Allman Brothers Rock for Over Three Hours in NYC

Posted on Mar 12th 2010 1:42PM by Georgia Kral
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The Allman Brothers did what they do best Thursday night at the United Palace Theater in New York City: they enabled every member of the audience to feel like they were traveling through time. It was as though the '80s and '90s had never happened. But that's why the Allman Brothers have endured -- their music is timeless blues-influenced rock. By stepping just one foot into that weed-infused den of classic rock, you are transported.

Amidst fathers and sons, 40-somethings and their wives, counter-culture-inspired teenagers and even a few very old hippies, the seven-piece band, which included three drummers, rocked for more than three hours. Their set included classics like 'Jessica' and 'Melissa,'a cover of Van Morrison's 'And It Stoned Me' and newer songs like the ballad 'Desdemona' and even a cover of the 1974 song, 'Aint No Love in the Heart of the City,' written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh and covered by everyone from Whitesnake to Jay-Z and Kanye West.

Gregg Allman has been leading the Allman Brothers without his brother since 1971, playing consistently the whole time. Since 1989, the band has played a two-week long stint at the Beacon Theater on Manhattan's Upper West Side every March, but because of scheduling issues there the show moved uptown this year. No one seemed to mind -- in fact, the new location, its ornate walls entirely covered in gold paint -- was better for the band, according to one fan. "I felt like they were in my living room!" he exclaimed.

It was an apt observation, though maybe the reason why had more to do with the band than the theater. The Allman Brothers Band's own special brand of acid tinged blues-rock is warm and inviting, and you can't help but yelp when one solo ends and another begins. Gregg Allman's organ and keyboards soar like birds flying south for the winter and the guitar playing from Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks truly complements each other -- they play together and yet far apart at the same time, making their own mark.

After two long sets, the band kept going with a three-song encore, closing the night with classic tune 'One Way Out.' They were right, as the band said goodnight and god bless, there was only one way out, but everyone left happy.