The Allman Brothers Band’s historic 2009 residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre came to a close this past weekend, with show Nos. 14 and 15 delivering some of the best jams of the entire run.
Kid Rock got the weekend off to a rockin’ start by joining the Brothers on “Soulshine” (see video below) and the Marshall Tucker Band classic “Can’t You See” to close out Friday night’s first set. Former MTB drummer Paul Riddle was also on hand, as was longtime ABB friend and associate Jimmy Hall, who added the harmonica on “The Sky Is Cryin’,” “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and “Keep On Smilin’.”
Several news outlets reported that Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington was in attendance, but feeling too under the weather to take the stage. Nonetheless, the Brothers began the second set by launching into Skynyrd’s classic epic, “Freebird,” with Ivan Neville on the piano.
It was also a night for ABB siblings, as Gregg Allman’s son Devon, and Berry Oakley, Jr., son of the late original bassist, joined the band to finish out the night on “Midnight Rider,” “One Way Out,” “Les Brers In A Minor,” and encore songs “Melissa” and “Southbound.”
Former ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell joined the Brothers on Saturday night – the last show of the run – playing on “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Stormy Monday,” “Come And Go Blues” and first-set closer “Jessica.”
Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir and Phil Lesh then joined the party, launching into an extended cut of the Dead’s “Sugaree” (see video below), right into “I Know You Rider” and “Franklin’s Tower,” during which Leavell rejoined the band. “Statesboro Blues” closed out the Brothers’ 2009 Beacon run, after which the entire band gathered at front stage center to bid farewell to the appreciative crowd.
The band will take a month off before starting a short West coast trek that begins May 12 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif., and includes a show at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., on May 16. They close out the trek May 24 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.
They will also play June 5-6 at the Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Fla., and have scheduled separate shows for the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J. on Aug. 21, the Meadows Music Center in Hartford, Conn., on Aug. 30., and the Woodlands Pavilion in Houston, Texas on Oct. 17. For more information on all upcoming ABB shows, click here.
The Allman Brothers Band with Kid Rock singing “Soulshine”
The Allman Brothers Band with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh on “Sugaree”