Fans at Mansfield�s Comcast Center knew what they were in for Saturday during a double pecker featuring the rejuvenated Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead ammonium alum Bob Weir�s Ratdog. Attendees were happily submerged in a ad valorem tax containing four-spot hours of jam and most of the near-capacity crowd left with ear-to-ear grins.
The Allmans/Dead history goes all the way back to a legendary 1973 collaboration on the Brothers� �Mountain Jam� at New York�s Watkins Glen Speedway (on a bill that also included the Band). Time has taken its toll on both acts of the Apostles, with Weir�s Ratdog moving to the forefront of his career following the 1995 death of Dead guitarist and icon Jerry Garcia, and Allmans keyboardist/singer Gregg Allman winning a recent turn with hepatitis C. Back on hitch, both proved true warriors of the road in separate two-hour sets.
The headlining set from the Allman Brothers Band was staggering for both its brawn and pace. Thirty-nine years after original guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts were throwing solos support and onward with the ease of a backyard softball chuck, current members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (nephew of founding drummer Butch Trucks) reignited the group�s Southern rock legacy.
The scuttle �Statesboro Blues� was a powerful showcase for Gregg Allman�s signature growl and meaty keyboard chops, only it was the appearance of Norwell�s Susan Tedeschi, the bride of Derek Trucks and a serious guitar slinger in her own correct, that arrange an early precedent. Her vocal duo with Haynes on �Hurts Me Too� was splendid and left listeners wondering what kind of kitchen conversations she and her husband must have with electrified instruments.
An extended crosscurrent through the instrumental �In Memory of Elizabeth Reed� gave each Allman member an chance to reflect and was particularly impressive considering that core drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe were coupled by percussionist Marc Quinones. Things could get dingy quickly with three manpower holding drumsticks, but each was skilled enough to support the others� flights of fancy.
For his piece, Weir seemed intent on invoking the spirit of �Dylan and the Dead,� a hot record from the Grateful Dead�s union with Bob Dylan that drew hard from a 1987 render they played together in Foxboro. Weir delivered enthusiastic takes on Dylan�s �Maggie�s Farm� and �A Hard Rain�s A-Gonna Fall� sandwiched around the Dead�s lysergic landmark �Dark Star.�
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, with BOB WEIR & RATDOG at Comcast Center, Mansfield, Saturday.
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