Let's all fight about the Allmans now, shall we?

By the time they got to Lockn, they were pretty much an ABB tribute band, though I still enjoyed their set.

There aren't enough negative whole numbers to accurately express the amount of fucks I don't give about the "they became a tribute band of themselves" argument. I think the popularity of bands like Furthur (sadly now deceased) and DSO show quite clearly that folks would rather have some Dead than none at all. I doubt it's much different for ABB.

Being in the jamband scene, at least the old school bands, is more than just being a fan of the music. It's a whole lifestyle. And it's something that's bigger than all of us. It's sublime. It doesn't go away because of mundane, phenomenological stuff like age and death. There will always be Deadheads and I'm certain there will always be Brothers, too. Always.



And I mean the truest love of all: the One Love. So, let's get together and feel all right.

Initially, when Duane was the real leader, he (and gregg) did not like the name and did not want the two brothers featured on album covers
and such to diminish the band, which he saw as the entity, not the two family members.
After Duane's and Berry's death, Gregg had his various solo projects (including Cher).
We had three of the six--Gregg, Jaimo and Butch. Derek, as family, gets a little more than just stand-in status. Could well be that
some of the others besides Gregg wanted to call it a night.
Bands like these, run on two levels; the popular level and the art level. As time goes by, the popular level pays the bills, and they
would starve if, night after night, they played all new stuff. They almost have to drop back to a cover/tribute band to make it.

Look at Little Feat--after Lowell died they tried continuing new creative energy, but quickly learned they had to drop back to the LG
formula, then ease into new stuff that fit the mold. So 7 years with LG and 33 without him means--is it still LG's band?

Dave Mathews has been at it so long that his song-book would take a week to play, so what a challenge to fit in 3 hours the old, the new
and the treats.

Even the music I listen to from the 30's and 40's--most of them had to lock into the peak, rather than continue to progress, to stay
viable.

The Rolling Stones are a counter-example; they have always changed with the current trends--maybe kick-started them--from mod to psychedleic to
disco to new wave and on....

So much as I love ABB, to me they locked in at Fillmore East, as a progressive band, and Bros/Sis, as a damn good popular band, but
nothing else since. At Lockn, playing The Best Albunm Ever Made, Warren/Derek were a successful replacement for Duane/Dickey.

Let them go in peace