The Brothers Night One was superb
They roused the ancestral spirits and levitated Madison Square Garden. My report from the scene.
Night one of The Brothers at Madison Square Garden was one for the ages, a hootin’ hollerin’ good time. The band came out firing on all cylinders and only picked up from there. I could do a song by song, but 1. I am half-wrecked and 2. I think it would miss the point. The Brothers radiated energy, fire and joy, and that is what drove everything else and made for such a special night.
Material wise, they leaned heavily on the early albums that cemented the Allman Brothers Band’s legacy, but also played “Nobody Left To Run With” and “Gambler’s Roll” from their excellent 90s revival, as well as Dr. John’s Walk On Guilded Splinters,” which Johnny Jenkins recorded, backed by much fo the early aBB, and a masterful take on Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” it’s a song that Warren Haynes has always sung beautifully, but last night’s version was sublime.
The body language between the front line of Derek, Warren and Oteil spoke volumes. They were interacting with one another intimately throughout. Joey Russo powered the drums with a swinging grace, Marc Quinones’ percussion was fiery, Chuck Leavell was Chuck Leavell, it was really powerful to see Reese Wynans, who played in the oirignal pre-ABB jams and of course with Stevie Ray Vaughan, killing it on organ. Isaac Eddy sat in for jaimoe often and wonderfully. And seeing Jaimoe up there, engaged, active AND SO, SO HAPPY was just wonderful. It was no coincidence that he was the first one leading the walk out on stage.
For decades, the Allman Brothers Band’s unspoken goal was to recapture the fire, spirit, interplay and focused, intense creativity that made them the greatest rock band in the world during Duane Allman’s all-too-brief ascendancy. Nothing’s really changed except there are now more ancestral spirits to rouse. It felt like they were all dancing in harmony in the Garden last night. Not everyone would express it quite like that, but every person in the building felt it, and that was obvious from the sparkle in the eyes of us all as we filed out, our feet not necessarily touching the ground. If you doubt me, or think I am just fanboying, take a look at some of the texts I received during the show.
My friend Art Rummler, in from Chicago, after the show:
Some photo highlights by Bradley Strickland:
If you’re not in NYC or otherwise will not be at Madison Square Garden tonight, you can and should stream via nugs - order livestream.
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.
Awesome coverage, Alan. And you nailed it. The Nugs stream was absolutely stunning. I could not get to the Garden this week but watching on a 75 inch tv with the volume cranked was a fantastic consolation prize. Looking forward to doing it again tonight.
IT WAS AN AWESOME SHOW!!!! Loved Into the Mystic and Walking on Gilded Splinters. The smiles on their faces was just heartwarming