Georgia On My Mind: An Epic, Magical Weekend in Macon
A review of A Tribute to Dickey Betts and much more, featuring Duane Betts, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, Kirk West and a cast of thousands.
Reporting back from Macon after a needed day of rest. The most common question I got was, is jaimoe Ok? Yes! He just didn’t want to do that travel. You can see him with Friends of the Brothers this Saturday, March 8 at Philadelphia’s City Winery and April 19 at the Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ. And, of course, with The Brothers at MSG April 15 and 16! This is a free enterprise, so if you enjoy, please subscribe and share,
There’s nothing quite like an Allman Brothers-related concert in Macon, GA, which inevitably blossoms into a full blown homecoming weekend, with the city crawling with tie dye and mushroom clad pilgrims from all over the world. So it was this past weekend, as people flocked to town for A Tribute To Dickey Betts at the Macon City Auditorium.
The Big House Museum had its biggest days ever, people clad in tie dyes and mushroom-patched trucker hats swarmed across the rolling grounds of Rose Hill Cemetery in search of the side by side graves of Duane Allman, Berry Oakley, Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks. H and H Restaurant had massive waits, and the Tour Mystic and I ran into Oteil walking out as we were walking. Kirk West’s prints of Betts and others flew off the walls of his Gallery West. I myself signed well over 100 books there on Friday and did a packed talk at Capricorn Studios with Kirk and The Big House’s John Lynskey on Saturday. Macon was just the place to be if you love the Allman Brothers Band, whether you had tickets to the Friday night show or not.
The concert, organized by Dickey’s son Duane and the Betts family, paid tribute to Dickey, the guitarist/singer/songwriter who died at age 80 last April 18. It brought together most of the last incarnation of Dickey Betts and Great Southern, the band he led after splitting with the ABB in 2000, who formed the core of a backing group, supporting former ABB members Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and Oteil Burbridge, as well as Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall, singer Lamar Williams Jr and Gregg’s son Devon. Others involved included TTB drummer Falcon Greenwell, Allman Betts members Johnny Stachela (guitar) and John Ginty (organ), drummer Mark Greenberg and most of the last version of Great Southern: Pedro Arevelo (bass), Frankie Lombardi (drums) and Mike Kach (keys), as well as a couple of backup singers in Mattie Schell and Erika Orbison.
The tribute concert began with a video of Betts being interviewed by Nashville songwriter Bobby Bare, segueing into a clip of a badass Betts, cigarette dangling from his mouth ripping out a solo intro to “One Way Out,” a reminder of both the blues edge and melodicism he brought to the Allman Brothers Band. As that video played, I leaned over to Kirk and said, “this right here is why I always loved them more than the Dead.” It was pretty gutsy to remind everyone just how good Dickey was before anyone played a note. Before the last sustain had faded out, the band hit the first notes of the instrumental “Hot Lanta,” setting an intense, highly focused tone for the evening.
Highlights of the first set included a couple of deep cuts - Great Southern’s “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” and “Long Time Gone” from Betts’ masterful, Western Swing tinged 1973 solo debut Highway Call. Charlie Starr handled the high lonesome vocals perfectly and combined with Duane Betts for stellar guitar harmonies.
The set ended with the always beautiful “Jessica,” highlighted by Leavell reprising his piano part and Duane again beautifully echoing his father. His body language and facial expressions are uncannily similar to the senior Betts, a likeness heightened by the 1978 photo of Dickey that loomed over the stage throughout the night.
After video tributes from Bob Weir, Steve Earle, Willie and Lukas Nelson, Slash and Billy Bob Thornton, the second set started with one of the night’s clear highlights - an absolutely delightful, totally surprising “Pony Boy,” with Derek ripping up the acoustic slide, Susan singing the hell out of it, and Chuck letting his hair down and going off. the song’s back half was highlighted by Chuck and Derek hitting the note together, trading licks in what felt like a spontaneous exchange.
Jimmy Hall sang “No One Left To Run With,” Chuck sang the Highway Call deep cut “Rain” and Duane led the band through the wonderful “Seven Turns,” before Warren Haynes came out and immediately tossing lightning bolts around the stage. Both he and Derek upped the intensity and energy every time they set foot on stage. Warren played on the original “Back Where It All Begins” in 1994 and it was a consistent highlight in his last years with Betts, but he had not played since March 25, 1997, his next-to -last show in his first ABB stint. (He didn’t return until 2001 - replacing Jimmy Herring, who had replaced Betts.) I don’t believe that the band ever played the song without Dickey, and it was wonderful to hear Warren rip it up on a song I had heard him play so many times back in the day.
After a rousing “Soulshine,” one of just a handful of songs performed that night which Betts did not write, Duane left the stage for the only time all night. The frontline of ABB veterans Leavell, Haynes, Trucks and Oteil proceeded to leave the house in embers with an epic “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” a performance that left me and many others panting in anticipation of The Brothers shows on April 15 and 16 at Madison Square Garden.
The show continued with a beautiful “Midnight In Harlem,” the only song that didn’t have any connection to Dickey. It was delightful to hear Oteil, who left Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2012, play with Derek and Susan again. They stayed out for “Blue Sky,” another inevitable highlight. Lamar Williams Jr. sang lead on a riveting “Revival,” which closed the set before every performer returned for a “Ramblin’ Man” finale, with Duane appropriately leading the charge. It was a fitting end to a long, emotional, beautiful night and Duane should be proud of what he pulled off, both in his own performance and in the always thankless task of pulling together and executing such an ambitious night of music. Dickey deserved no less.
The crowd spilled out into the streets, dazed but happy, buzzing with that post-concert high.
“Once the spirit of the Allmans grabs you it sucks you in,” ”Aaron Mello of Turlock, California told me. I met him and his brother at The Big House when I arrived on Thursday and kept running in to them and as they made their way around town. “It’s a spiritual, communal thing.”
The communal vibe was strong all weekend. The next day, I did a packed event with John Lynskey and Kirk West, discussing the legacy of Dickey Betts in the refurbished studio where he recorded so much great music, including Highway Call and Brothers and Sisters. Always a pleasure to do this type of thing with my brothers. I have video of this whole session and will be sharing!
I closed out the weekend by sitting in with a terrific band, The Core, at The Society Garden, a wonderful outdoor venue that was new to me. The Core plays the music of the HORDE Festival, which is a cool concept. They went a little heavy on the Allman Brothers Band in honor of me. I sat in for “Soulshine,” “Melissa,” “One Way Out” and “Southbound.” It was a gas. Thanks to Bill Taylor for inviting me and all the fellas for a very fun sit in.
The paperback edition of my fourth book, Brothers and Sisters: the Allman Brothers Band and The Album That Defined The 70s, was recently released by St. Martin’s Press. It was the third consecutive one to debut in the New York Times Non-Fiction Hardcover Bestsellers List, following Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan and One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. My first book, Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues and Becoming a Star in Beijing, about my experiences raising a family in Beijing and touring China with a popular original blues band, was optioned for a movie by Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Productions. I am also a guitarist and singer with two bands, Big in China and Friends of the Brothers, the premier celebration of the Allman Brothers Band.
What a depressing post.... Only because I missed the show. I've seen them all multiple times, excepting Duane Betts, and intend to rectify that ASAP.
It was real interesting to see Jimmy Hall sing “No One to Run With.” I read somewhere that it was a BHLT demo from ‘83 or so that Dickey resurrected when the Brothers reformed. Also, the video of Dickey’s intro to “One Way Out” just reminded me how LOUD the Brothers were at the Beacon when Dickey was with them. Thank you, nugs.net for the stream.