Allman Brothers Top HORDE of Bands

For those unable or unwilling to shell out $135 for Woodstock '94, there was smaller, less expensive musical event last weekend at Great Woods--the HORDE (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere).

In its third year, the all-day festival featured two stages, nine bands, and an array of vendors and activist group. The line-up for the main or "Mondo" stake was Sheryl Crow, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Blues Traveler and the Allman Brothers Band. In between each of these acts were performances on the smaller "Gonzo" stage by Cycomotogoat, Ugly Americans, Little Sister, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies and Raging Slab. The festival has evolved and grown considerably since its inception, most likely due to the increased involvement of record companies who see the tour as a promotional tool.

The brain-child of John Popper (singer/harmonica player for Blues Traveler), the HORDE began as a group of live bands who had attracted devout neo-hippie followings in their respective regions but hadn't established much popularity away from home. According to Popper, it began as "a group of friends doing something together for fun." The original bill was Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit and Widespread Panic (both from Georgia), the Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler (both from New York City) and Phish (from Burlington, Vermont). Last weekend's bill was noticeably more corporate, though certainly not as corporate as the "Pepsi Generation's."

Just as we walked in (around 6:00 for the 2:30 showtime), it started to rain. After about 15 minutes, I decided I'd rather endure the drizzle and wander than sit and listen to more Blues Traveler. Guitarist Chan Cinchla's hair antics were more annoying than his slick ,soulless solos. John Popper is a very talented singer and a phenomenal harmonica player--all in all, someone I'd like to listen to, but first he's got to lose that guitar player.

Off to the right side of the stage was the "HORDE Workshop." Set underneath a grove of pine trees there was, among other carnival-like attractions, a "rain tent," probably intended to provide patrons respite from the summer sun. Mother Nature had rendered that obsolete.

Walking over to the Gonzo stage, we confirmed the rumor that the Great Woods lawn had been converted to a beach, Despite our best efforts, we couldn't avoid stepping the many soggy, sandy blankets that littered the place. I was thankful that The Crimson had gotten me a seat under the Pavilion, where I could enjoy the show without collecting water and sand in my shoes.

There was no one playing at the Gonzo stage when we got there, although it was a smaller, more intimate setting. We could have waited around in the rain for the Raging Slab set to begin, but we decided against it.

Strewn amongst the walkways that encircled the stage were vendors and activists hawking their wares. By far and away the most popular table was the Rainforest Action Network's neighbor, the Cannabis Action Network. Among petitions for the legalization of marijuana was an assortment of hemp products: shoes, rope, soap--everything but the dope itself.

Our curiosity satisfied, we headed back under the Pavilion and waited for the Allman Brothers to take the stage. The crowd at this point had become an interesting mix of teenagers, twenty-somethings and tattooed, leather-clad bikers.

The lights finally went down, and the Allman Brothers began with "Sailing Across the Devil's Sea," a tune from their new album "Enlightened Rogues." This was followed by solid deliveries of a pair of their earlier works, "Statesboro Blues" and "Blue Sky." This was the kind of guitar work I had come to see.

Warren Haynes' thick sound is well complemented by his authoritative attack and tough blues riffs, not to mention his tasteful slide guitar playing. While Haynes' bluesy style earns a visceral appeal, Dickie Betts' fluid meanderings find a more melodic one. The band's new single (written by Betts) "Where It all Began" gave an excellent demonstration of Betts' ability to find melodic grooves while improvising.

Bett's son Duane, also a guitar player, joined the band for "Soulshine," a soulful gospel-inspired number from the new album and for "Same Thing," a blues standard. Later on it set, the band was joined by Sheryl Crow for "Midnight Rider" and by John Popper on "One Way Out." The set's closer, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and the encore, "Whipping Post," didn't quite reach the heights that they are sometimes capable of reaching, perhaps because of what lay ahead for the band.

Sunday morning, the band had to fly up to Saugerties to play a 1:30 p.m. set at Woodstock, fly back to Boston and play again for HORDE's second night at Great Woods.

Unlike many Woodstock-generation bands--Crosby, Stills and Nash, Santana, and Traffic to name a few--the Allman Brothers Band's new material is some of its most exciting. With songs like "Soulshine" (my favorite of the night), the Allman Brothers Band proved that theirs is no over-the-hill nostalgia tour.