Allmans’ powerful appearance opens SPAC’s 1979 season

by Mike Kane, The Post-Star, June 13, 1979

The Allman Brothers put their fans to a test Monday night at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

First, the reborn brothers made the 10,165 fans who turned out for the opening event of the SPAC season wait in the cold for more than an hour after Bob Welch opened the evening with a 40-minute effort.

When the band finally did take the stage, shortly after 9 p.m., it immediately presented the crowd with another test. How much can you handle?

The question wasn’t directly stated. However, two hours later, the Allman Brothers Band was still playing with the same intensity with which it opened the performance. It took dedication to withstand the cold weather. It also took strength to withstand the powerful Allman Brothers show. They simply wear you out.

Guitarists Dickey Betts and Dan Toler are clearly the focal points of the band. Their crisp, yet silky smooth solos and duets gave their fans all they could stand – and more. Betts, long a member of the strife-ridden band that only recently reunited and issued a new album, “Enlightened Rogues,” coolly and cleanly led the band through such Allman Brothers standards as “Blue Sky,” “In Меmory of Elizabeth Reed,” “Statesboro Blues,” “Jessica,” and “Whipping Post.” His leads lulled the crowd into a trance-like state and then brought it to its collective feet as he skillfully worked his way up and down the neck of his guitar. Betts’ playing is similar to a ride on a roller-coaster. He gets a rise out of you a few times with some clever moves, settles you back down with a smooth stretch, and then throws in the zinger that has you gasping for breath right near the end, just when you thought he was through.

Toler is a truly fine player, but as yet, doesn’t command the attention that Betts does.

Gregg Allman’s foray into the glitter of Hollywood and his short marriage to Cher certainly hasn’t hurt his voice. Nothing much can be done to further damage his throaty growl. Playing and partying have shaped a distinctive sound which is as much a part of the Allman Brothers as Betts’ lengthy solos. Allman conducts the show. His presence, both on the keyboards and vocally, unifies the act. He is the soul.

The band wove a few numbers from its new album, including “Need Your Love So Bad,” Crazy Love,” and “It Just Ain’t Easy,” into the opening hour of the show. Vocalist Bonnie Bramlett added a nice touch to a number of songs during the concert, including “Crazy Love,” her only appearance on the new album.

An extended version of “Jessica” followed by 12 minutes of “Whipping Post” concluded the principal portion of the show.

A five-minute standing ovation brought the Allmans back for an encore, a long solo-studded version of “Pegasus.”

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