The Allman Brothers Band played their 211th show at the Beacon Theatre since 1989 last night for the first of 11 performances that make up the band’s 2013 March Madness run. ABB drummer Butch Trucks previewed the run in interviews and Facebook status updates by advising fans there would be new originals and covers coming. On night one the band delivered a pair of cover debuts as well as the first performance of a new original written by Warren Haynes.
The first set began and ended with Les Brers In A Minor, an instrumental penned by former ABB member Dickey Betts. Within the opening stanza were a slew of repertoire staples of both the original and cover variety. When the band returned for the second set, they opened with their first-ever cover of Rain by The Beatles. While the Allmans have never covered the tune before, Gregg Allman did record a version of Rain that was first released on the Dreams box set in 1989. Following Trouble No More, the group unveiled a new Warren Haynes original titled Dusk Till Dawn. Another new cover came towards the end of the set, when the Allman Brothers Band jammed Jimi Hendrix’s 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) into and out of Mountain Jam. One Way Out was the encore on this guest-less first night.
What did Butch Trucks think of opening night? He shared these thoughts on Facebook: “Damn. What an opening night. Might be one of our best sets ever. I am very sore today from laying with that much power. Gregg was as spot on as he’s been in decades actually pushing us on some of the tunes he use to have trouble with. Life is great and the Beacon seems to be one major hot spot. More new stuff tonight.”
Here’s the full setlist from the opening March Madness show…
Set One: Les Brers In A Minor (Intro), Don’t Want You No More > Not My Cross To Bear, Statesboro Blues, Ain’t Wastin Time No More, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Midnight Rider, Blind Willie McTell, Leave My Blues At Home, Les Brers In A Minor (Reprise)
Set Two: Rain (Beatles cover)*, Trouble No More, Dusk Till Dawn*, No One To Run With, Key To The Highway, Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’, 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) (Jimi Hendrix cover)* -> Mountain Jam -> 1983 -> Mountain Jam (Reprise)
Encore: One Way Out
[Setlist via AllmanBrothersBand.com]
The Allman Brothers Band return to the Beacon Theatre tonight.
Listen to Gregg’s cover of Rain and view a video of Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’…
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlqQBNrCkQ8[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_tNBrOFHRI[/youtube]
