There was a ton of anticipation leading up to the 10th anniversary of the Wanee Music Festival for many reasons. The usual gatherings of festival families, reunions with familiar faces and predictions of sunny skies all weekend certainly amped up the anticipation. Not to mention, a previous announcement from The Allman Brothers that this would be the last year guitar leads Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks would play with band, leaving many feeling this might be the end of the line. That is until Papa Gregg’s announcement during the festival that the band will replace Derek Trucks and carry on with the great tradition.
The festival kicked off with a Wednesday night pre-party starring New Orleans’ Honey Island Swamp Band, and they delivered a solid set of favorites and covers for those in attendance. A large part of the crowd made its way in on Thursday. Unlike many other festivals today, the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park makes it effortless for attendees to enter and find their way easily to their respective camps. In typically 15 minutes after arrival to the park, campers can be settled in their spots and ready to take in some tunes.
Thursday’s music kicked off on the Mushroom Stage with Berry Oakley’s Skylab, fronted by the late Berry Oakley’s son, Berry Duane. Up next was Sean Chambers, followed by Wanee staple Bobby Lee Rogers, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. As the sun dipped down, the Royal Southern Brotherhood brought their brand of southern-fried supergroup madness to the stage, bringing up the energy while taking down the sun.
Classic rock legends Hot Tuna plugged in and performed a dazzling electric set, filled with many staples and crowd favorites like “Bowlegged Woman,” “Come Back Baby” and “Hesitation Blues.” Closing out the night was jazzy funk outfit Soulive, who are currently touring together with their original three piece lineup, Eric Krasno and brothers Neal and Alan Evans. The instrumental group tore through versions of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” as well as nods to Jimi Hendrix with “Third Stone from the Sun” and “Manic Depression.” The Beatles were revisited for a “Come Together” encore to finish up night one at Wanee.
Friday brought sunny skies and perfect weather, opening up the day with author Galadrielle Allman discussing her new book “Please Be With Me: A Song for my Father, Duane Allman.” She was joined by her Uncle Gregg, and it was during this time that he relieved a lot of fan angst by announcing the Brothers show would, indeed, go on.
On the Peach Stage, Ziggy Marley brought the spirit of the festival up with his bouncy brand of reggae, including favorites like “Lively Up Yourself” and “Roots Rock Reggae.” Marley set the tone for Umphrey’s McGee, who would play the first of their two sets of the weekend. The mid-afternoon setlist included all original Umphrey’s material, such as opener “JaJunk,” “Puppet String,” and “Bad Friday.” Guitarist Brendan Bayliss dedicated the final song “All in Time” to his “fourth favorite person in the world” Jennifer Hartswick of the Trey Anastasio Band who was watching from the side of the stage and taking in the fun from a spectator viewpoint.
Classic rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd treated fans to all the favorites, providing the sound of one big group sing-along from the Peach Stage. “Free Bird” closed out their set and concert goers soaked in the sun while belting out words alongside Johnny Van Zant. On the Mushroom stage, moe. kept it rockin’ under the Spanish moss-covered oak trees with a setlist of grooves and fast-paced classics like “Recreational Chemistry” and the blazing bouncy “Akimbo” as well as a raucous cover of Blue Oyster Cults classic “Godzilla”.
As the sun descended, the Trey Anastasio Band took their turn on the big stage, kicking things off with ever-popular “Caymen Review.” A rumbling version of “Sand” gave way to a lovely and unexpected cover of “O-o-h Child” by Chicago soul family group The Five Stairsteps. “First Tube” brought searing guitar solos, while “Money, Love, and Change” highlighted the big voice of Hartswick, who got warmed up for her lead rapper duties during the Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood,” a tune she sings often with the band and simply kills. “Push on til the Day” gave way to a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” which seemed to kick off the unofficial Zeppelin theme that would rear its head for the rest of the weekend.
