The Allman Brothers Band opened its second week at the Beacon last night by inviting some of Duane Allmans former collaborators to the stage. After kicking off its set with a tasty segment that included Statesboro Blues, Don’t Keep Me Wondern’, Hot ‘Lanta, Who’s Been Talking, Come and Go Blues and Desdemona, John P. Hammond emerged to play guitar on So Many Roads, Shake for Me and Cryin’ For My Baby. As Warren Haynes mentioned when Hammond took the stage, the guitarist was a good friend of Duane Allman and hired the young slide guitarist to play on Southern Friend, including the song Shake for Me. Duane was a blues fanatic, as was I, Hammond says in the new issue of Relix. I was more into the country blues aspect than he was. So he pumped me a lot on artists that played in that slide style, the Robert Johnson, Willie McTell kind of players that he enjoyed a lot, but didnt know that much about. He loved my old National guitar which I showed him some things on.

The Allmans second set opened with Gregg Allman and longtime Allman Brothers Band associate Bonnie Bramlett sharing a duet on the Duane and Gregg Allman collaboration Oncoming Traffic. The track, which first appeared on the live album _ The Gregg Allman Tour_, has not been played at an Allman Brothers Band show since 2005. The rest of the Allman Brothers then returned to the stage with both Hammond and Bramletts daughter Bekka for an all-star version of Robert Johnsons Come On In My Kitchen. Next, Susan Tedeschi and Gregg Allman & friends keyboardist Bruce Katz replaced Hammond for a version of The Bands The Weight that featured gorgeous, three-part
harmonies by the Barmletts and Tedeschi. The Allmans finally closed the night with No One To Run With, Preachin’ Blues and an extended encore of Jessica.
Bonnie Bramlett has a longstanding history with the Allman Brothers Band. Duane Allman both recorded and performed live with her group Delaney and Bonnie and Bramlett continued to occasionally sing onstage with the Allman Brothers Band throughout the 1970s. She also appears on 1979s Enlightened Rogues. The Allman Brothers Band will return to the Beacon this evening.