The Allman Brothers Band in Concert: Beacon Theatre 2003

Doug Collette

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2003

DC writes regularly about rock and roll, jazz and the blues, composing reviews of CD's, DVD's, live performances, books and films, as well as conducting interviews.

Recent articles (452 total)

Published: February 17, 2004

View All 1 2 3

The set progressed as if designed to demonstrate the power of the current Allman Brothers in a variety of ways. Compact renditions of familiar songs such as '"Midnight Rider"' gave way to exploratory versions of brand-new songs such as '"Desdemona,"' from the splendid studio cd Hittin' The Note; the breezy Latino jazz of the middle-section of that song reappears in the band's new signature tune 'Instrumental Illness,' the expansive take on which transcended the studio take and most previous live versions. And to hear Oteil Burbridge then let loose the rumbling bass intro to '"Whipping Post"' with twice the authority he displayed last year (and with at least as much additional clarity in the overall sound for the pavilion), is as clear an indication of the continuing evolution of The Allman Brothers Band as you could possibly hear: just as the old and new personnel coexist and prosper, so does the new and old material contrast to equally impressive effect.

View All 1 2 3