The Allman Brothers Band have a long illustrious history of performances at the Beacon Theatre that includes literally hundreds of sit-ins. That tradition continued tonight when the pioneering southern rockers welcomed a cavalcade of guests to join them at various points of their Tune In To Hep C Benefit Concert at the venue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side including Furthur/Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, vocalist Natalie Cole and legendary musical duo David Crosby and Graham Nash.
[Video Playlist: Franklin’s, Into The Mystic, One Way Out, Find The Cost of Freedom, Almost Cut My Hair, Shakedown St.]
This evening’s show, which was a benefit concert to help raise awareness of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, was the band’s first since April’s Wanee Festival and marks a departure for the group who normally performs at the Beacon in March. For the first set, the Allmans mixed a variety of covers (Into The Mystic, Guilded Splinters, Blind Willie McTell) with classic originals (Don’t Want You No More > It’s Not My Cross To Bear, One Way Out) before bringing out hep C survivor Natalie Cole to sing her take on Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come which also featured Danny Louis on piano and Ron Holloway on sax. Cole and Holloway stayed out for The Weight. One of the evening’s finest improvisational moments closed the set when jazz saxophonist Bill Evans came out to blow on In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.
David Crosby and Graham Nash appeared to start the second set accompanied by Derek Trucks on Teach Your Children. The pair then offered Guinevere and Find The Cost Of Freedom along with Warren Haynes. Next, Phil Lesh came out to augment the Allmans and Crosby/Nash for a track from Crosby’s 1971 solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name – Cowboy Movie. Lesh, along with some of his Grateful Dead band mates, lent their talents to the original studio track back in 1971. The Lesh/Crosby/Nash triumvirate stuck around for the first ABB version of Almost Cut My Hair, which also featured Louis on keys. Phil led the Allmans through a trio of Dead tunes next, namely Shakedown Street, Sugaree and Franklin’s Tower. A shockingly good Whipping Post with Natalie Cole on vocals brought the incredible set to a close. All of the evening’s guests along with Devon Allman helped out for the Midnight Rider encore, which was followed by the first ABB Will The Circle Be Unbroken in over 14 years. ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons also came out for the show closer. Quite a night at the Beacon.
Set 1
Don’t Want You No More>
It’s Not My Cross To Bear
Walk on Guilded Splinters
One Way Out
Into the Mystic
Statesboro Blues
Blind Willie McTell
Black Hearted Woman>
Other One Jam
A Change Is Gonna Come (Natalie Cole vocals Ron Holloway sax Danny Louis keyboard)
The Weight (Natalie Cole vocals Ron Holloway sax)
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (Bill Evans sax)Set 2
Teach Your Children (David Crosby & Graham Nash Derek Trucks guitar)
Guinnevere (David Crosby & Graham Nash)
Find The Cost Of Freedom (David Crosby & Graham Nash)
Cowboy Movie (ABB David Crosby & Graham Nash Phil Lesh)
Almost Cut My Hair (ABB David Crosby Graham Nash Phil Lesh Danny Louis keyboard)
Shakedown Street (Phil Lesh Danny Louis keyboard)
Sugaree (Phil Lesh Danny Louis Keyboard)
Franklins Tower (Phil Lesh Danny Louis keyboard)
Whipping Post (Natalie Cole vocals)Encore
Midnight Rider (With All Guests)Devon Allman
Will The Circle Be Unbroken (With All Guests) Devon Allman Billy Gibbons[via FillmoreMidwest]
3 Responses
The most amazing show I’ve seen in a long time…everybody had a great time on stage & it was matched by the enthusiasm of the crowd.
So happy I bought that ticket!
I need to here Natalie Cole sing “A Change is Gonna Come” again.
where do we find a recording of this show?