On the day of his grandmother’s 98th birthday, guitarist Devon Allman took the stage at the Iron Works in Buffalo, New York, this past Wednesday night. This was billed as the Devon Allman Band and not Devon Allman’s Honeytribe or Royal Southern Brotherhood which he has been playing with over the last few years.
Taking the stage at approximately 10:45pm, the band did a mini jam to get the juices flowing and the crowd revved up for the rest of the show. The set list was comprised mainly of songs off of his latest offering “Ragged & Dirty” that was released in 2014. Five (5) songs were played and they were played to perfection. The instrumental and feedback driven “Mahalo” was a highlight of the set. Another highlight was an emotional “No Woman No Cry” where at the end of the song, Allman sang single verses to the crowd without the use of the microphone. He engaged the crowd and made personal connections. Allman is a very proficient guitar player and his playing really makes a connection with you, whether intentionally or by chance. He makes you feel the notes on an emotional level and at one point, came into the crowd to play to make you physically part of it as well.
Allman also gave a unique and interesting twist to The Spinners classic “I’ll be Around.” Instead of a rhythm and blues feel to it, it had more of a stripped down blues feeling to it. This track also is on “Ragged & Dirty.” He wrapped up the show with the Allman Brothers classic “No Way Out” with opener Pat Harrington.
Devon Allman is one of the more underrated guitarists on the circuit and it’s always a treat to see him on his usual yearly stints in the Western New York area. Next time, let’s hope he brings the cigar box guitar with him!
Setlist:
Jam in D
Half the Truth
Can’t Lose Them All
Forever Man (Eric Clapton cover)
Mahalo (Devon Allman’s Honeytribe song)
Strategy
No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley and the Wailers cover)
Back to You
Homesick
Could Get Dangerous (Devon Allman’s Honeytribe song)
Midnight Lake Michigan
Encore:
I’ll be Around (Spinners cover)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover) Jessica (The Allman Brothers cover), Eruption (Van Halen cover) Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover) medley
One Way Out (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
We would like to thank Ross Cat from Back 2 Back Entertainment for the credentials to review the show.
