“They Kicked A** and Made Their Fathers Proud!” The Allman Betts Band LIVE! at the Scottish Rite Auditorium
By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery
Although outside the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ this February 15, 2020 evening the temperature is freezing, inside the historic theater the stage is set for a concert of scorching Southern Rock starring The Allman Betts Band. Comprised of second generation members of The Allman Brothers Band — notably Gregg Allman’s son Devon Allman on vocals/guitar, Dickey Betts’ son Duane Betts on vocals/guitar, and Berry Oakley’s son Berry Duane Oakley Jr. on bass/vocals — The Allman Betts Band is making a name for itself as a top-notch recording ensemble and live performing band with a catalog of music which consists of creative originals and innovative covers of Allman Brothers Band material in addition to other rock classics.
The lights dim inside the historic Scottish Rite venue as tonight’s first opening act — Jackson Stokes — takes the stage. Featuring guitarist and vocalist Jackson Stokes, the group also includes keyboardist Ryan Benthall, bassist Paul Brackens, and drummer Ben Bicklein.
Opening with an original tune, “Whiskey,” Stokes’ bluesy vocal and rockin’ guitar get the audience primed for an evening of great music.
Following an edgy rendition of another original, “Time is Now,” Jackson says, “How are you all feeling? We’re from St. Louis, Missouri — right in the bullseye of America!”
Here, Stokes and Co. launch into a tight and rhythmic cover of Talking Heads’ “Life in War Times.”
Stokes introduces two musicians from The Allman Betts Band — percussionist R. Scott Bryan and slide guitarist Johnny Stachela — who join him and his group for a performance of the calypso-like “Sins are Forgiven.”
Concluding his set with a simmering performance of another original, “You and Your Partner,” Stokes jumps with his guitar as he plays, bending strings on his solo, and making his instrument sing as the arrangement builds in intensity, the band soars, and the audience cheers.
While stagehands ready the stage for a second opening act, we take a moment to chat with Stokes in the ornate Scottish Rite Auditorium lobby. Revealing that’s he’s happy to be back here in the Garden State, Stokes recalls, “I actually have relatives in Jackson, NJ so I spent multiple summers on the Jersey Shore when I was kid,” before acknowledging, “I’d like to thank Devon Allman for the incredible opportunity he’s given me. Writing songs is my favorite thing to do, and getting to play them live on tour with The Allman Betts Band is a dream come true.”
The lights dim and tonight’s second opening act — JD Simo — enters the stage. Featuring guitarist and vocalist JD Simo, the band also includes Andraleia Buch on bass and Adam Abrashoff on drums.
In a set which features a combination of original songs and covers, Simo’s wailing guitar fills the room as it accompanies his falsetto vocal on the musician’s late-‘60s style of psychedelic blues rock.
After announcing, “I’m having a great time any time I get to play music!” Simo impresses with his cover version of Isaac Hayes’ “Hyperbolicsyllabic-sesquedalymistic” where his twangy guitar and Buch’s driving bass echo throughout the auditorium and Simo plays on one knee, making his guitar dance as it wails to the driving beat.
A highlight of Simo’s set is his performance of “The Movement.” Echoing the music of Curtis Mayfield with its rhythmic “wah-wah” guitar sound and his falsetto vocal, Simo and Co. channel circa 1970’s Miles Davis as they cleverly shift into an innovative jazz fusion piece.
On this experimental sounding head-bopper, Adam Abrashoff impresses with a precision drum solo that inspires whistles and applause from the crowd. Watching him twirl his head as he solos, the audience loves Simo’s guitar performance and eagerly joins in when he tells them, “Everybody say, ‘Yeah!’” and the audience enthusiastically replies, “Yeah!”
After introducing the members of his band, Simo concludes with a cover version of Joe Cocker’s and The Beatles’ “A Little Help From My Friends,” providing music lovers in the crowd with a high-energy performance which has them standing and cheering.
