CD Review of The Allman Brothers Band's
Peakin' at the Beacon
From Onstage Magazine's "Captured Live" Section
by Bryan Beller
Published March, 2001

Tired of live albums recorded in such pristine fashion that they sound like late-period Steely Dan? Want to relive that feeling of being in the hall, the smell of stale beer wafting up from the floor while the guy next to you screams in broken English between chugs of Old Milwaukee and hits off a six-month-old roach? Then slap on this LP-er, I mean CD-and wait for the walls to swirl orange and pink.

It may be the new millennium, but the thick, sloppy musical goodness of The Allman Brothers lives on. Last year, for its thirtieth anniversary, the Jam Band Emeritus did an 18-night engagement at New York's famous Beacon Theatre. It was such a success that they re-booked this year for a 13-night run, with apparently vintage recording gear in tow. I say "vintage" because the distant, boomy sound of Peakin' seems as if it was specifically designed to emulate their 1971 landmark release The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East. (Maybe they still have the same mobile gear?) Mikes must have been bleeding all over the place, levels change seemingly at random, and on ballads like "Please Call Home" and "Seven Turns," the snare drum sounds like it was placed next to the merch counter and only the echo made it to tape.

That said, the Allmans' trademark sound and musical impact remains undiluted, no matter who's in the ancillary lineup. Joining original members Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, and dual drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe are a percussionist (Marc Quinones), virtuoso bassist Oteil Burbridge, and Butch's nephew Derek Trucks on a vicious slide/lead guitar. Burbridge and the younger Trucks in particular lend a funky, modern urgency to staples like "Stand Back" and "Leave My Blues At Home." The coda of "Black Hearted Woman" takes a detour into a groove that sounds almost Afro-Cuban-no easy feat for a band from Georgia. And the lumbering ballad "It's Not My Cross To Bear" shows that after thirty years, Gregg can still slam the Hammond and Dickey can still strangle the strings with the best of them.

Dickey Betts was actually asked to "take the summer off" soon after this recording took place, and who knows whether or not the "creative differences" cited will hold up over time. But if they do, we're talking about possibly the last official document of a band with direct ties to the origin of rock improvisation. It may be worth picking up this disc for that reason alone. And where else nowadays can you find a live CD with: a) guitarists audibly tuning up between every song; b) a 26-minute instrumental, complete with double drum solo, to close the show?

Rating (of a possible 5): 3

This is the original unedited text for a copyrighted article that originally ran in the March, 2001 issue of Onstage Magazine, a Primedia Business Magazines and Media publication. The actual article as it ran is posted at www.onstagemag.com, and reprint permission was not granted, nor is it permitted for any purpose. For subscription information, call (800) 245-2737 or visit the website address listed above.