Photos by Jim Mimna
The Scene: The Boulder Theater was charged last Tuesday night as longtime fans waited for the legendary Gregg Allman to take the stage before the nearly capacity crowd. While the majority of those who packed the beautiful Art Deco theater were silver haired and pushing 60 (and with seated tickets on the lower level priced at $90, that’s not a surprise) there was a healthy contingent of younger fans who had no doubt been brought up on Allman’s music and wanted to check this one off the bucket list.
Gregg Allman: Shortly after nine, the lights went down and Allman and his eight piece band appeared from the wings of the stage and took their places. As Allman got settled behind his Hammond B-3, he grabbed the mic and said “It’s hard to breathe, but it’s good to be here.” Having caught his great set in Telluride a month ago, I wasn’t too worried about his ability to breathe and Allman soon proved me right as he lit into “Statesboro Blues” to open the show. Though the 67 year old has clearly slowed a bit in recent years, and his longtime band – The Allman Brothers – called it quits last year, the singer proved time and time again throughout the night that his voice remains in fine form.
“I’m No Angel” gave us a taste of Allman’s original material from his late 80’s solo comeback while he showcased “Queen of Hearts” and a horn fueled “Come and Go Blues” to give us a taste of the material he had been writing back in the early 70’s (legend has it that “Queen of Hearts” had been rejected by The Brothers giving Allman the catalyst he needed to record his first solo album Laid Back).
As the set moved on, it was clear that Allman had assembled a top notch band; from Allman Brother’s percussionist Marc Marc Quiñones to singer, guitarist and musical director Scott Sharrard. Together they paid tribute to the sound of their leader’s former band while putting their own spin on things. Sometimes they shined and, while the music was always great, there were moments that seemed to drag a little bit while the set closing “Whipping Post” just didn’t pack the punch of The Brother’s version.
Midway through the set Allman gave a nod to two longtime friends – and fantastic songwriters in their own right – when he delivered a beautiful version of Jackson Browne’s “These Days” that led into Warren Haynes’ “Soulshine.” On the latter tune, Sharrard stepped to the mic to take the second verse and give us a taste of his powerful voice (check out his Brickyard Band album, you will not be disappointed). After Sharrard led the band through a scorching instrumental that allowed Allman to take a little breather backstage, the set picked up speed and closed with four of Allman’s best known songs. “It’s Not My Cross To Bear” gave way to a soaring take on “Melissa” which allowed Sharrard to stretch out on a monster solo as Allman backed him on acoustic guitar. “Midnight Rider” fostered the obligatory sing-along and was followed by the rearranged, and slightly lacking, “Whipping Post” to wrap-up the set.
After a brief break the band returned for a double-shot encore that started with Allman giving credit to his longtime bandmate Dickey Betts for writing “Southbound” and closed by wowing the crowd with stellar vocal performance on the Blues classic “One Way Out.” That last “I just don’t know” hung in the air for what seemed like minutes and was a damn fine way to close the show.
Energy: B
Musicianship: A
Sound: A-
Stage Presence: B
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: B+
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