Perfect Night at Red Rocks with Allman Brothers
by GPAA on 9/13/09Red Rocks Amphitheatre - MorrisonRating: 5 out of 5The Allman Brothers Band is celebrating their 40th anniversary with some of their most passionate and accurate playing in years. Saturday night of Labor Day weekend at Red Rocks, the Brothers put on their most polished show at that venue in recent memory. They played many of the tunes they’ve done in recent years, but with renewed vigor. Their annual month long stand at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan earlier this year is destined to become classic in blues-rock folklore because of the guest artists. Over the course of 15 nights in March, the Brothers welcomed Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Johnny Winter, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bruce Willis (yeah the actor, playing harmonica), Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes horns, Boz Scaggs, Randy Brecker, Lenny White, Stanley Clarke, Robert Randolph, John Hammond, Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Bramlett, Susan Tedeschi, Scott Boyer, Tommy Talton, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Hornsby, Ron Holloway, Thom Doucette, Bernard Purdie, Jimmy Herring, John Bell, Bob Margolin, Sonny Landreth, John Popper, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock (?), Ivan Neville, Devon Allman, Barry Oakley, Jr., Chuck Leavell, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and perhaps most significantly, Eric Clapton for two nights. Obviously, if you’re going to play with a cast of characters like that, you’d better be at the top of your game. Their post-Beacon touring schedule has been somewhat more ambitious than in years past. By the time the band hit Red Rocks, they were about two-thirds of the way into a 38 date tour. As a result of all that playing, the band was tight, the vocal harmonies (not necessarily something the band is known for) were right on and the general intensity level increased several notches. Gregg Allman, now well into his 60s, sang with more power and passion that he has in a long time. Some old favorites received new treatments. “No One to Run With” and “Rocking Horse” both featured extended jams at the end that turned those songs into something completely different. “The Same Thing” had the unique funky treatment the band displayed when they played it at Red Rocks in 2006, but it’s been refined and further funkified in the intervening three years. Saturday night’s version also featured Derek Truck’s wife, Susan Tedeschi on vocals. She sang and played guitar on the next tune “Lost Lover Blues.” Adding some female vocals to the Allman Brothers’ sound is a refreshing touch. She plays some pretty good blues guitar too. Speaking of blues guitar, the two main guitarists, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks are pretty good as well. Their time playing together over the last year was evident. The twin harmony leads were spot on throughout the evening. Often, they’d play their unison line, then simultaneously split off for independent destinations, like precision fighter jets flying in formation and suddenly breaking out in opposite directions. A highlight of the set was Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen” which featured Tim Carbon of opening act Railroad Earth on fiddle. His playing gave the band yet another unusual (for them) sound. The solos by Carbon and the guitarists evoked the spirit of the Delta Blues of Johnson’s time. Another highlight was “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” That one has been a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it on “Live at the Fillmore East.” That version has been the standard for about 38 years now. Saturday night’s rendition came close. It will take a few more auditions of the Instant Live CD from Saturday night’s show to reach a final conclusion on whether it merely comes close, matches or possibly exceeds Fillmore East. Some of the Brothers have been talking about a scaled back touring schedule for future years. Butch Trucks, for example has explained the problems of playing drums for a two and a half hour show with creeping arthritis. Tell me about it, Butch. No matter what the future holds for Allman Brothers concerts at Red Rocks, this was one to remember. The weather cooperated with temperatures in the high 70s, clear skies and a full moon rising over the plains at dusk. Combine that with some great playing, and it was a night that will be hard to beat.