THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Brothers — Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge and Marc Quinones, joined by Duane Trucks, Reese Wynans and Chuck Leavell — honoured 50 years of music by The Allman Brothers Band at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 10, 2020.
This one-time concert event was a celebration of The Allman Brothers Band’s illustrious career. It notably marks the first time in more than five years that these legendary players were together on stage to perform their iconic hits, and the first time since the passing of founding members Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks.
Shortly after the show, guitarist/singer Warren Haynes said, “It was a very surreal night I think for all of us. It would have been under normal circumstances. But as we got closer and closer to show date, we were all wondering if we’re going to be allowed to play. We barely got in under the wire and then the next couple of days, they basically started shutting down everything and cancelling shows everywhere. It’s very bizarre that we turned out to be the last big show like that, and very strange in hindsight that we were probably all exposed much more than we realized.”
Guitarist Derek Trucks added: “It was a one-off celebration of 50 years of the band and it was sold out. But I know a bunch of people who had tickets who didn’t come. My parents were unable to make it. They were worried about traveling and their doctor told them not to hop on a plane to New York. So that was bittersweet in a lot of ways. You wish it had been slammed to the rafters and everyone wouldn’t have had that in the back of their mind.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group formed in 1969 and quickly became one of the most popular live bands in American rock music history, selling millions of records along the way. Hailed for their live improvisation and marathon performances, the group released the At Fillmore East album in 1971, and it’s still hailed as one of the best live albums ever. Joining The Brothers for the 3/10/20 event was keyboardist Reese Wynans (who played in the Second Coming with future ABB founding members Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley, and was a part of the early 1969 jam sessions which led to the formation of ABB) and Duane Trucks, Derek’s brother and the drummer for Widespread Panic. Chuck Leavell joined ABB in 1972 following Duane Allman’s passing and played with the group until a hiatus in 1976; he’s been with The Rolling Stones since 1981.
A portion of the proceeds of the live show benefitted The Big House in Macon, GA which was the band’s home from 1970-1973 and now serves as their official museum.”