Next up at the Mushroom Stage was Rob Garza, half of the Thievery Corporation duo, who brought his brand of electronic dance grooves to the crowd as the Peach Stage was being set for the highly anticipated Allman Brothers Band.
As the crowd packed closer into the stage, the Allman Brothers opened their set with the song that one could say started it all, the Blind Willie McTell penned “Statesboro Blues.”Gregg Allman’s powerful pipes were as masterful at belting the blues as they ever were as the band blasted into the ever steady romp of “Midnight Rider,” much to the delight of the vocal crowd.
The band ripped into a rousing version of “No One to Run With” as it seemed Papa Gregg was pouring his heart out, giving Derek a chance to throw it right back at him with his highly skilled slide work, almost as if they were having breakup sex. Certainly a version to be heard. A soaring version of Albert King’s “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” led into the Brother’s classic instrumental “Jessica”. Warren then called up his good friends Trey Anastasio and Jennifer Hartswick to guest on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Who’s Been Talking”, which would also highlight the beautiful flute work of Kofi Burbridge.
Trey would stay for a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower,” where bassist Oteil Burbridge took over the vocal duties and elevated the crowd to smiles so large they almost burst, as Trey, Warren and Derek took turns riffing off of each other. The Brother’s would then rip through “The Sky is Crying” and “You Don’t Love Me” leading to the Haynes’ penned “Soulshine” with help from Duane Trucks on drums. Derek’s little brother would stay out for the set closing “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. “Southbound” filled the encore spot and sent the delighted fans out into the night and back to the Mushroom Stage to get ready for the Dumstaphunk Led Zeppelin throwdown.
Wanee regulars and New Orleans’ supergroup, Dumstaphunk, once again were tapped to play a cover party, this time honoring rock greats Led Zeppelin. The band’s drummer Nikki Glaspie has proven to be a pivotal member of the group, and has recently cited Led Zeppelin as one of her major musical influences, which was more than obvious as her thunderous metronome kept the pace for a “Rock and Roll” opener.
The second “Black Dog” of the weekend came next, followed by “Dancing Days.” Then guest John Popper of Blues Traveler headed to the stage for a version of “Custard Pie,” returning again a few songs later for a take on “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” Zeppelin classics like “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Good Times Bad Times,” and “D’yer Ma’ker” filled in the meaty portion of the set, giving way to the return of Warren Haynes for “The Ocean,” “Fool In the Rain,” and “Ramble On.” A pleasing late night set complete with Tron-vision laser lights galore, heady jams, and the continuing the weekend theme of honoring the musicians who made the scene so special to begin with, while keep the traditions alive.
Saturday was dubbed “10 Year Family Celebration Day” and kicked off with festival regular Bobby Lee Rodgers once again, while Pink Talking Fish took over duties on the Mushroom Stage. Chris Robinson Brotherhood followed on the Peach Stage, treating fans to a mix of their older tunes, along with offerings from the forthcoming release “Phosphorescent Harvest.” Blues Traveler and Rusted Root, both bands with radio hits in the 90s, brought high-energy midday sets, of course treating fans to their hits, but make no mistake, these tunes have grown over the years along with their expansive catalogs. The jams and improvisation illustrated by both groups were anything but radio friendly.
Festival sweethearts, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, were up next on the Peach Stage, while Melvin Seals and JGB brought a taste of Jerry Garcia, The Beatles and JJ Cale to the Mushroom Stage. TTB opened the set with “Get What You Deserve,” a song originally recorded by The Derek Trucks Band. In the early Wanee days, The Derek Trucks Band were typically the festival closers on the Mushroom Stage, with Tedeschi often joining as a special guest. “I Know,” another DTB tune was perhaps the band’s nod to the ever-flowing nature of a musician’s life, moving from one project to other when it feels right, but always inevitably returning to home.
