When the Allman Betts Family Revival rolls into New York City and Huntington, this caravan of musicians will be entering its ninth year of a tradition that started as a means of celebrating what would have been the late Gregg Allman’s 70th birthday.
For son Devon Allman, who makes up half of the Allman Betts Band (the other half being made up of fellow musical progeny Duane Betts, offspring of late Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts), it was important to commemorate this milestone birthday.
“When my father passed [on May 27, 2017], he made it about six months to what would have been his 70th birthday,” Allman explained. “When it came to his birthday, I knew we had to have a blow-out in his honor and play his music. That’s really what it was. It was a 70th birthday party and we invited people who had been opening acts for my dad, people who had been his friends, bandmates, etc. We had a big blowout—a big 70th birthday party.”
What started as a one-off gig evolved into an annual event, thanks to the success of the inaugural show held at The Fillmore in San Francisco.
Over time, the list of guests eager to tackle the Gregg Allman songbook grew to include myriad names: Slash, Robert Randolph, Marcus King, Jason Isbell and Robin Zander.
“[The original Bay Area show] grew to a couple of other cities interested in having their own Revival,” Allman said. “If we were going to do it in three or four cities, then we decided to do it for a few weeks and turn it into a tour. To have a tour of this magnitude where there are this many special guests is just so special. It’s a testament to the enduring depth of love for this timeless songbook. We are honored and grateful to be able to go and get out there with all these fine musicians and breathe life into these songs.”
Inspired by the 1978 Martin Scorsese documentary, “The Last Waltz,” about the band The Band’s farewell performance, which featured the Allman Brothers as guests, the Allman Betts Family Revival focuses squarely on Gregg Allman’s musical legacy.
It’s the kind of gig son Devon delights in curating, knowing how special it is for the audience and musicians involved with this particular live music event. This year’s array of special guests includes Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall, Cody and Luther Dickinson, Amanda Shires, Alex Oribson, Eric Johnson, G. Love and Steve Earle.
“It’s a celebration of one of the best rock and roll songbooks ever,” Allman proudly said. “It’s set up very much in the vein of ‘The Last Waltz,’ where it’s essentially a house band, which has always been The Allman Betts Band, with these special guests. It’s fun for me because I get to act as a bit of a casting director, so to speak. Who is going to do the best ‘Whipping Post’ this year? Who is going to take the best solo on ‘Dreams?’ It’s really a gas to put that all together and really visualize the show. A good magician never gives away their tricks. It’s really hard to say [what we’re going to play]. I don’t want to paint it all out for folks, but it’s a lot of music, a lot of personalities and a lot of love and reverence for that songbook for sure.”
While Allman the younger didn’t meet his father until he was 16, the duo bonded quickly over their common love of music.
It has led Devon to work on many projects beyond the Allman Betts Band, including Honeytribe and the Royal Southern Brotherhood, as well as a thriving solo career that includes the recently released “Blues Summit.” It’s a connection he continues to cherish.
“By the time we met, it was off to the races,” Allman recalled. “We had similar mannerisms and a similar gait. You can’t escape the father-son-isms. With music being both of our passions and the fact that my connection to music was my own since I didn’t grow up with him, I had a completely organic path to music. The bug bit me just like it bit him, but it didn’t bite me because of him, like, at all. That was really hip. As tough as it is for a young boy to grow up without his dad, quite frankly, I am happy with the fact that I arrived at music on my own.”
The Allman Betts Family Revival will be appearing on Dec. 6 at the Beacon Theatre, 74th Street & Broadway, NYC. For more information, visit www.beacontheatre.com or call 866-858-0008.
The Allman Betts Family Revival will also be appearing on Dec. 7 at The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. For more information, visit www.theparamountny.com or call 631-673-7300.
