With the finish line in sight, the Allman Brothers Band opened the first of its final four Beacon Theater performances with a handful of guests, as well as a key song breakout. At the beginning of the Allman Brothers Bands second set, guitarist Jimmy Vivino, best known for his work on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, appeared on Just Before Bullets Fly. A close friend of Warren Haynes, Vivino has performed with Govt Mule on occasion during its traditional New Years Eve run at, fittingly enough, the Beacon Theater. At various points throughout the night, the Gregg Allman and Friends horn-section also backed the Brothers, including on an extended workout based around The Same Thing. Perhaps most notably, however, Oteil Burbridge sang lead on a cover of the Grateful Deads Franklins Tower, a number the group has busted out on occasion over the years. During the songs jam, the Brothers also snuck in a riff from Dickey Betts long-shelved Blue Sky, a step-brother of sorts to Franklins Brother. Shortly after Jerry Garcias death, the Allman Brothers Band began using
Franklins Tower as the intro to Blue Sky, a tribute Betts performs to this day with his band, Great Southern.
The Allman Brothers Band will return to the Beacon Theater, once again, tonight.