ALO Kick Off Tour D’Amour with ‘Blues for Allah’ Sequence Featuring Jerry Garcia’s Travis Bean Guitar, Jack Johnson Sit-in on Night Two
Photo: Jay Blakesberg
It was a busy weekend for ALO. The band, known for its California-cool approach to riding the line between jam influences and pop tendencies, kicked off its annual Tour D’Amour on Friday, Feb. 13, at the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego, Calif. During their initial performance, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz put Jerry Garcia’s legendary 1976 Travis Bean TB500 (No. 12) guitar to use. During their Valentine’s Day follow-up, the band was joined by their old friend Jack Johnson in their college town.
Before kicking off their fan-adored Tour D’Amour, ALO previewed the use of Garcia’s famous instrument on social media, writing, “We’ve got a legendary instrument that will be making an appearance @bellyuptavern tomorrow night! This will be @lebo_tone’s first time taking this one for a spin and we’re excited to feature it on some tunes!”
In the comments section of the band’s post, Lebo wrote, “Having played Tiger, Wolf, and Alligator, I’m really looking fwd to exploring the TB! Some of my favs were created on this one.” Notably, Garcia used the guitar during the making of Terrapin Station, parts of the Dead’s Shakedown Street era, and beyond.
During the group’s tour opener, they paid homage to the Grateful Dead by evoking pieces of the Blues for Allah trio: “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower,” while also edging pieces of their own catalog into the mix, including “Chilly Chile.”
Following the performance, Lebo returned to social media, sharing a photo of himself holding up Travis Bean, and reminiscing: “Amazing to finally play Jerry Garcia’s legendary Travis Bean at Belly Up in San Diego last night! Such a unique guitar – it sure does make a sound!🚀 See you in Santa Barbara tonight and Venice on Sunday!! Happy Tour d’Amour everybody!”
Ultimately, the band continued on Saturday, Feb. 14, with an appearance at SOhO Music Club in Santa Barbara, Calif. The follow-up to their tour opener featured special guest and band collaborator, Jack Johnson, who sat in on a variety of material, including the ALO’s beloved cuts “Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down” [originally featuring Johnson] and “Mud Football,” the guest’s own “Better Together,” Sublime’s “Badfish,” and the Dead associated “Not Fade Away.”
ALO and Johnson are both represented by Bushfire Records. However, their history dates back to their college days at UC Santa Barbara and to Zach Gill’s overlapping roles as a founding member of the jam-pop foursome and frequent participant in Johnson’s touring group.
Next, the band will take the Tour D’Amour to Seattle’s Nectar Lounge. Tickets remain on sale.
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