This reporter was probably one of five people under the age of 40 at the Gregg Allman show Sunday night at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.
But even a 27-year-old could appreciate the bearded rocker's stellar, bluesy set highlighting work from his solo catalog, including "I'm No Angel," and covers (Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman").
Many of the obvious fan favorites, however, were drawn from his work with the Allman Brothers Band, with the classics "Melissa," "Whipping Post," "Midnight Rider" and "Statesboro Blues" earning the biggest response.
Hearing these songs stripped down β mostly acoustic and with horns β proved Allman deserves more attention for his songwriting, not to mention his unbelievably gritty and soul-driven voice.
The old dog's still got it.
β Kevin W. Smith
Acoustic storytellers to weave magic in Mesa
Back in June on the eve of playing a gig at Club Congress, singer/songwriter Joe Ely was already gearing up for his upcoming outing with Lyle Lovett and friends.
The friends are John Hiatt and Guy Clark, and, among the four giants, there are decades of stories to be told and hours of musical magic to be made.
You can pretty much expect that they will spend at least two hours on the Ikeda Theater stage at the Mesa Arts Center when the acoustic storytelling tour pulls in on Feb. 6.
Tickets are $32-$72 through Ticketmaster, 321-1000; or the MAC, 1-480-644-6500.
β Cathalena E. Burch
Vegas to greet '07 in style
Las Vegas hopes to be the Times Square of the West when it hosts "America's Party New Year's Eve Countdown," broadcast on DirectTV's CD USA.
The scheduled headliners: All American Rejects, Five for Fighting, OK GO, Rock Star Supernova, Smash Mouth and Chicago.
The Vegas action gets started downtown at 8 p.m. on Fremont Street. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and all ticketholders are admitted to all concerts, plus a light-and-sound show and access to all other activities planned for the four city blocks cordoned off for the party.
Tickets are $80 through www.vegasexperience.com.
β Cathalena E. Burch
