Allman Brothers Legacy to Be Honored at Madison Square Garden

When the Allman Brothers Band called it a day, the group’s final show was on October 28, 2014 at the Beacon Theatre. It was not only the 238^th straight sell out for the band at the Beacon, but represented the 45^th and final year for the southern septet. Fast forward to March 10, 2020, and the surviving members of the final lineup called themselves The Brothers and decided to celebrate the anniversary of the band at Madison Square Garden just as COVID-19 was knocking on the door. It became all the more significant given the fact that since the farewell show, Butch Trucks died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in January 2017. Gregg Allman succumbed in May of that same year to complications from liver cancer. On April 15 and April 16, The Brothers will once again take the stage at Madison Square Garden. For guitarist Warren Haynes, it’s a welcome surprise in a year that’s finding him promoting his latest album Million Voices Whisper along with overseeing the release of a number of Gov’t Mule and solo reissues.

“It’s been five years and we’re all excited to do it again,” he said. “It kind of just came about organically and I think it’s going to be a fantastic two nights.”

Rounding out the lineup for that pair of dates are Jaimoe (drums, founding member), Derek Trucks (guitar), Oteil Burbridge (bass), and Marc Quiñones (percussion). Joining them will be Joe Russo (drums), Reese Wynans (keyboards), Isaac Eady (drums) and special guest Chuck Leavell (piano). For someone who playing live is like a form of creative oxygen, Haynes can’t wait to play some of those seminal Allmans hits with his musical brethren.

“I’m a huge fan of all the Allman Brothers music, but my favorite songs to play is a little different because my favorite ones to play are ones where we can really stretch out,” he explained. “[Jams] like ‘Dreams,’ ‘Whipping Post,’ ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ are those kinds of songs that are really fun to stretch out on because you can take a different approach night after night. The way the band feels influences the way the soloist feels so we’re all influencing each other. Every night has its own personality, so it’s always interesting to see where those songs go.”

For Derek Trucks, the Allman Brothers legacy looms large, particularly when it comes to fellow guitarist Duane Allman. Fueling his fascination were first-hand tales he heard from his father.

“I grew up in a house where my dad went AWOL from military school to go to some of those Fillmore shows,” Trucks said. “I heard these stories from him about these shows that seemed like a myth the way he talked about how powerful for him they were. Hearing the Live at the Fillmore East and Layla records and the fire in Duane’s playing, [I loved] this shoot-from-the-hip vibe that he had.”

Trucks added, “But it was also very cerebral. It was this combination of low and high. You could tell it was from the Deep South, but it was enlightened at the same time. It’s the first thing that really hit me that way. It was the first time I ever listened to music where it wasn’t just some song you enjoyed. It was a different experience. You were inside of it and could feel it. That sound is what made me want to pick up a guitar.”

Brother Gregg’s influence continues to loom as well. For Haynes and Trucks, that came in the shape of an unfinished song called “Real, Real Love” Haynes recorded for his current album. The photocopied lyrics in Allman’s handwriting were sent to him by former Allmans manager Bert Holman, who asked the guitarist if he remembered working on it with the late Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. While Haynes recalled being shown the song by Allman, he didn’t remember seeing any music for it. After tweaking the lyric, adding some of his own along with music, Haynes called Trucks in to help finish it. Proud of the result, one has to wonder if it pops up during the upcoming Garden dates.

“I got very inspired, called Derek on the phone and told him I just finished this tune Gregg wrote a long time ago, and I thought we should record it together,” Haynes said. “I wound up spending three days at Derek’s place in Georgia—just the two of us writing for three days. And then he came into the studio for two days and we got a lot of work done. It’s the only time I can remember trying to honor someone else’s songwriting and vocal style to this extent. The song was Gregg’s initial inspiration and I wanted to finalize it in as much of a way that he would as possible.”

The Brothers will be performing on April 15 and April 16 at Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, NYC. For more information, visit thegarden.com or call 212-707-3131.