Robben Ford Discussion

[roadwarriorfortheblues]

Gregg Allman & Friends put on a dynamite show for the sold out crowd at Carefree Theatre last night. The Florida fans absolutely love Gregg Allman & everything "Allman" the way we all love Robben's music around here. Before the show, the audience buzzed with conversation about Allman Brothers Band upcoming week of shows at the Beacon in New York City. I've never been to this annual gathering, but everyone I talked with last night seemed pretty stoked about it... it must be pretty good for so many fans to leave the warmth of the womb and head north before the end of winter.

Gregg Allman & Friends took up every inch of the stage at the Carefree. Gregg, Robben & Floyd Miles (percussion) to the left, Steve Potts (drums) and Willie Weeks (bass) center stage, and the horn section to the right of the drums (Jay Collins, Chris Karlic & Jim Seeley, I think they were all back there ??) and Neil Larson (keyboard) to the front right stage. With all the equipment up there, the stage resembled a personal obstacle course as Daved navigated his way through narrow paths to exchange guitars with Robben & Gregg. Gregg's frequent movement between organ and guitar kept Daved in constant motion & earning his keep.

Having Neil Larson on keyboards really added to the band's output, creating a full and robust sound. The music was loud, but not overbearing from were I was seated about half way back in the theatre. Robben sounded great all night ! He starts out about half the songs, creating intros, sometimes just a few riffs & sometimes more than that, that are reminiscent of his own music, then smoothly morph into the recognizable Allman tune. The horn section soared on several tunes, especially the Blues Brother-esque songs. The sax solo on House of Blues and the trumpet solo on Midnight Rider were remarkable. The rest of the time, all ears turned to Robben for some bold, gutsy, freeflowing solos. I really enjoy listening to Robben in a large band format like tonight's show. This "Friends-tet" has great energy and a satisfying sound.

Gregg is an incredibly gifted songwriter and his voice was strong (although I thing he said he was getting over a cold). He has so many wonderful gems and he is still writing new ones -- I'm not sure when he wrote it, but House of Blues, which is on his most recent solo release, is a beautiful song. I'm also partial to his lovely ballads "Faces without Names" and "Oceans awash in Gunwale". I don't remember Gregg spending much time on guitar during the past shows I've seen, but I really enjoyed his acoustic lead playing and Robben's electric accompaniment. Having Floyd come out from behind the percussion set and sing a few songs really made the show flow nicely. Floyd had a lot of fans in the audience, many who found their way to the aisles for a good shake during his tunes! Floyd has a great voice and it looked like Robben and the rest of the band had a lot of fun playing to his R&B songs.

It was a long show filled with a great big surprise for Robben fans ! The GAF set started at 9:05 pm, the regular set ended at 10:30 pm, and the two-song encore went on till about 10:50 pm. The set list included a couple new additions -- two new songs that are some of my personal favorites -- Lovin' Cup and Turn on your Love Light !

Whipping Post (Gregg on guitar)
Demons (Gregg on organ)
House of Blues (Gregg on organ) - great sax solo
Must by crazy (Floyd on vocals)
I've been hurt (Floyd on vocals)
Faces without names (Gregg on organ)
Ocean Awash the Gunwale (Gregg on organ) - wonderful solo by Robben
Lovin' Cup (Gregg on organ, Robben on vocals & lead guitar) - great horn and keyboard accompaniment -- Absolutely killer !
Multicolored Lady (Gregg on guitar)
Turn on your Love Light (Gregg on organ) - great horn solos
Before the Bullets Fly (Gregg on organ)
Going Back to Daytona (Floyd on vocals)
Melissa (Gregg on guitar) - beautiful Robben solo ending song
Can't turn you Loose (Gregg on guitar) -- horn section let loose on this tune!
Midnight rider (Gregg on a different acoustic guitar) - beautiful trumpet solo !!!
I'm No Angel (Gregg on guitar)

I think I heard an announcement that special guest Butch Trucks came out for the encore... but by then the entire crowd was on their feet dancing and I couldn't see the stage anymore.

encore #1 - Tell me where you are when the phone rings?
encore #2 - Statesboro blues


Solo performer Tony Furtado opened the show with a nine song set -- seven songs on acoustic guitar and two songs on banjo. His set list included Staggerlee, Standing in the Rain and Winds of Change. This was the third time I've seen Tony play and I really like his down-home style. He is a wonderful fingerpicker (lightning fast on the banjo) and very talented acoustic slide player. Great voice too.
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[JohnnyZ]

Thanks for the nicely descriptive review, roadwarrior.
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Soul on Eleven

[fingerlakes]

Warrior,

Thanks for the nice review. Sounds like a wonderful show. Lovin Cup, Wow ! Are you planning on seeing any other Fla shows ?

[roadwarriorfortheblues]

Yes, I went to the show in Fort Myers last night. There are a lot of state penitentiaries between West Palm Beach and Ft Myers. I took the "scenic route" -- a two lane highway that cuts back across the state south of Lake Okeechobee. I'm not sure why it's called the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Route... there was nothing to look at for a 100 miles, except the headlights of oncoming fuel trucks. Maybe the signs were made up at one of the penitentiaries as a joke ? It was a terrible drive.

The concert was at Richochets, a country dance club in a strip mall. There were paintings on the walls of wild mustangs and horse-drawn wagons. Disco balls hung from the ceiling, strobe lights lit the dance floor and southern rock cranked from the speakers. Lots of smoke, lots of Southern character .

Tony Furtado opened the show with a 45 minute set (about 8 songs on guitar and banjo) including some Woody Gutherie tunes and a Nitty Gritty Dirt band cover. During one song, a guy standing behind me passed out and smashed his head on the floor. He took someone's beer bottle with him, which broke into little pieces when it hit the floor. Somebody helped the guy up, but there was not much fuss about it. I think he caught the end of the warm up act.

Gregg Allman & Friends got started about 10 pm and they played till almost midnight. It sounded great! The club was sold-out and the fans were really into the show.

I'm not totally sure about the set list, but here's most of it:

Whipping Post
Demons
Must be You (?)
Ocean Awash the Gunwale
Must be Crazy
Faces without Names
Multicolored Lady
Lovin' Cup
Turn on your Love Light
Before the Bullets Fly
I've Been Hurt
Back to Daytona
Melissa
Can't Turn You Loose
Midnight Rider
I'm No Angel

Encore:
Sweet Feelings (?)
Statesboro Blues

After the encore, a group of teenagers who were standing next to me got to go "backstage" to meet the band. Lucky kids

It was a real treat for me to see Robben play in Florida -- well worth the crazy drive. Everyone at both shows really seemed to enjoy Robben's playing. It would be great to see Robben stop in Florida again someday, next time with his own band.
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