The Allman Brothers Band Prep New Archival Releases: Duane Allman's Final Show and Band-Favorite 2005 Gig

The Allman Brothers Band Prep New Archival Releases: Duane Allman’s Final Show and Band-Favorite 2005 Gig

August 14, 2020

The Allman Brothers Band have announced two new upcoming archival CD releases. The band will share recordings from Duane Allman’s final show with the band – dubbed ‘The Final Note’ – and recording of their 2005 show at the Warner Theatre in Erie, Penn. Both shows will be released on Oct. 16.

Duane Allman’s final show with the band occurred on Oct. 17, 1971 at the Painters Mill Music Fair in Owings Mills, Md. Just 12 days later, on Oct. 29, Allman tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident at just 24 years of age.

The show’s recording was captured on a hand-held cassette machine by 18-year-old radio journalist Sam Idas. “My only intention was to record the interview,” recalls Idas (quote via press release.) “This was a brand-new cassette recorder with an internal microphone, and I had one 60-minute cassette tape. I was sitting there with the recorder in my lap, and I remember thinking ‘Why don’t I try this out? I can record the concert!’ It was a totally spontaneous decision. I’d been to many concerts, but this was the only time I had the thought—and the motivation—to record the show.” According to a press release, “the cassette went forgotten by Idas until a few years ago when his old roommate asked him if he still had it.”

The recordings from the show featuring versions of “Whipping Post,” “Statesboro Blues,” “Hot ‘Lanta” and more (full tracklist below). The package for ‘The Final Note’ will feature never-before-published photos from the show, liner notes from band archivist John Lynskey and a photo of the actual cassette Idas used to capture the legendary evening. According to a press release, “despite the obvious limitations that come with a 50-year-old cassette tape, modern technological enhancements help restore the magic of this significant night.”

The second archival release is the band’s July 19, 2005 show in Erie, Penn. According to a press release, this show is “long hailed as one of their best ever by the band members themselves.” At that time, the lineup consisted Gregg Allman on vocals and keyboards, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks on drums, Oteil Burbridge on bass, percussionist Marc Quinones and guitarists Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. (This lineup, which came together in 2001, would remain until the band played its final show in October of 2014.)

The show happened to be one of the few “Evening With” shows of the tour, meaning there were two sets with no opening act, which “gave the band room to stretch and set
the tone differently from an amphitheater show.” In addition to performing Allman Brothers Band staples such as “One Way Out,” “Dreams” and “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’,” the band also incorporated stand-out covers such as “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (with guest vocalist Susan Tedeschi) and “Into The Mystic.” The band also performed a rare show-opening version of “Mountain Jam.”

“I was feeling it while they were playing,” said Bert Holman, the band’s manager since 1991, when asked if he knew this show would be one for the books (quote via press release). “Ultimately, I knew it had been a great night when they started coming off the stage and everyone was like, ‘Man, that was a great show!’ I remember Oteil and Derek particularly being pumped about it, Haynes was pleased, and Butch was just raving about how over-the-top the show was. They all told me that they needed a copy of the show, which says a lot right there.”

See below for the full track list of both shows. Also, check out an exclusive sneak peek of the Erie, Penn. show in the form of “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’.”