were written as showcases for the guitar work of Duane Allman, the legendary player and founding member of the band who died in a 1971 motorcycle accident. Many of those early tunes — and those written after his death — still serve as a launching pad for great guitar work, bridging the gap between the Allman Brothers Band of old and the seven-piece unit that took the stage on Saturday.
Of course, there are more direct links, too, players who have been with the band since the beginning, through trials, tribulations, tragedy and intra-band upheaval.
Gregg Allman, looking like a salty, seasoned bluesman, wailed from behind the keyboard. Longtime members Butch Trucks (uncle to Derek) and Jaimoe Johanson impressed as well, and were at one time were joined by member Marc Quinones for a percussion medley that lasted the better part of 10 minutes and led the band into “Jessica.”
Throughout the night, the Allmans would play many of the classic cuts that helped them sell millions of records and earn regards as one of the pre-eminent Southern rock acts. It can be said there was a bit of a shortage of the blues in the Bikes, Blues & BBQ lineup, but that shouldn’t be blamed on the Allmans. The band did its part to rectify the situation by covering two Elmore James songs (”The Sky Is Crying” and “One Way Out”), and a little dirty blues boogie midway through the set.
The band also played the tempo-shifting triumph “Ain’t Wastin’ No More Time,” the Southern troubadour ballad “Midnight Rider” and the guitar scorcher “Southbound” in set that would last just more than two hours, encore included.
It was an appreciative, but not overly excited, crowd that was gathered to see the band. Perhaps 6,000 were present in a venue that could have comfortably held a couple thousand more. It was an odd assortment in the crowd, too, and it wasn’t all bikers, despite having an extra 300,000 or so in town for the concurrent motorcycle rally. There were equal numbers of college students and 50 somethings trying to recapture the glory of a band from their youthful years. There were also a few kids, and a cluster of them were sitting down on the floor in the open spaces at the rear of the venue.
The crowd acknowledged some of their favorite tunes, but it certainly wasn’t a wild affair. In fact, it was much more subdued than what one might have expected, the kind of crowd where 5,000 people are quietly watching and a few excited twosomes are dancing together in the swirling stage lights.
Perhaps there was a reason, though. It’s quite hard not to stare, open-mouthed and unmoving, when two guitar heroes unspool such fantastic jams.
Set list: From the band’s Web site. 1) Hot ‘Lanta; 2) Stateboro Blues; 3) Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’; 4) The Sky Is Crying; 5) Ain’t Wastin’ No More Time; 6) No One To Run With; 7) Midnight Rider; 8) Hoochie Coochie Man; 9) End Of The Line; 10) Come And Go Blues; 11) The Same Thing; 12) Jessica; 13) One Way Out
Encore: 14) Southbound
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