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Allman Brothers Band & moe. :: 07.23.05 :: Penn's Landing :: Philadelphia, PA
Chuck Garvey - moe. :: 07.23 |
The first leg of The Allman Brothers' 2005 summer tour made a stop at Philadelphia's Festival Pier at Penn's Landing. Along for the ride and opening the show was jam favorites, moe. The venue is located riverside and offers great views including the Ben Franklin Bridge, which is surprisingly accessible for a large metropolitan area. The tailgaters were taking full advantage of the great weather, and the liberal parking lot scene was reminiscent of a Grateful Dead show.
moe. started right at 6:30 and began the show with "Stranger than Fiction," which immediately sent the growing crowd into a rhythmic pulse. "George" was next, displaying the band's improvisational style marked by some fine guitar solos by Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier. The first song of the set to feature Al Schnier on keyboards was "Kyle's Song," which developed into a classic moe. siege, "The Pit." After the multi-directional song "Wind it Up," moe. amused the crowd with a "Mountain Jam" tease as Al joked that they were going to beat The Allman Brothers to it. The hugely popular "Moth" came next, and the set finished with solid versions of "Wicked Awesome" and "Rebubula."
G. Allman & D. Trucks - Allman Brothers :: 07.23 |
By the time The Allmans hit the stage, the pier was packed. The Brothers opened with "Mountain Jam" (perhaps taking their cue from moe.). Strangely missing was Warren Haynes, and right away, everybody was wondering what happened. "Mountain Jam," despite missing the normal two-guitar interplay, sounded both interesting and unique with Ron Holloway sitting in on sax. After the song, Gregg Allman announced, "Mr. Haynes is not feeling well but might join the band later, and until then, we are just going to boogey." And boogey they did, lighting up the place with "Statesboro Blues." Gregg Allman still has it, rendering the classic blues lyrics with a gritty soulful sound.
D. Trucks - Allman Brothers :: 07.23 |
Since its inception, The Allman Brothers Band has always featured two lead guitars, but at this show Derek Trucks adapted well as the lone guitarist, with Holloway (who sat in the entire show) playing the second guitar parts on saxophone. This combination gave the band a jazz flavor. With original members Jaimoe and Butch Trucks on drums and percussion, the rhythm section has maintained that original groove that is only enhanced by new percussionist Marc Quinones and bassist Oteil Burbridge. Gregg Allman switched from organ to piano as the band played the soulful, "Ain't Wasting Time No More." Next, the band dove into "Southbound" before going down the blues road again with "Trouble No More" and "Stormy Monday." The jam-laden classic "Hot 'Lanta" came next and did not disappoint as Gregg Allman showed he can still wail on the organ. A crowd-pleasing version of "Franklin's Tower" featured Oteil on lead vocals, while "You Don't Love Me" found Derek Trucks and Ron Holloway trading licks. After the familiar opening verse to the classic "Dreams," Holloway laid out a smooth sax solo leading to another blistering Trucks solo showcasing his slide guitar skills. A smoking version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," containing both a lengthy drum solo and an Oteil bass excursion ended the set. Gregg Allman bid us "Goodnight" and announced that Mr. Haynes was going to be all right. Then, the band returned and played an up-tempo version of "One Way Out" as the encore.
The combination of two jam stalwarts - moe. and The Allman Brothers Band - offered the diverse Philly crowd a great show. moe. showed what the second generation of jammers is all about while the Allmans proved the ever class act. The next leg of The Allman Brothers tour begins August 12, with several shows featuring moe. as the opener. Be sure to check out JamBase for details.
Words & Images by: Richard Clarke
JamBase | Philadelphia
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