Allman Brothers Band - October 5, 1989 - Orpheum Theater - B... (2024)

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(@fender31)

Posts: 976

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(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

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WOW!!!! All these shows showing up. Sound quality may be a little overdriven but still great. 1989 and the engegy here show the Allman Brothers Band is back. And they are pounding the ground. BIG noise from everyone including Johnny.

(@thetoweringfool)

Posts: 157

Estimable Member

These ‘89 shows are a trip. I’d like to say they sound like sh*t but I can’t lol... Gregg sounding like Will Gaines... so haggard but so much swagger; like he rode up to the gig on his Harley with some smokebomb w teased-out hair on the back. Vintage Allman. You got a full-throttle peyote-fueled Betts tearing the hell out of Goldie loud n proud.. a blond-mustache, skirt-chasing young Warren shredding way too many notes and in awe of everything. My man Capt Al sporting zebra-print Zubaz pants n a spectacular’80s headband crunching down on some insane custom bass; possibly a BC Rich of all things haha. ...and that ol warhorse tandem making it all work in Trucks/Jai...no Marc. All the while...everyone involved had consumed enough cocaine, smoked enough Marlboro Reds and/or Camel non-filters to go along with their Jack Daniels to convince themselves that Johnny Neel was a good fit and his synth sounds were complimentary...hints of forgotten Brother Lawler. Good times....

(@fender31)

Posts: 976

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Topic starter

Love how they included songs I'm No Angel and Duane's Tune.

(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

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Yep Thetoweringfool. Gregg says in his book Johnny Neel was NOT a good fit. Johnny was in Dickey's last solo band and he and Warren were good friends so Gregg was hesitant to say anything but by the next year he must have as the four surviving founders voted to let Johnny go.

Chuck Leavell who did the two shows the Allmans did in 1986 was approached about doing the 1989 test drive tour ( Epic Records wanted the band to get back together and do an album but the founders voted to go out on tour to support the Dreams box set and if that tour felt good..then they would record and tour in 1990 also.). But Chuck said he would only do it if the Toler Brothers were not involved. Chuck felt they and Mike Lawler were not good fits for the classic legacy sound of the band. Chuck was told Dickey wanted Warren Haynes as the other guitar player but after additional thought Chuck declined and Johnny got the offer.

Interestingly the Toler Brothers were very disappointed with Gregg suddenly breaking up their band after 7 years of playing small clubs and no record contract and finally they rose to having a record deal and a gold album and a second album that didn't sell as well but got good reviews and getting into the larger theaters and better paying gigs. The Tolers felt Gregg just threw all that away and quit and left them hanging.

Gregg says in his book that he was skeptical about working in the Allman Brothers again but his label wanted him to do it and when he met with Dickey and Butch, they were willing to do a tour just to see if they could play again without damaging the band's legacy as the 1980 to 82 band did. And Gregg said he missed playing in his brother's band and it was like getting back to a favorite old fishing hole.

Warren said from 1989 to 1993 the band just kept getting better and better until Dickey got arrested and missed the rest of 1993. They did do another album in 1994 which was this lineup's best selling album earning a gold record for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. But the shows were hit and miss after that and the founders were getting into a lot of negative stuff some of which went back to 1970 and Warren got tired of being in the middle, the Woody situation where Dickey pulled a blade and the band falling out with Epic Records and like with Arista, refused to record the last album in the deal. So Warren and Allen didn't enjoy it anymore and decided they would quit.

(@fender31)

Posts: 976

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Yep Thetoweringfool. Gregg says in his book Johnny Neel was NOT a good fit. Johnny was in Dickey's last solo band and he and Warren were good friends so Gregg was hesitant to say anything but by the next year he must have as the four surviving founders voted to let Johnny go.

Chuck Leavell who did the two shows the Allmans did in 1986 was approached about doing the 1989 test drive tour ( Epic Records wanted the band to get back together and do an album but the founders voted to go out on tour to support the Dreams box set and if that tour felt good..then they would record and tour in 1990 also.). But Chuck said he would only do it if the Toler Brothers were not involved. Chuck felt they and Mike Lawler were not good fits for the classic legacy sound of the band. Chuck was told Dickey wanted Warren Haynes as the other guitar player but after additional thought Chuck declined and Johnny got the offer.