Following a second short intermission, the members of The Allman Betts Band — Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and Berry Duane Oakley, Jr. — along with guitarist Johnny Stachela, keyboardist John Ginty, drummer John Lum, and percussionist R. Scott Bryan — take the stage.
Drums roll and guitars twang as the group opens with “Airboats ’n Cocaine.”
Betts and Allman share the lead singing in harmony on this Southern rocker. Ginty plays a honky-tonk piano solo and Stachela solos on slide guitar before the band jams while images of cash trickle down on the screen behind them.
As the crowd cheers, Allman addresses the audience stating, “We’re gonna have a good time, Jersey!”
Allman and Betts duel with their guitars after Betts handles the lead on “Shinin’.”
As Berry Duane Oakley, Jr.’s bass walks and John Ginty’s organ swirls on this country rocker, percussionist R. Scott Bryan plays tambourine, cowbell, and shaker, perfectly keeping time with drummer John Lum. The crowd responds with energetic cheers and applause.
Welcoming the audience, Allman says, “Good evening — welcome to the show!” before adding, “We recorded a new record right before Christmas. This song is called ‘Magnolia Road.’”
Betts first handles the lead before Allman takes over on this Southern rocker.
The arrangment also features tasty slide work by Johnny Stachela and an inspired guitar solo by Duane Betts.
Allman announces, “You may remember this one,” before the group launches into a cover version of The Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider.” The audience cheers and taps along as Allman soulfully sings, “Well, I’ve got to run to keep from hiding/And I’m bound to keep on riding/And I’ve got one more silver dollar/But I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no/Not gonna let ’em catch the midnight rider.”
Lights swirl while images of the moon rise onscreen, and Betts’ guitar solo brings cheers from the crowd before Devon Allman points to the sky as the song ends to hoots and hollers.
Many in the audience are brought back in time with the group’s performance of The Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky.”
On this feel-good song, Duane Betts pays tribute to his father, Dickey Betts, as he plays guitar and sings, “You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day/Lord, you know it makes me high/When you turn your love my way.”
Guitars rock in a line as audience members cheer for Stachlea’s tasty guitar solo. Oakley, Jr. plays low on his bass as Betts solos high on the guitar before the crowd leaps to its feet cheering and Betts tosses his guitar pick into the crowd.
After Betts announces, “Devon and I sing this one together,” he and Allman share the lead on the the nostalgic “Melodies Are Memories,” a country-rocker with an island feel which boasts four-part vocal harmonies.
Betts leaves the stage to feature Devon Allman in the spotlight on Allman’s rendition of Honeytribe’s “Mahalo.”
On this rockin’ instrumental number, Allman stands center stage, effortlessly playing lead guitar — at times, with his eyes closed. Singing to himself as he performs, his body becomes one with the music.
Getting the audience clapping as drummer John Lum and percussionist R. Scott Bryan pick up the tempo, the lights pulsate on the screen behind Allman who taps his foot as he plays — his guitar pick in his mouth as he fingerpicks on his instrument. Ginty joins in with a funky and swirling organ solo amidst the Santana-like frenzy of sound which inspires an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd.
Betts returns for the group’s next number, “All Night,” a country rocker where Allman soulfully sings, “Never knew/What we found/What it is/We’ll figure it out/But for now, just let it go down/But for now, just let it go down/All night.”
Betts plays a modal guitar solo and Allman continues to vocalize in his falsetto voice as Stachlea echoes him with his slide guitar creating an ethereal effect before Stachlea plays a slide solo and the band’s dynamics decrescendo to a triumphant ending which elicits avid cheers and applause.
Next up is the title track from The Allman Betts Band’s 2019 debut recording, Down to the River. With it’s slow funky attitude, the song is a true crowd pleaser as Allman croons, “I can tell you now/You’ve been feelin’ down/Just go down to the river/Down to the river now.”