Gov’t Mule was ready to rock by now on the Peach Stage and the quartet opened with “Hammer and Nails” followed by Tom Waits’ “Goin’ Out West.” Mule classic “Game Face” slipped in a nod to the Brothers with an extended “Mountain Jam” tease that certainly was not lost on the crowd. Newer song “Stoop So Low” was a highlight and Billy Cobham’s instrumental “Stratus” brought the return of Derek Trucks to add his signature licks to the mix. Warren called everyone out to get behind the “Mule,” complete with a “Shakedown Street” tease, jamming into “Whole Lotta Love” for a few measures, and providing fans yet another chance to get the Led out, and perhaps solidifying the Zeppelin vibe of the weekend. They segued back into “Mule” to finish out their set, this time adding in a “Les Bres in A Minor” tease, nodding once again to the ABB.
After a short set by Break Science on the Mushroom Stage, the time had come for the Allman Brothers to take the Wanee stage for the last time with the current lineup. “Don’t Want You No More” opened things up, segueing perfectly into a powerful and emotional version of “It’s Not My Cross to Bear.” Papa Gregg was emoting so strongly through his voice that many in the crowd compared it to being in church, which made it all the more fitting that upbeat, message of love “Revival” came next.
People could certainly feel the love was everywhere, running through the faces of all those who came to worship. “Dusk til Dawn” brought flute work from Kofi Burbridge once again, followed standards “Come and Go Blues” and “Trouble No More.” One of the biggest surprises of the set was the return of the Dickey Betts’ penned “Seven Turns” and “True Gravity,” songs that had been missing from live performances for many years. Foreshadowing for things to come in the future perhaps? Eric Krasno joined the fun on stage for “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” followed by “Stand Back” and classic “Blue Sky.” A dark swampy version of Dr. John’s “I Walk on Gilded Splinters” cast a shadow over the scene, and led into the rumbling intensity that is “Whipping Post,” an ABB that always closes out their final night at Wanee.
The encore saw a party on stage with Roosevelt Collier on lap steel and John Popper on harmonica joining the band for an epic take on the Allman’s rollicking rouser “One Way Out.”
Umphrey’s McGee played their second set of the weekend, this time taking on festival closing duties. The late night closing spot at Wanee has typically been filled with fun, guest filled, cover laden sets, and this one was no exception. Calling the set “All Night Wrong,” they opened with “Life During Exodus,” a mashup of Bob Marley’s “Exodus” and “Life During Wartime” by the Talking Heads. Then it was time for Zeppelin to appear once again with a muscular take on “The Song Remains the Same” into ‘80’s classic “Rock the Casbah,” which saw a nod to the South with guitarist Jake Cinninger teasing “Dixie” and finishing the song with a few bars of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” John Popper played guest once again for a funk nasty version of The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” that might even make Jagger himself jealous. Steely Dan’s “Hey 19” came next, and then Oteil returned once again for a cover of “When the World is Running You Down You Make the Best of What’s Around” by The Police.
The dub version of “Breathe” by Pink Floyd saw UM’s light designer Jefferson Waful paint the Spanish moss covered oaks in green lasers so thick it almost felt as if Roger Waters was holding the paint brush himself. Adam Deitch and Eric Krasno joined for “A Go Go,” an instrumental John Scofield tune, that they simply nailed, providing a jazzier edge to the rock-centric set. “Immigrant Song” with Warren Haynes finished out the Zeppelin for the weekend, and he stuck around for a fun take on Doobie Brothers classic “Black Water,” that had the crowd singing every word. “Baba O’Reilly,” “Power of Soul” and “Cheap Sunglasses” filled out the set, making way for a riffing encore to close things out.
Van Halen’s “Running with the Devil” saw the amphitheater painted red, and then the return of Eric Krasno for a take on The Beatles opus “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” brought things to a peak, as Krasno and Cinninger were grinning from ear to ear as they threw tasty licks back and forth, whipping the crowd into a frenzy before sending them off into the night, another successful Wanee in the books.