Interestingly the Toler Brothers were very disappointed with Gregg suddenly breaking up their band after 7 years of playing small clubs and no record contract and finally they rose to having a record deal and a gold album and a second album that didn't sell as well but got good reviews and getting into the larger theaters and better paying gigs. The Tolers felt Gregg just threw all that away and quit and left them hanging.

Gregg says in his book that he was skeptical about working in the Allman Brothers again but his label wanted him to do it and when he met with Dickey and Butch, they were willing to do a tour just to see if they could play again without damaging the band's legacy as the 1980 to 82 band did. And Gregg said he missed playing in his brother's band and it was like getting back to a favorite old fishing hole.

Warren said from 1989 to 1993 the band just kept getting better and better until Dickey got arrested and missed the rest of 1993. They did do another album in 1994 which was this lineup's best selling album earning a gold record for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. But the shows were hit and miss after that and the founders were getting into a lot of negative stuff some of which went back to 1970 and Warren got tired of being in the middle, the Woody situation where Dickey pulled a blade and the band falling out with Epic Records and like with Arista, refused to record the last album in the deal. So Warren and Allen didn't enjoy it anymore and decided they would quit.

Thank you for your insight blackey.

(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

Noble Member

You may be right pops42. But I clearly remember reading Chuck was asked and he said "if the Toler Brothers aren't in it". They were not but Chuck it said decided not to do it anyway. Maybe I can remember where that appeared in print back then. But you may be right. He may have not been asked. Johnny was in Dickey's solo band and so was Warren and they were good friends and wrote some songs together including Gamblers Roll. Also I remember Warren saying in 1990 that he and Johnny usually wrote the music and words together but on Gambler's Roll Warren asked Johnny after they finished the music to let him write the lyrics alone because he had a story in his mind to put to the music. But they were playing it in the ABB before they recorded Seven Turns apparently. How did the ABB sound when you got them instead of Gregg Allman solo?

(@robslob)

Posts: 3103

Famed Member

I saw them in the fall of 1989, and I dont think Johnny Neel was with them then

I would bet my bottom dollar that you are mistaken on that. I have a bootleg DVD of their show on 8-11-1989 at Shoreline Amphitheatre here in the Bay area (Shoreline used to broadcast all their shows live on an overhead video screen and someone I know who worked there got a copy of the feed).

Johnny Neel was DEFINITELY in the band, I've got the video to prove it. That was in August '89 so would they have dumped him before "the fall of 1989"? Very hard for me to fathom that. I'm guessing he finished the '89 tour. I can't say I'm 100% sure on that though.

And let me add: Johnny may not have been a great fit for them. He WAS however a very accomplished musician, good on both keys and harmonica, and they even gave him lead vocals on one tune.

(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

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Well Johnny Neel was a member of the Allman Brothers in 1989 and 1990. Gregg didn't think he was a good fit so at the end of touring in 1990 Johhny wasn't offered another contract. Gregg, Dickey, Butch and Jaimoe didn't have a contract. Everyone else did. Everyelse worked for the 4 founders.

Surprisingly Gregg forgot they didn't have contracts in 2000 when Butch called wanting to dump Dickey rather than Gregg quitting. Gregg said can we do that? What about his contract? Butch reminded him the four originals didn't have a contract. All we have is our controlling votes. You, me and Jaimoe vote against Dickey and he is out. Simple as that.

Dickey liked Johnny and invited him in his solo band. Warren Haynes was a close friend and they wrote music together.

Gregg didn't like musicians that played too many notes. His complaint in his book about David Goldflies not being a good fit when they reformed in 1978 was he played too many notes. Gregg said Goldflies must of thought we were paying him by the note! He wasn't the kind of bass player for this band. Way too many notes. I bet that is how he perceived Johnny Neel. Too many notes. Personally I saw some shows in 1989 and 1990 and Johnny played his butt off but not only did he get a lot of notes going real fast on some songs, he seemed out of sync with the rest of the band sometimes. But that may have just being me not use to his honkytonk, barrel roll style.

(@fender31)

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Topic starter

I find it interesting that Gregg thought that Goldflies and Johnny Neel played way too many notes when he had guitar players that would play 30 minute solos.

