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The Top 40 Moments From The Allman Brothers Band's 2009 Beacon Run

The 2009 Beacon Run was one for the books. Never have The Allman Brothers welcomed so many diverse guests onto their stage during a single run. And the results were amazing. Some of the best music this writer has ever heard. So without further delay, we present our 40 Greatest Moments of the 2009 Beacon run, We invite you to comment at the end of the article. What do you think?

1. 3/26 All Brothers, all night. Just a wonderful sounding show with The Allmans playing all the songs from the first two albums in sequence.

2. 3/16  The Brothers, Bonnie Bramlett, Bekka Bramlett and Susan Tedeschi knock “The Weight” out of the ballpark, with Steve Katz from Levon Helm’s band  on piano.

3. 3/24  “Jesus Just Left Chicago” Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. The lights come up and the entire band is wearing long fake beards and cheap sunglasses. A haw haw haw....

4. 3/19  “Anyday, Anyway”  Eric Clapton and Susan Tedeschi join the ABB for a Derek & The Dominos classic. Yeah baby!

5. 3/23  “Memphis Soul Stew” > “Them Changes” King Curtis’  Kingpins (Jemmott, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Jimmy Smith) with Mike Mattison (Derek Trucks Band)  and Susan Tedeschi.Some called it “Beacon Soul Stew.” So cool.

6. 3/17  Cowboy’s Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton perform “Please Be With Me” with the ABB and Brian Mitchell on piano. Derek and Tommy play tasty double slides.

7. 3/27  “Grits Ain’t Groceries” Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie) sings his butt off on the Little Milton tune, a long time staple of Wet Willie shows. Jimmy also wails on sax.

8. 3/13 “Loan Me a Dime” Boz Scaggs and The Asbury Juke Horns tear it up on a song Boz did with Duane Allman. (And the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section).

9. 3/14 “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” Randy Brecker, Lenny White and Stanley Clarke jazz up Dickey’s great old tune.

10. 3/27  “Can’t You See” with Paul Riddle on Jaimoe’s drum kit, Jimmy Hall and Kid Rock. And they projected images of Toy, Tommy and George on the screen behind them.

11. 3/27  Gregg sang “Free Bird” as a tribute to Duane. Cool.

12. 3/12 “The Sky is Cryin’ “ Buddy Guy paying a little tribute to Stevie Ray and Duane at the same time. Awesome.

13. 3/9  “I Shall Be Released”  Levon Helm and his band join the Allmans on this classic by The Band and Dylan.

14. 3/16  The Brothers, Bonnie Bramlett & Bekka Bramlett do Delaney & Bonnie’s “Only You Know and I Know.”  Amazing tribute to Delaney and Duane

15. 3/9 First night of the run,”Statesborro Blues” Taj Mahal sang it soooo well, and blew a mighty mighty harp.

16. 3/20  “Little Wing”  Amazing. Derek & The Dominos version with  Eric Clapton.

17. 3/17 For the encore, the ABB play “One Way Out” with Cowboy’s  Tommy Talton on slide guitar. Awesome.

18. 3/28 “Franklin’s Tower” with Bobby Weir and Phil Lesh and Chuck Leavell. Deadheads rejoice!

19. 3/19  Set one closer  “Whipping Post.” The band was on fire anticipating Clapton’s 2nd set appearance, and just killed.

20. 3/38  “Jessica” with Chuck Leavell. Need I say more?

21. 3/20 encore  “Layla” with Clapton. Need I say more?

22. 3/23 “Soul Serenade”  King Curtis’ Kingpins, Mike Mattison, and Susan Tedeschi. Super bad is back!

23.3/28  “Mountain Jam” The finale of the run, with Chuck Leavell. Amazing closer for the whole shootin’ match.

24. 3/17  Cowboy’s Scott Boyer duets with Gregg on “All My Friends,” Tommy Talton plays guitar with Brian Mitchell on piano.

25. 3/14  Set one closed with “Dreams” featuring Randy Brecker and Lenny White. Jazz winds in a new direction.

26. 3/16  The Brothers, Bonnie Bramlett & Bekka Bramlett do “Come On Into My Kitchen” with John Hammond on guitar and sharing vocals. Robert Johnson lives.

27. 3/14  “Mountain Jam > Dazed and Confused > Mountain Jam”  encore. Just the Allmans, smokin’ it like they does.

28. 3/21 “Grandma’s Hands” Bruce Hornsby sings Bill Withers with Susan Tedeschi and the Juke Horns.

29. 3/14 The band played Miles Davis ‘ “In a Silent Way” with  Randy Brecker and Lenny White. Sweet.

30. 3/2009 The liquid light show created by the awesome Brotherhood of Light. Always great. Always trippin.’

31. 3/16  Gregg Allman and  Bonnie Bramlett duet on “Oncoming Traffic,” one of Gregg’s songs that they both recorded. Very cool.

32..3/27  “One Way Out”  with Devon Allman, Berry Oakley, Jr., and Jimmy Hall. Sons of thy Brothers do it up with the band and Mr. Hall.

33. 3/14 “Turn On Your Lovelight” The always amazing Robert Randolph wails on steel guitar with Adam Nussbaum on drums.

34. 3/20 “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”  Eric Clapton adds his own flavor to the Dickey Betts classic.

35. 3/13 Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic” sounded great with The Juke Horns.

36. 3/13 “It's Takes a Lot To Laugh (It Takes A Train To Cry)” with Boz Scaggs. Another great Duane tribute.

37. 3/20  Opener “Little Martha”  Oteil solo on six-string bass, straight into “Mountain Jam” - may be the first time I have seen “MJ” as an opener.

38. 3/27  “Keep On Smilin”  Jimmy Hall tears up the stage with his big Wet Willie hit.

39. 3/20  “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?”  Eric Clapton delivers another great one from Derek & The Dominos.

40. 3/27  “Can't Find My Way Home” Sheryl Crow sings with heart, joined by  Brian Mitchell on keys.

Bubbling up under the Top 40... Multiple Nights - The new instrumenta, "Orpheol;" 3/28 “Born Under a Bad Sign” with Floyd Miles;  3/12  “I Know You Rider” (w/ Trey, Page from Phish); 3/10  Redhouse (with Johnny Winter); 3/27 Les Brers in A Minor (w/ Paul T. Riddle); 3/16  The Brothers and John Hammond do “Shake for Me;” 3/24 Encore “One Way Out”  (w/ Sonny Landreth, Bob Margolin and John Popper); 3/21 “Lost Lover Blues”  (w/ Susan Tedeschi); 3/16  The Brothers, Bonnie Bramlett & Bekka Bramlett do Delaney & Bonnie’s “Comin’ Home.”... So many great artists, so many wonderful memories...

For further Allman Brothers Band interviews and articles please visit:

Six Degrees of Swampland: The Allman Brothers Band

 Please also visit our 2009 Beacon Page to see reviews of every show

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