Not a bad double bill. The only issue was they played at Merriweather Post Pavilion which has an early curfew. Being that they had to end at a decent hour, and both bands were playing full sets, that meant an early start time. 6:00 to be exact. Not the most convenient coming from DC in traffic. But it was worth it!
I tagged along with Lee and Kari and the plan was to leave at 3:00 to beat the traffic. We left my place around 3:45. Apparently there was an accident on the beltway and we sat on 495 for an hour. We arrived a few minutes before the show. I came without a ticket since it wasn’t sold out (and a last minute change of plans by a coworker). As soon as we parked I was offered a pavilion ticket for $60. Lee and Kari had 7th row pavilion and had offered to get me down so I wasn’t too keen to spend a ton of money on a show with tickets still available. He then offered it for $50. While I was trying to remember what kind of cash I had in my pocket the guy took off to deal with someone else and came back with a lawn ticket for $40. I would have rather had the pavilion ticket for $50 but settled for the lawn ticket.
Widespread Panic was playing first and when we got in the place was quite empty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the venue with so few people. After a few songs Lee came up with Kari’s ticket and got me down to the center of the 7th row. The front few rows were full but there was room to get down in the middle. It was quite the vantage point. Widespread was rockin’. At that close distance you could see the whole band and how they interacted with each other. In the back of the pavilion or up on the lawn you could only see one band member at a time on the big screens. It was cool to see them getting down together.
During the set break we met up with Mike and his friend at the 9:32 Club. It was a nice place to relax between shows because it was open with tables to chill at. After a few drinks, a few minutes before The Allman Brothers were to start, we headed out so Lee and Kari could get down to their prime seats. By this time the venue was almost full. It wasn’t sold out but the place was filling up. I hung out on the lawn for the first few songs to let Lee and Kari get settled. Security was light during Widespread Panic but during surveillance at the beginning of the Allman Brothers I saw there was no getting down without a ticket. Apparently it was crazy down in the pavilion because word was they couldn’t get back up to let me down. No matter. While on the lawn the guy next to me asked if I was alone. “My friends are down in the pavilion” I replied. “Would you like to go join them?” he asks while pulling a ticket out of his pocket. Apparently he had two pavilion tickets and was happy on the lawn. After many thank yous and a cling of the beer cups I headed down to the pavilion. The center pavilion sections were full. My ticket was in the far right section and I could get down pretty far.
The Allman Brothers rocked out as they have for the last four decades. I haven’t seen them in years since Dickey Betts left. I may have only seen them once or twice since Allen Woody died. I’ve seen Derek Trucks play with them but only as a guest. Wayne and Derek threw down. Both of them traded off leading the show and playing back and forth. Susan Tedeschi came out for a song or two. She sung at first then threw down a nice solo that got the crowd going. A sax player came out for a bit. For awhile there were 10 people on stage jamin’. A few members of Widespread Panic came out and played with the band as well. The place was rocking out. Getting my last beer I finally found the Starr Hill tap and got a Northern Lights IPA. After drinking Stella Artois all night I took a sip of the Northern Lights and immediately noticed good flavor. The band was a rockin’. The crowd was getting down.
They encored with Whipping Post. It met expectations. No need to elaborate.
I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve seen them.
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