(@paulcoletti)

Posts: 45

Trusted Member

I remember reading in Chuck's book that he was approached about rejoining the band for the 1989 reunion. He met with them in Florida and things were progressing slowly in his view so he made a decision to tour with the Rolling Stones. I always felt through reading various things that '89 summer that the 4 surviving brothers really wanted to go back to the original band configuration with a new guitar player who played slide so that Dickey did not have to. Interestingly there are some pubicity photos from early '82 with Chuck back in the band with Dan and Frankie Toler, Dave Goldflies and Mike Lawler out. That particular version recorded some demos for Arista but never played live.
Mike Lawler is a fine keyboard player with many Nashville sessions to his credit. That synthesizer sound was just not an Allman Brothers fit.

[Edited on 6/8/2020 by PaulColetti]

[Edited on 6/8/2020 by PaulColetti]

(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

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Fender31. I was just guessing too many notes may have been why Gregg didn't want Johnny Neel in the band. But Gregg clearly mentions too many notes while writing about why David Goldflies was not a good fit for the Allman Brothers. Gregg wrote Goldflies must have thought he was being paid by the note. Just way too many notes.

And Gregg didn't like the long guitar solos either. He complained about that too. A damn mile and a half of guitar playing between the verses of my songs! In the 2000s Gregg scolded Warren and Derek about such long solos asking "Who is the damn Phish fan?" And told Derek and Warren to knock it off. Then Gregg said he wondered if he should let them go. They were more into their other projects and Gregg was more into his solo band at that point. But Gregg said the next day it hit him that this was his brother's band and his brother loved the long solos and jamming. So Gregg said he went to Warren and Derek and told them to forget what he told them the day before. As a matter of fact they agreed they would sunset the ABB in 2009 at the 40th but when it rolled around, Butch Trucks got cold feet and pleaded with them to give him 5 more years. Do the Beacon where everyone earned a lot of money, then cut way back a have a small short tour in the summer. When the additional 5 years begin to wrap Butch got cold feet again so Warren and Derek made it clear to the press that they would not play in the Allman Brothers past 2014 and Gregg said it's over. 45 years is long enough. But we now know why Butch wanted to keep going. Butch didn't have what Gregg, Warren and Derek had. Another band that sells tickets and Butch needed income to address getting way behind on his taxes apparently from mismanaging his personal businesses. Everytime I think of brother Butch, I think of the ABB song Gambler's Roll. Sad indeed.

(@steved)

Posts: 461

Honorable Member

I thought the Phish comment was to Derek and Jimmy when they went "out" during a Mt. Jam?

Either way, it makes me laugh my butt off just thinking about it. Brother Gregg.

[Edited on 6/8/2020 by steved]

(@fender31)

Posts: 976

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Topic starter

Fender31. I was just guessing too many notes may have been why Gregg didn't want Johnny Neel in the band. But Gregg clearly mentions too many notes while writing about why David Goldflies was not a good fit for the Allman Brothers. Gregg wrote Goldflies must have thought he was being paid by the note. Just way too many notes.

And Gregg didn't like the long guitar solos either. He complained about that too. A damn mile and a half of guitar playing between the verses of my songs! In the 2000s Gregg scolded Warren and Derek about such long solos asking "Who is the damn Phish fan?" And told Derek and Warren to knock it off. Then Gregg said he wondered if he should let them go. They were more into their other projects and Gregg was more into his solo band at that point. But Gregg said the next day it hit him that this was his brother's band and his brother loved the long solos and jamming. So Gregg said he went to Warren and Derek and told them to forget what he told them the day before. As a matter of fact they agreed they would sunset the ABB in 2009 at the 40th but when it rolled around, Butch Trucks got cold feet and pleaded with them to give him 5 more years. Do the Beacon where everyone earned a lot of money, then cut way back a have a small short tour in the summer. When the additional 5 years begin to wrap Butch got cold feet again so Warren and Derek made it clear to the press that they would not play in the Allman Brothers past 2014 and Gregg said it's over. 45 years is long enough. But we now know why Butch wanted to keep going. Butch didn't have what Gregg, Warren and Derek had. Another band that sells tickets and Butch needed income to address getting way behind on his taxes apparently from mismanaging his personal businesses. Everytime I think of brother Butch, I think of the ABB song Gambler's Roll. Sad indeed.

I got to see Butch trucks band after the ABB finished and he seemed very happy.

