Five years ago when the Allman Brothers signed off at the Beacon Theater, it was bittersweet. The music, as usual, soared, dipped and everything in between, played by musicians who seemed to be communicating via telepathy.
I'm glad to report that their telepathic skills have not faded a bit and the musical rapport between Derek, Warren, Otiel & Marc has not dissipated one bit. This show was more like a celebration in the larger MSG. Three-and-a-half hours of music without a lull and they hit highlight after highlight with screaming guitars and a pulsing, thundering bottom end. New members Duane Trucks and Reese Wynans held their ground and were totally in tune with the others.
They leaned heavily songs on their classic first five albums, but a couple of (relatively) newer choices were also included.
Not only was this March date just a few weeks before their actually 50th anniversary, it was only a couple of days off from the 49th anniversary of the recording of their classic "Live At Fillmore East".