Here's a very nice
The show was captured by the state-of-the-digital-arts folks at Instant
Live, who recorded shows off the soundboard, burned CDs and made them available to concertgoers a few minutes after the end of the show. A pretty cool trick.
Gregg Allman is in fine voice, and his organ playing is flawless. Warren Haynes guitar is heard in the right channel, and Derek Trucks guitar is in the left, together they "knock the ball out of the park". Oteil Burbridge is on bass, and to my ears, is the most proficient bassist the band has ever had. The drums and percussion section of Butch Trucks, Jaimoe, and Marc Quinones is, as always, a powerhouse. Saxophonist Karl Denson guests on "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl".Setlist
It's been my observation, that no matter which incarnation of the Allman Brothers Band you see live; they never disappoint.
For the freeload, what other bands have you seen several times live, and the shows were consistently excellent?
Both Los Lobos & Asleep At The Wheel are consistently excellent. David Byrne /Talking Heads have always been great. Byrne & AATW have frequently had different band members that provide reliable results, playing the music you wanna hear. Frank Zappa too, always excellent throughout his numerous band line-up changes. And Dweezil Zappa faithfully reproduces his father's music, does a very good job, I think. He's also had several band line-ups over the years. Thanks Babs
ReplyDeleteNice picks!
DeleteBack in the good-old days, I saw Chicago (with Terry Kath) many times, and they did not disappoint. I have no interest in the post-Kath years, even though they're still touring. Sorta like Lynyrd Skynyrd...
ReplyDeleteTerry Kath era, Chicago were an amazing live act.
DeleteSpringsteen 4 times, all were just amazing. First was before Born to Run was released. Last was at the NO Jazz Fest the year after Katrina and he appeared with his Seeger Sessions Band - not a dry eye there when he performed a revamped version of When the Saints. Saw the Allmans 4 times also (first with the full original line - up), but one of the shows was just bad. It was when Greg was in his Mr. Cher stage and the band took the stage almost 2 hours late, took a break after just two songs, and reportedly Allman and Betts got into a full brawl during the break.
ReplyDeleteOh, and many NO artists multiple times and who always put on a great show: Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Fats Domino, Johnny Adams, Earl King, Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey and Allen Toussaint. Some of the Booker shows were amazing, but he also would frequently just be so out of it mentally, that the shows were a challenge to listen.
DeleteSpringsteen shows were/are high energy affairs.
DeleteI would also add The Meters to the NO list. Every Meters show I saw was just sooo good.
Tell me Cher (back then) wouldn't have made you two hours late, for your projects.
you made me laugh
DeleteYeah, I had a brain fart and forgot about The Meters (oddly, I actually had one of their lps playing when I typed the response). Have never been a Cher fan. I concur that she is talented, but just not my style. The best shows I ever witnessed were Booker - but, there were times when his demons just had the better of him and the performance was, at best, uneven.
DeleteNot sure this will mean much to anyone else but my repeat favourite in the 80's was the Steve Gibbons band. Saw them several times around various venues in Birmingham (UK) and at the fantastic Dublin Castle in Camden, London. Steve was a genuine rocker with a great voice and song choice: he could outdo Springsteen and sing Dylan with more gusto, soul and louchness. Excellent musicians always in the band
ReplyDeleteToots Hibbard could always be counted on for a high energy show; Roland Kirk never failed to deliver in every respect: musical, visual, spiritual.
ReplyDeleteRoland Kirk shows were sublime musically, and to top it off, Roland was such a genuinely nice person, on and off stage.
DeleteI saw Miles Davis's Second Quintet, with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, a few times—probably the best shows I've ever seen period.
ReplyDeleteAll lineups of Weather Report were always flawless shows.
Stevie Wonder consistently puts on good shows, no matter what the decade is.
The Led Zeppelin shows I saw were always very good (that said, I've heard a few bootlegs of their "off nights").
Charles Mingus never failed to impress, even when he appeared to be pissed off about something or another.
mumbles & pmac got'em, but I'll double down on 'fess, Swee' Irma Thomas and add the Meters (when they opened for the Stones in BRLA by coming out playing "Hey Pocky Way" on cowbells my high school gf said "let's see Mick top that"--she was a homer) and on sadly having seen some bad ABB shows. Long Tall Marcia Ball has been putting on a show for 40 years and just had to stop for health reasons, but never a dull moment, same for Lyle Lovett (an aggie, alas). I only saw Prince 3 times at First Ave but each one was pretty spectacular. I only saw him live once, but I gotta say when I was a kid and my dad took me to see James Brown...I didn't know how the show ended and I honestly thought the dude was dying and fighting to keep going.
ReplyDeleteI was at that Stones' show. I had a ticket for the afternoon show, and then hid in a mens' bathroom stall and snuck into the evening one. Two great shows. Billy Preston played keys and was phenomenal.
DeleteFunny--I was at both as well. My gf had gotten me tickets for my birthday and my two best friends at the time did the same, so I got to be at both shows. What a day!
DeleteForgot to add Herbie Hancock as a leader. His live shows from whatever phase he was in were always masterclasses in performance.
ReplyDeleteANON RF: Eric Clapton in the 90's. Hosted large scale bands and also regular shows with his four piece. Consistently strong.
ReplyDeleteLos Lobos, Cecil Taylor Unit, Tom Petty &the Heartbreakers, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band(s), Art Ensemble of Chicago, John Primer & Bob Corritore Blues Band, and Frank Zappa assemblages (except for one show that was kinda boring)..
ReplyDeleteFrank Zappa and The Who are two bands that I've seen at least four times.
ReplyDeleteThe Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills and Nash shows, that I have seen were always great. Crosby & Nash especially in the mid-70s and C & N and CSN since the 90s ...
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to mention Ry Cooder and David Lindley, they were always strong. I also saw Colosseum a few times and they never dissapointed.
DeleteI used to see Oteil frequently when he played bass with Bruce Hampton's Aquarium Rescue Unit.
ReplyDeleteNRBQ (Big Al, Joey, Terry and Tom) was a guaranteed good time.
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/bMNvzKQhqN4
Thanks!
DeletePre-Eliminator, I saw ZZ Top a bunch of times. They were a great show. Then they decided to have longhorn steers, fuzzy guitars & Duck Dynasty beards & I kinda lost interest.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Bob Dylan close to 30 times. I can't say he's consistent, but it's the inconsistency that makes Dylan so unique.
Heard Little Feat five times between 1972-1978, Aces every time. Randy Weston, Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Betty Carter, Cecil Taylor, Abbey Lincoln, on and on I could go in this vein.
ReplyDelete