With weeks to go before the Allman Family Revival tour kicks off with an opening date in his hometown of St. Louis, Devon Allman is immersed in keeping the various pre-production logistics of the traveling roadshow rolling. There is merchandise to approve, video wall images to curate, considerations for his own group The Allman Betts Band, and setlists that vary with every city.
“It’s kind of an ever-changing landscape,” says Allman in a phone interview from St. Louis. “The core setlist is going to be the same throughout, but there’s going to be certain nights when there’s going to be new performers, so there’s going to be tweaks every night. It’s really doing 19 setlists and everything that goes into prepping that.”
The Allman Family Revival concept has grown faster than Allman has learned to delegate. What started as an invitational concert-as-memorial for his late father, Gregg, at the Fillmore West, inspired by 1976 concert documentary The Last Waltz, evolved with increasing demand.
“This is the first time we’ve brought this celebration on tour,” says Allman. “We started it five years ago in San Francisco and it did really well, so they wanted to do it the next year and they wanted to do two nights. So we did that, and then the next year, a couple of other cities wanted the Revival, so we did San Francisco, Denver, New York City. This year, we’ve got 19 cities, so it’s fully on tour and it’s just a big beast. It’s got a lot of moving parts.”
Following the format of Waltz, a concert by The Band that featured guest performances by Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Neil Young, Allman Family Revival shows feature artists who play one of their own songs and a favorite Allman Brothers cover, with Allman Betts Band backing them up. The December 2019 show at Fillmore West features Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Wet Willie harmonica player Jimmy Hall, Big Head Todd and Robin Zander, who followed up singing lead on “Ramblin’ Man” with Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” and Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.”
Randolph and Hall are on deck for the Las Vegas edition of Allman Family Revival, as well as drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp), Marc Ford (The Black Crowes), Cody and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars and sons of producer Jim Dickinson), Lilly Hiatt (daughter of John Hiatt) and Lamar Williams Jr., whose father replaced original Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley.
Oakley’s namesake plays bass in Allman Betts Band alongside guitarists/vocalists Duane Betts and Devon Allman. The Revival gives their circle of relations an opportunity to reinforce musical blood ties and, in the case of opening duo River Kittens, to form new ones.
“One plays acoustic (guitar), one plays mandolin. Amazing harmonies,” says Allman. “I got to produce their debut record and put it out on my label. They’re from St. Louis. They’re really snarky, fun. Just amazingly talented. They always win over the crowd. … They’re gonna get everybody out there, get everybody loose and ready to have a good time.”
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, axs.com
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