A highlight of tonight’s set follows with the group’s cover version of The Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street.”
On this funky disco-like number, bassist Berry Duane Oakley, Jr. handles the lead while accompanied by five-part background vocals. Ginty plays an authentic ’70s-era Wurlitzer electric piano before switching over to a Hammond B3 organ, and Allman dances with his guitar as audience members happily dance at their seats.
The crowd responds with a standing ovation and Allman exits the stage leaving Betts featured on a live rendition of his father’s famous Allman Brothers Band composition, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”
Mushrooms appear on the screen behind the band as mystical sounds accompany floating kaleidoscopic images. Betts and Stachlea play in sync, the rocking guitars singing the haunting melody.
The crowd cheers for an outstanding Betts guitar solo and an inspired John Lum and R. Scott Bryan percussion duet before an audience member excitedly screams out at the conclusion, “You shredded it!”
Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky” is up next. Devon Allman plays acoustic guitar as he sings this power ballad. Ad libbing the lyrics — crooning, “You got lucky, babe/In New Jersey, baby/When I found you” — Allman picks out a solo on the acoustic guitar, playing softly and sweetly before he brings the dynamics down to a whisper.
The crowd hoots and hollers for his nuanced performance and Allman introduces the members of the band prior to telling the audience, “Thank you for supporting live music!”
Following a spacey sounding introduction, Betts handles the lead on “Autumn Breeze.”
Singing, “This whole world’s gone crazy/ Have I gone insane/I just don’t know,” Ginty’s organ swirls on this rhythmic 6/8 Southern blues number. Two sets of drums keep the rhythm going as guitars harmonize and wail and the crowd cheers on the boys’ extended modal ending.
To conclude tonight’s concert, Allman and Betts perform the first song they ever composed together, “Long Gone.”
Starting off slowly, the number builds with precision and heart, bringing audience members to their feet one last time as the band meets together center stage to take a well-deserved bow.
As music lovers make their way out of the Scottish Rite Auditorium and back into the cold winter night, we chat with several in attendance who share their opinions of tonight’s performance with us.
Comments Will from Pitman, “The Allman Betts Band is one awesome group. They have great guitar playing and, now — after seeing them twice — I can say, ‘They do not disappoint!’”
Debbie from Gwynedd Valley, PA remarks, “The Allman Betts Band is one great band. I’ve followed Devon Allman for a long time now and I feel that he’s even better now than ever before,” adding, “He’s really come into his own since he’s started playing with Duane Betts and Berry Duane Oakley, Jr. — they’re all so great together.”
Her husband, David, agrees adding, “The Allman Betts Band has combined their own music with the music of their heritage.” Adding, “This is second-generation chemistry,” David explains, “Devon has inherited the soulfulness of his father, Gregg Allman — he’s so comfortable in his own skin and he’s a great showman. He and Duane Betts and Berry Duane Oakley, Jr. have created a great live band,” prior to concluding, “We’ve met all of them in person and they’re all very humble.”
Lastly, we chat with Jaquie from NJ who exclaims, “You just witnessed the future of the blues and Southern Rock!” Continuing, “The Allman Betts Band is a great group, and they just put on a great show,” Jaquie explains, “They really brought it home,” before declaring, “They kicked a** and made their fathers proud!”
To learn more about The Allman Betts Band, please go to allmanbettsband.com. For more on Jackson Stokes, go to jacksonstokes.com. For further information on JD Simo, please click on simo.fm. For info on great upcoming shows at Scottish Rite Auditorium — including Indigo Girls on March 25, Jonny Lang on April 24, and Boney James on May 8 — please click on scottishriteauditorium.com. To learn about more great shows — including Los Lobos on June 23, Judy Collins & Arlo Guthrie on June 29, and The Marshall Tucker Band & Pure Prairie League on August 24 at South Jersey’s Ocean City Music Pier — please click on www.brepresents.com.
