July 15, 2018 Shorefront Park, Patchogue, Long island
On a gorgeous summer day, the 12th annual Great South Bay Music Festival concluded with a lineup of some classic southern flavored rock and blues acts. Dickey Betts was the headliner, and his show was highly anticipated as he is coming off a nearly 5-year retirement. The 74-year old co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, who wrote “Ramblin’ Man” needed to get back on the road. Dickey played Allman Brothers classics like “Hot ‘Lanta”, “Blue Sky”, “Jessica” and “Midnight Rider”. It was exactly what you would expect and the sold out crowd loved it.
I’ve seen the Allmans many times and the music is timeless, and this may be the last chance to see the music performed by the original artist. He was joined by his son Duane Betts on guitar. Duane (named after Duane Allman, of course), has been touring with Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman, whose band The Devon Allman Project, also appeared on Sunday. Check out The Devon Allman Project if you get the chance. Devon and Duane are keeping the Allmans’ legacy alive and bringing it to a younger audience, which is great to see.
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Also appearing were Little Feat and Hot Tuna, two road warriors that keep on truckin’ well past their members’ 70th birthdays. Little Feat, best known for their AOR staple live album “Waiting For Columbus” and the songs “Dixie Chicken” and “Oh Atlanta”, fuse southern, blues, Cajun and country music. It was my third time seeing the band and it brought back a lot of memories. I met guitarist Paul Barrere when I saw them in the ’90s and I still have the guitar pick he gave me!
Hot Tuna, with Jack Casady on bass and Jorma Kaukonen on vocals and guitar, were founding members of Jefferson Airplane and formed Hot Tuna as a side project. Jorma is on Rolling Stone’s list of top 100 guitarists and at 77 (!) has not lost a step. And Jack is a monster bass player. Their mix of blues and harder/psychedelic rock is a real pleasure to watch. Highlights of their set were “Hesitation Blues” and “Sleep Song”.
Please support your favorite classic artists and check them out when they are on tour. They love the music and who knows how long they will be doing this? You never want to say, “I wish I had seen them when I had the chance.”
The Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchouge, Long Island, is an annual 4 day music and arts festival, with 3 stages, craft beer and a food court. Bring a beach chair and get there early for a good spot!
–Michael Waters
You may also like to read The Best Sushi On Long Island? Restaurant Yamaguchi in Port Washington.
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