Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace – Night One: Setlist and Recap

It’s too bad longtime owner of the United Palace, Reverend Ike, wasn’t around to see the Allman Brothers Band take up residence in the building he saved from destruction in 1969. The legendary southern rockers kicked off their traditional March Madness run tonight at the untraditional venue. As we’ve discussed ad nauseum, MSG Entertainment essentially kicked the band out of the venue they normally fill in March, the Beacon Theatre, so that Cirque De Soleil’s Banana Shpeel could run there. Karma is a bitch, however, as Banana Shpeel’s start has been pushed back for a second time and the Allmans looked right at home with a scorching first performance.

The show started around 8:15 this evening and we followed along using the Moogis webcast. The quality of the webcast was rough during the first set as both the audio and video froze at regular intervals. Apparently the tech guys at Moogis made some tweaks, because the quality was much better during set two. The director did a great job of not switching between cameras too much and always seemed to get the perfect shot. You could make out each instrument distinctly thanks to a well-balanced audio mix.

As far as the music, you wouldn’t have guessed it was the Allmans’ first show of 2010. Every member of the band had their moments during the first night including Gregg Allman, whose voice sounded strong. For last year’s 40th Anniversary run at the Beacon, the Allmans welcomed guests to the stage every night except for their actual anniversary. Tonight, there weren’t any guests at the UP. The bust out of the night came in the first set when the group debuted their take on Little Milton’s That’s What Love Will Make You Do – a song Warren has performed many times with Mule. In fact, Warren and Derek had played the tune last week at an Open Jam in Atlanta.

For the encore, Warren and Derek came out by themselves and delivered a searing version of Son House’s Preachin’ Blues. Warren paid tribute to the history of the venue by changing the lyrics to reference “Reverend Ike’s Church”. Reverend Ike and his congregation put lots of love and money into the restoration of the United Palace before he passed away last July. We’re sure he was smiling somewhere watching the Allmans preach.

Here’s how tonight’s show looks on paper…

Allman Brothers Band
March 11, 2010
United Palace
New York, NY

Set 1: Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’, Hot ‘Lanta, Statesboro Blues, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, No One Left To Run With, Desdemona, Every Hungry Woman, And It Stoned Me, Kind Of Bird

Set 2: Melissa, Ain’t No Love, Come And Go Blues, Rocking Horse, Black Hearted Woman > Oteil Jam > JaBuMaOt > Black Hearted Woman > The Other One > Black Hearted Woman, Jessica

Encore: Preachin’ Blues, One Way Out

• Previously on HT: B List – Shows To Fatten Your Allmans Trip, Video – Whipping Post, Butch Trucks Interview
• United Palace Run Webcasts: Moogis.com

The run continues tomorrow evening. Did you go to the show or watch the Moogis webcast tonight? We’d love to hear what you thought about the venue, the stream or the band’s performance.