Blue Skies For Allman Brothers Band At Beacon | Night Three

Guitarist Derek Trucks channeled the spirit of founding The Allman Brothers Band guitarist Duane Allman by using Duane’s famed 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop at points during last night’s show at the Beacon Theatre in New York City as he did on Wednesday night. Trucks also utilized another Les Paul that looked awfully similar a second one of Duane’s iconic guitars throughout the night, though there’s been no confirmation of the axe’s origin as of yet. Author Alan Paul, who literally wrote the book on the group, called Friday night’s performance the “best Allman Brothers Band show I’ve heard in a long time.”

[Photo of Derek playing Gold Top on 10/22 by Adam McCullough]

The first set opened with instrumental “Hot’Lanta” and continued with the fitting and poignant “No One To Run With.” A review of the show from USA Today noted Gregg’s “vocal power is undiminished despite recent health squalls” and that his vocals on “No One To Run With” “conjured a sadness that time inevitably visits on us all.” “Leave My Blues At Home” and “Worried Down With The Blues” led into the October run’s first “Soulshine.” The opening stanza ended with three “jam songs” in “True Gravity,” “Dreams” and “Black Hearted Woman.” As the show progressed, Paul called the band’s performance “a leap forward” from previous nights.

Gregg Allman took the forefront for the “Done Somebody Wrong” that kicked off Set Two. “Come & Go Blues” was followed by a “Rocking Horse” which spanned over 12 minutes and saw Derek engage in a show-stopping guitar duel with Warren Haynes. Trucks, who was sporting a t-shirt featuring a photo of original Allman Brothers Band members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, also shined on the Warren-sung “Blue Sky” that came later in the set. An extended “You Don’t Love Me” gave way to a bit of King Curtis’ “Soul Serenade,” which Alan Paul called “more than a tease” but “not quite the whole song.” The Allman Brothers Band last performed “Soul Serenade” on March 25, 2012 at the Beacon and have only covered the song four times since 1972.

For the encore, The Allman Brothers Band played the final run’s first “Whipping Post” and worked a cover of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” within the much-beloved original. “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” has become the signature theme of the October residency as the gospel song has been played in at least some form at all three shows. The tune is an important one in Allman history, it was sung by all who gathered at Duane Allman’s funeral, though the current lineup only performed “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” twice before this run. The Allman Brothers Band return to the Beacon Theatre on Saturday night.

Setlist

Set One: Hot’lanta, No One To Run With, Leave My Blues At Home, Worried Down With The Blues, Soulshine, True Gravity, Dreams, Black Hearted Woman

Set Two: Done Somebody Wrong, Come And Go Blues, Rocking Horse, Trouble No More, Midnight Rider, Blue Sky, You Don’t Love Me > Soul Serenade

Encore: Whipping Post > Will The Circle Be Unbroken? > Whipping Post

Videos

[Rocking Horse > Done Somebody Wrong (Shot by Johnny A.)]

[Leave My Blues At Home (Shot By Johnny A.)]

[Soulshine (Shot by Scott Migden)]