SHARING THE SHOWS
Annnnnnnd the Widespread Panic that accompanies the end of the semester is in full swing. I needed a show like the Cookie Monster needs…well, you know. Anywho, after a morning spent advising a student who, when I told him he needed two elective courses, said, “I don’t see a Department Called Electives,” I was ready to get my Allman Brothers fix on, even if it was from the offspring of the original members. I met up with Pete at the Wegman’s by Capital One Hall, which is where I had dinner with Maggie before Jethro Tull and Kasi before Jesus Christ Superstar. I had craving some cold cuts, so I got a hugeass turkey, roast beef, and ham sub for only $10 (my brother had introduced me to their neverending meatball sub several years back). Of course, Wegman’s gets a nice pre-show crowd, and due to the fact that most of us who shop at Wegman’s are yuppie scum, most of the grizzled, bearded types in the café were going to the show. We all migrated to the venue, which is new and pristine. We met up with Pete’s friend Steve by a large Christmas tree before going in.
As for the show, I’ll just say that the voices and instruments seems to have passed down one generation to Devon Allman and Duane Betts. “It’s in the blood” is how Pete concisely put it. The animation on the screen is reminiscent of those shows I used to see at the Beacon Theatre with Rob. I’m providing a link to the setlist, with some thoughts on a few songs. “Little Martha” – The pictures of the Allmans in their younger years, along with the wistful vibe given out by the acoustic guitars made me feel like I was traveling back in time – which I was. This experience was reminiscent of those Beacon shows, and Allman Betts is as close as we’ll get to seeing the original. “No One To Run One With” – The opening guitar lick sounded very similar to the version on their 1994 album, Where It All Begins. “I’m No Angel” – A Gregg Allman tune, I’m sure it was the first song I heard from any Allman. I used to hear it all the time on Q104.3, the classic rock station I had my radio permanently tuned to in my first car, a rusty 1982 Toyota Corolla, which had no air conditioning and a radio that went all the way up to 11. “Pony Boy” and “Magnolia Road” – I’d rarely heard “Pony Boy.” “Magnolia Road” was a new one, which the boys encored the show with. It’s always nice hearing new tunes; it feels fresh. “Come and Go Blues” – This recently became my favorite Allmans tune. I heard it on their 2004 live album as I was grinding through rush hour traffic on Connecticut Avenue on the way back from Costco, and the music just fit the scene. I played it on repeat for a while. “One Way Out” - A number of artists rotated to play with the group; the only one I really knew of was Anders Osborne, who rocked on this tune. The downside of Metroing to the show is coming back at night, particularly on a Tuesday, when service ends at midnight and I have to catch two trains back. After the band finished “Magnolia Road,” I speed-walked to the Metro, where I was greeted by a ten-minute wait and a notification that thanks to police activity, the Silver Line would end at Ballston, a good seven stops from the transfer point at Metro Center. Once at Ballston, it was a fifteen-minute wait for the Orange Line. My anxiety mounted a bit as I anticipated missing the last Red Line train home and having to shell out money for an Uber. Fortunately, I made the second-to-last home, and with only a seven-minute wait. I got home at midnight, which, these days, is late for me. I started getting up at 6:30 a.m. once I remembered how nice it is to start the day early. Fortunately, I had gotten a power nap in after lunch. Waking up at 7:50 this morning without an alarm was a challenge, but that Cuban coffee I got in Tampa got me back to humanity.
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April 2024
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