Bela Fleck took the stage with the Allman Brothers Band Saturday at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Fleck emerged for the last song of the second set, adding banjo to In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.
On Friday night, the band encored with a cover of the classic Derek and the Dominos tune, Layla, which Warren Haynes sang. Prior to the encore, drummer Butch Trucks stepped to the front of the stage and dedicated the song to our brother Duane Allman and our godfather Tom Dowd. Both contributed to the original version that appears on the 1970 release, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – Allman on guitar and Dowd as executive producer. (Layla was a fictitious name for Patti Boyd, who Eric Clapton was in love with. She also happened to be the wife of George Harrison at the time. Boyd and Clapton would eventually marry in 1979.)
The ABB continues its 13-night run at the Beacon tonight. For details, visit www.allmanbrothersband.com.