Gregg Allman – Fraze Pavilion – Saturday, May 15, 2010

Another great night for a show.  It rained in the early evening, but the clouds went away and it ended up being a beautiful night to watch some great music.

First thing I noticed was that Gregg Allman had his hair down.  At several of the recent Allman Brothers Band shows, he’s worn his hair in a ponytail.  Having his hair down actually made him look younger.  The second thing was his voice.  Gravelly, but still very strong, probably the best I’ve heard him sound in years.

He began the show with “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin‘” from Idlewild South, the second LP from the Allman Brothers and followed it with his biggest solo hit “I’m No Angel.”  And thus began a night which alternated between hits and new material from an upcoming, as yet untitled solo album.  In fact, Allman played more hits in one solo night than you might see in several nights with the Allman Brothers Band.  “Melissa,” “Midnight Rider,” “Whippin’ Post,” and “Statesboro Blues,” all sounded great.  He had a way of re-arranging the classic songs that breathed new life in them.

A welcome surprise was Allman’s take on the Bob Dylan song “Just Like a Woman.”  He gave it a tenderness only hinted at in Dylan’s original from Blonde on Blonde.  Another nice addition was saxophonist Jay Collins, who added a different element to many of the familiar songs.

Rumor has it that Allman’s forthcoming CD is going to be titled Your In Good Hands With Allman.