The Allman Brothers Band was mothballed, yet again. Just like back during the first temporary disbanding of 1976. Except this one already had been dragging on for six years, since 1982, and still had another year to go.
So, Dickey Betts had plenty of time—and energy—on his hands that November of 1988.
Rather than drift in the doldrums, the singing guitarist pulled together keyboardist Johnny Neel, bassist Marty Privette and drummer Matt Abts into The Dickey Betts Band. Crucially, the Allmans’ signature attack with twin lead guitars was preserved by also drafting a startup fretsman as his bottlenecking foil. Meet 28-year-old Warren Haynes, who would keep going on to great things (stick around for more on that). It is this band who lets it fly for you, Live from the Lone Star Roadhouse.
And dare not underestimate the context of the word “roadhouse” as the environment for this show. Because the Lone Star Café Roadhouse was definitely not a recital hall; it was the wild frontier. In Midtown Manhattan. Or so it sounded, as rowdies whoop and holler up a storm, spurring on the band, which, in turn, spurs on more whoops and hollers. And, thankfully, New York’s WNEW-FM was rolling tape as part of their live radio broadcast that night. Because what a night of superlative blues-bred Southern rock it was, where guitar notes outnumbered lyrics in major proportion. Plus, surprises—big surprises—were lying in wait.
After a direct bolt into the muscular, boogying “Rock Bottom,” the show’s two sets start to divvy up newly-unveiled DBB songs (their Pattern Disruptive was released only two weeks earlier) and road-tested ABB favorites. Thrills peak whenever both guitarists step back away from the microphones, as during bouts in “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’,” the Haynes-growled “Time to Roll,” and the relaxed-then-urgent “Blue Sky,” which retains its precision tandem work flown in tight formation through upwardly spiraling licks cut in between stretches of soloing. Aiming to fulfill its title, the song builds through a series of crescendos, and then builds some more, escalating without any ceiling.
“Duane’s Tune” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” never let them even get to the microphones. The former, another tandem piece, celebrates the late Duane Allman; the latter is the extended improvisational piece Duane carved up many a night with Dickey. Its dreamy gliding passages still sequentially open doors into different rooms: outright guitar fury, organ turbulence, supplemental guitar exploration, concussive drum thunder. “Jessica” catches fire through its first eight minutes—yet there remains another half to go. Fifteen minutes in all, and not a word gets said. Quite the jammer’s delight.
But waiting in the wings are special rocker guests to pile on even more firepower to the already blowout jams. “Statesboro Blues,” for instance, baits out Rick Derringer, whose guitar sticks around for “One Way Out,” the tomcatting blues that both Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson II had tucked into their repertoires a decade before the Allmans did so, and, of course, his own “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” “Spoonful” hooks two: Jack Bruce and Rolling Stone Mick Taylor. The old Delta blues gets treated to a sludge-trudge like back when Jack played it with Eric and Ginger in 1966 as Cream. At nearly 10 minutes, everyone has ample time to get their licks in. Eventually, after two hours, the evening touches down on “Southbound.” The Betts-penned Allmans tune about turning for home packs the full payload—band plus all visitors—tearing off chunks.
Not long after, the Allmans regrouped. That was in 1989. And based upon performances like this one, Dickey returned into the brotherly fold with a new string dazzler by his side: the ferociously up-to-speed Haynes, who would later go on to form Gov’t Mule and join the post-Garcia Dead. But that Lone Star gig—newly restored to its complete, original, magnificent glory for first time since that very night—captured Betts & Co. in a divine moment of roadhouse ruckus-and-roll.
Label: RockBeat
Release Date: 8/9/24
Artist Website: www.rockbeatrecords.com
Reviewed by Dennis Rozanski
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