Live at the Fillmore
When I hear the words “Live at the Fillmore,” two names immediately come to mind: Bill Graham, of course, and then the Allman Brothers. The record made from the latter’s incendiary two-night performance at New York’s Fillmore East in 1971 is iconic in the live-album category. Tragedy struck the band shortly after these shows, when guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident, and then so was Berry Oakley in a cruel déjà vu one year later. The remaining Allman Brothers forged on and have remained a dynamic force in live performance ever since. But there was something magical about the group’s heady early days that defied categorization and ultimately defined the “jam band” sound.
Enter Live at the Fillmore, which is based in Wynnewood. It’s not just any cover band, but a collection of Philadelphia-area musicians dedicated to replicating that early Allman music in note-for-note detail. Their attention to all of the sounds created by Duane and his brother, Gregg, along with Dickey Betts and Oakley, has captured audiences’ attention in sold-out shows at local venues like the Kennett Flash.
Now, with a special performance-seminar on March 16, LATF will introduce the music of the “granddaddies of southern rock” to a generation of rockers-in-the-making at Philadelphia’s School of Rock. They’ll play and participate in a Q&A session, offering students musical guidance in the art of all things Allman. (All this before the School of Rock’s upcoming Lynyrd Skynyrd vs. The Allman Brothers throw-downs on April 2-3. Now, there’s a rowdy couple of nights!)
You can also catch LATF at Brownies 23 East in Ardmore on March 20 or at University City’s The Blockley (formerly the Chestnut Cabaret) on March 22. The Brownies performance is an after party of sorts, following the Furthur concert at Upper Darby’s Tower Theater—just in case you didn’t get enough jam on during Phil Lesh and Bob Weir’s set!
SHOW INFO
When: March 16, 7-9 p.m.
Where: School of Rock, 421 N. Seventh St., Philadelphia; (888) 724-5950, schoolofrock.com.
Tickets: $10. Open to students, parents, family and friends.
More: Visit myspace.com/liveatthefillmore and LATF’s Facebook page.
