The boys fell into an opening jam that was reminiscent of the old blues tune "Dimples" (which they have been known to cover.) High, wailing notes soar overhead as the two guitarists trade bluesy, staccato laconic lines that drift off into the twilight. Soon the urgency is amped up... guitarist Derek Trucks spreads slippery slide over a rock solid Oteil bottom, then he glances back at the percussionists. Drummer Jaimoe hits a flourish, and the band falls gracefully, seamlessly into a hard-charging "Trouble No More." Allman snarls out the lyrics from beneath an NYPD baseball hat.

Next up is "Revival," an old song made new by the current band's arrangement and fire. The mid-section gets a long, extended jam treatment, drifting through different spaces, but anchored in slide blues; Derek Trucks tosses in a snippet of "Fly Me to the Moon," then Haynes cranks it up, accelerating until he's pulled the corns right out of their husks with a thrilling climax that leads back into the "Love is everywhere" verse, and a close...

...that segues into a big, dark, Santana-ish intro to the Howlin' Wolf cover "Who's Been Talkin'," a Haynes tour de force. He sings the sad, sad words, then fires guitar lightning straight into your groin. Derek steps up and tells a different story, the band teetering on the verge of falling off the tracks behind him... then pulling back to the smooth groove for the final verse. Haynes says goodbye to his baby, then lets the repeated refrain, "I'm the causin' of it all" hang in the air as he and Trucks dance off together into some nether realm where time slows, stands still, as twin guitar lines fall like droplets of gentle rain.

"Black Hearted Woman" has become a real go-to song for this band over the past 2 years. During the extended jam that morphs into the Dead's "The Other One" riff, Trucks lays on the "My Favorite Things" melody line before falling hard on the riff. The percussionists-- notably Marc Quinones-- accent and add flourishes to the mix as the band shifts back into the "Black Hearted Woman" riff to storm home.

"Statesboro Blues" is instantly familiar and rewarding to the largely non-partisan crowd. The song appears to end, but Derek leads an easy, loping coda that soon erupts into a full onslaught. Oteil now has his back to the house, locking in with the drummers. The band stays on the "one" chord, Haynes and Trucks fall into a jaunty new slide groove over Oteil's sprightly bass lines, then a rollicking finish that just oozes bluesy joy and doesn't want to end. What is usually a rote number, today is a highlight.

The band closes with a rewarding read of "One Way Out" that has everyone in the festival crowd up and dancing, the glow impossible to resist.

After the set, it is gratifying to hear the buzz as I walk among the concession stands and along the row of port-a-potties. The Allman Brothers have conquered Farm Aid, given the crowd a major funky stomp upside the booty.

Dave Matthews and his musical sidekick Tim Reynolds are up next. They play a hit-laden set, from what I gather; that song "Under the table and dreaming" was in there somewhere. They play a nice cover of Daniel Lanois's "The Maker." Nice guitar sounds waft out over the night; Reynolds gets a violin effect going on "Cortez the Killer" that is reminiscent of Television. Nice enough overall, but I don't get the Dave Matthews fuss. I'm sure I'm just too old.

At this point I decide to walk over to the ferry for the ride home; I know I'm missing the headliners, but for me obviously I've seen my headliner. On the way out I hear Mellencamp's set, wherein Derek Trucks sits in a whole bunch, as does the missus, with whom I am sure Mellencamp would like to make time (although, to be fair, who wouldn't?) Suzie T shares vocals with him on "Little Pink Houses," which is great. She wears her glasses, which have the affect of making her appear something like Clark Kent; in glasses she is Soccer Mom; she takes them off and she becomes Blues Mama. Mellencamp is solid, although the dreadfully treacly "This is Our Country" is no less dreadful or treacly live.

I assume Willie Nelson and Neil Young were good, but I'm home before the show is over.

Labels: The tunes