(@stephen)

Posts: 3625

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Fender31, which band did you see, Freight Train or Les Brers
Of Butch’s non-ABB bands only Frogwings had an official release

(@slyckyr)

Posts: 194

Reputable Member

I listened to the aforementioned Shore Line show from 89 last night & Johnny is indeed with the band.
He sings "Blues Ain't Nothin" from Dickey's Pattern Disruptive.
The band also did "Duane's Tune", "I'm No Angel" & "Just Before The Bullets Fly".
The latter with Warren on vox.
Pretty cool of them to include those 4 songs!

I like Johnny but his contributions did seem out of place such as a harmonica solo in "Trouble No More" & some occasional synth fills on other songs.

(@fender31)

Posts: 976

Noble Member

Topic starter

Fender31, which band did you see, Freight Train or Les Brers
Of Butch’s non-ABB bands only Frogwings had an official release

Freight Train. When I watched them At the EGG in Albany, NY he had Berry Oakley Jr in the band and a girl playing guitar.

(@blackey)

Posts: 1619

Noble Member

Yes I caught Freightrain and Butch seemed okay. Butch even sang a Bob Dylan song. Apparently Butch had IRS problems and had paid a lot of money to address it. But IRS came back for another big bite of the Apple and Mr. Paul said Butch was very upset that Donald Trump was elected President. Something caused him to snap.

(@fender31)

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Topic starter

I never really did hear the full details of why he did it.

(@islalala)

Posts: 669

Honorable Member

1989 = The Gregg & Dickey & Friends Great Southern Fried Allman Brothers Band

A rocker's rock show of Allman family classics!

Never stop stopping, kick you in the ass from the beginning to end!

We're back, we're bad, and we're definitely nationwide!

[Edited on 6/9/2020 by islalala]

(@thetoweringfool)

Posts: 157

Estimable Member

That was definitely Derek and Herring, and Oteil was there too that Gregg scolded, lol. Gregg found himself riding in the sidecar to Zambi...frickin awesome haha

(@hotlantatim)

Posts: 880

Prominent Member

These ‘89 shows are a trip. I’d like to say they sound like sh*t but I can’t lol... Gregg sounding like Will Gaines... so haggard but so much swagger; like he rode up to the gig on his Harley with some smokebomb w teased-out hair on the back. Vintage Allman. You got a full-throttle peyote-fueled Betts tearing the hell out of Goldie loud n proud.. a blond-mustache, skirt-chasing young Warren shredding way too many notes and in awe of everything. My man Capt Al sporting zebra-print Zubaz pants n a spectacular’80s headband crunching down on some insane custom bass; possibly a BC Rich of all things haha. ...and that ol warhorse tandem making it all work in Trucks/Jai...no Marc. All the while...everyone involved had consumed enough cocaine, smoked enough Marlboro Reds and/or Camel non-filters to go along with their Jack Daniels to convince themselves that Johnny Neel was a good fit and his synth sounds were complimentary...hints of forgotten Brother Lawler. Good times....

POST OF THE YEAR! Thank you thetoweringfool.

(@hotlantatim)

Posts: 880

Prominent Member

I didn't jump on board until Summer 1990 the week Seven Turns came out. I heard Good Clean Fun and Seven Turns on the radio, found myself at my first ABB concert in incredible seats at Chastain Park and got hooked for life.

Johnny had packed away the synth left it behind in the 1980s, so we were spared that on the album and '90 tour. He fit in great on the Seven Turns album, but was a wild ragtime miss-match on stage. That said, his piano on Seven Turns on the MTV Unplugged performance just makes that song.

I'm glad they had enough fun, made enough money, and enjoyed each other enough in 1989 to keep it rolling...but I'm also glad they toned it down a bit and sounded even more like the Allman Brothers by the following year....I'm thinking Tommy Dowd's influence was evident.

(@kevdab)

Posts: 240

Estimable Member

I'm sure I was at this show, and the Great woods show mentioned in another thread. They came to the Boston area at least two, or three times a year back then, or so it seemed. I didn't miss many of them.
I do remember Johnny Neal performing with the Brothers a couple times back then. I don't think I thought it was that good of a fit. On the other hand, the other new guy's, Warren, and Woody, brought new life to that band that continued through 2014, with the other changes made thoughout the years.
Having not seen the original lineup, the Dickey and Warren version of the band was my favorite. Early nineties were a great time for the band.

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