Don’t count out Gregg Allman. Not by a long shot. Though the Allman Brothers Band broke up last fall, the original Southern rocker, 67, is going out there solo, hitting Hard Rock Live Sunday night with eight new guys to back him up.
We caught up with the Midnight Rider — a Nashville native who spent many formative years in Daytona Beach — before the show.
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Your current group sounds great, particularly since you added a horn section.
The best thing about it is there is only one cook in the kitchen, you know what I mean? It keeps things simple. With the Allman Brothers, things could get a bit complicated at times [laughs].
What kind of show can the audience expect?
I can promise you that the fans who come out to the Hard Rock show are in for a good-old, kick-ass time. Folks are gonna be able to sing and dance and then walk out of there with a big smile because they were able to forget about their problems for a few hours. We’ve got a solid set list — a mixture of songs from my solo albums, several killer cover songs, and some Allman Brothers tunes, a couple of which I’ve rearranged to better suit the new sound. There will be music for everyone, whether they’re 16 or 60.
The Allman Brothers received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2012, and this year you were honored with Classic Rock magazine’s Living Legend Award. How do you feel about that type of career recognition?
I’ll tell you there was a time when awards meant nothing to me; my brother Duane [who died in a motorcycle accident in 1971] never gave a half-a-damn about stuff like that, either. At this point in my life, I guess I have developed a certain appreciation for them. Now, you do know what it really means when people call you a living legend. It just means you’re getting old!
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