Derek Trucks Talks Final Allman Brothers Show & Dickey Betts

Last Tuesday night, The Allman Brothers Band capped a 45-year career with an epic finale at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. One of the few things missing from the three-set farewell was an appearance by co-founding member Dickey Betts. Gregg Allman said Betts turned down an invite, while Betts’ manager disputed that claim. In a recent chat with Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, guitarist Derek Trucks shares his take on the Allman Brothers finale and the Dickey Betts situation.

Derek Trucks told Rolling Stone, that there was “a lot of communication between his camp and our camp, right up to rehearsal, even during the show week” about having Dickey Betts guest with The Allman Brothers at the Beacon. According to Fricke’s report, “each side, Derek claims, let the notion die.” The guitarist added, “It’s too much history, to wrap up in showing up and playing a set. I know he should have been there. But it was like, ‘If no one’s jumping on it, it wasn’t meant to happen.'” As Fricke noted, Dickey was represented at the finale by performances of the Betts-penned “Revival,” “Blue Sky” and “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.”

Trucks also revealed that his uncle Butch came up with the idea of the Allmans saying farewell by performing the first song they ever played together, Muddy Waters’ Trouble No More, “but nothing else was scripted” Derek said about the way the show ended. “The idea was one of us would say something. Then onstage, no one’s jumping. So it was like, ‘OK, Gregg, hit it.'” Derek told Fricke that Warren Haynes came up with the idea to start the final show with a tribute to Duane Allman and called him on the day of the finale to ask his opinion on it. “I’m like, ‘That’s fucking great!'” Trucks responded to Haynes.

Head to Rolling Stone for more of Derek’s thoughts about the finale, including how he worried about his uncle Butch’s health during the version of “Whipping Post” the Allmans played last Tuesday.