We are happy to announce that we have the entire Allman Brothers Band tour in stock! We believe that these 23 concert performances by the Allman Brothers Band in 2008 represent the best playing this version of the band has ever achieved! In talking with various members of the band and management they are in complete agreement - 2008 was something very special - and a wonderful lead-in to the upcoming 40th anniversary year.
After an 11-month hiatus, the band came back firing on all cylinders and hittin’ the note as only they can. Some bands might be hesitant after such a long layoff, but the ABB didn’t have any training wheels on this tour, breaking out new songs and rearranging old ones to keep the music fresh and alive. A total of 56 songs (plus JaBuMa) were played over the course of the first 12 shows.
Willie Dixon’s blues classic “I Ain’t Superstitious” was given the full ABB treatment, with Warren’s gruff vocals and Derek’s stinging slide taking the song to new heights. Bob Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” was reinvented as a hard-hitting rocker, with Gregg Allman belting out the lyrics with soulful, bluesy power. A number of shows featured special guest appearances from tour mates Bob Weir & Ratdog as well as other friends such as Roy Haynes, Jr. Mack, Bruce Katz from Gregg Allman and Friends, Danny Louis, Susan Tedeschi, Jay Collins, Scott Sharrard and Luther Dickinson.
Of course, there were also new and interesting interpretations of the timeless ABB catalog, proving once again that songs like “Whipping Post” and “Jessica” are inexhaustible vehicles for improvisation. A new jam was added to “Rocking Horse,” with amazing results, and the extended version of “Revival” they played on 8/15 is unlike any you’ve heard before – it was a good tour for long jams! The "Afro Blue" excursion with Roy Haynes at Jones Beach was absolutely mesmerizing, the extended "Done Somebody Wrong" in Chicago exemplified the magical improvisation of the ABB, the 8/30 Red Rocks show featured the longest “Dreams” of the decade, clocking in at 15:37, and the 8/20 Hartford concert showcased a 40-minute “Mountain Jam” that stands up proudly to any other version.
