Relix.com: Watch: “In Memory of Dickey Betts” Concert Honors Legendary Musician with Duane Betts, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil Burbridge, Chuck Leavell and More
The spirit of the Allman Brothers Band soared again last night as former members, friends and family took the stage at the Macon City Auditorium to honor the memory of the legendary Dickey Betts. Together again in Macon, Ga., the city that once springboarded the Southern rock outfit’s story, the late guitarist’s community of peers and devotees paid tribute with the memorial program “In Memory of Dickey Betts,” spearheaded by his son, ace guitarist Duane Betts. Through the evening, the torchbearer led members of the Allman Betts Band through 19 classic tracks, with a star-studded cast of special guests joining in rotation.
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“In Memory of Dickey Betts” began with a searing treatment of “Hot ‘Lanta,” the unforgettable At Fillmore East instrumental that featured a commanding low-end with bass from Oteil Burbridge. The band was joined by Wet Willie’s vocalist and harmonica pro Jimmy Hall for “Statesboro Blues,” which saw Betts rehearsing his father’s iconic slide guitar parts before Burbridge peeled off for the Dickey Betts & Great Southern original “Nothing You Can Do.” Hall traded the microphone to Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr for the rollicking Betts solo cut “Long Time Gone,” which built steam to charge into a rapid-fire string of sit-ins.
The ensemble returned to The Allman Brothers Band’s greatest hits with “Southbound,” another certified classic penned by Dickey with a toe-tapping locomotive groove driven by Starr, Burbridge and storied ‘70s ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell, who reprised his part from the standard’s origins. Leavell and Burbridge stayed on and welcomed Devon Allman for “Melissa,” and Betts and Allman dueled guitars all the way into “Nobody Knows.” To conclude the first frame, the ensemble staged one of the songs most closely associated with evening’s honoree, lighting up a blissful, deeply moving and expansive take on “Jessica.”
Excitement carried on through the set-break as David Wimberly, Berklee College of Music’s senior director of institutional advancement, presented Dickey’s wife Donna Betts with an award for establishing the recently announced Dickey Betts Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which will be funded by a portion of the ticketing from the sold-out show. “We are thrilled to know that the proceeds are going to such a worthy cause,” Duane shared with a release on Wednesday.
Shortly after, Macon Mayor Lester Miller and Mayor Pro Tempore Seth Clark took the stage to formally recognize the Allman Brothers Band’s massive influence on the city’s history and culture by declaring Feb. 28 as Dickey Betts Day. “Your father’s music created the cosmic soul of Macon, Ga., and raised people like me for generations in this town,” Clark shared, per The Telegraph. “We’re here to celebrate Dickey Betts… and we’re here to make sure that celebration doesn’t just stop tonight.”
The musical celebration resumed with “Pony Boy,” another bucking Betts-penned ABB entry with Leavell, Susan Tedeschi and fiery guitar improvisation from Derek Trucks, yet another celebrated descendant and former member eager to honor the influence of his forebearers. Hall and Leavell set the pace for the spirited shuffle of “No One Left to Run With,” then the keyboardist featured independently on a tender and reverent “Rain.” After Devon Allman took the wheel on “Seven Turns,” iconic singer-songwriter and longtime Allman Brothers axeman Warren Haynes finally took the stage to shred on “Back Where It All Begins” and pour his heart into his essential original “Soulshine.”
At long last, as the program wound towards its final act, Betts tapped the legendary combo of Leavell and former bandmates Haynes, Trucks and Burbridge for “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” While the bandleader beamed from the sidelines, this all-star assembly turned out a towering treatment of one of Dickey’s groundbreaking signature songs befitting his larger-than-life legacy, with mind-blowing interplay commanded by lead guitar from Haynes. This powerful tribute raced into the evening’s most emotional moment when Tedeschi stepped into the spotlight for a gorgeous, soaring performance of “Blue Sky.”
“Revival” concluded the second set by calling Lamar Williams Jr., Hall, Leavell and Burbridge to the stage and spotlighting Trucks, who guided a sprawling, kaleidoscopic jam for an exhilarating faux-finale. After a powerful moment of celebration from the roaring audience, all the evening’s players but Burbridge rode again for an encore of “Ramblin’ Man,” the passionate, high-spirited and timeless tune that earned Betts his nickname and perhaps best captures the musical icon’s unforgettable devil-may-care spirit. The show’s explosive closer declared that though Betts has left off for the next station, he lives on in his immortal music and the countless artists he’s inspired.
The Allman Brothers Band’s music will resound again on April 15 and 16 when The Brothers–featuring many of the same musicians who excelled last night–make their long-awaited return to New York’s Madison Square Garden. Read more on those shows here.
Read on for the setlist from Friday night and watch the full performance below via nugs.net.
Duane Betts and Guests
In Memory of Dickey Betts
Macon City Auditorium – Macon, Ga.
2/28/25
Set I: Hot ‘Lanta*, Statesboro Blues~*, Nothing You Can Do~, Long Time Gone!, Southbound#!*, Melissa@#*, Nobody Knows@*, Jessica#@
Set II: Pony Boy^+#, No One Left To Run With~#, Rain#, Seven Turns@, Back Where It All Begins✝@, Soulshine✝#, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed✝^#*, Midnight in Harlem^+*%, Blue Sky+^*#!, Revival^%~#*
Encore: Ramblin’ Man&
Notes:
* w/ Oteil Burbridge
~ w/ Jimmy Hall
! w/ Charlie Starr
# w/ Chuck Leavell
@ w/ Devon Allman
^ w/ Derek Trucks
+ w/ Susan Tedeschi
✝ w/ Warren Haynes
% w/ Lamar Williams Jr.
& w/ all performers except Burbridge