Dickey Betts Band
Ridgefield Playhouse
Ridgefield, Connecticut
May 11, 2008
Tony Pijar
Dickey Betts is one of the best, if not the best, guitarist/songwriter that has come out of the southern rock genre. Yet, his influence transcends far beyond, branching out to country, blues, AOR, Stoner rock, and even metal.
Betts played songs from The Allman Brothers, his solo career, and even some old blues standards. The set was almost an incredible three hours with most songs exceeding ten minutes in length. Southern rockers are truly the progenitors of what we know as jam music! While we heard many of Betts’ tunes, he stayed away from the heavier material, especially songs from “Pattern Disruptive.” Too bad – it’s compelling stuff! As with many southern rock concerts, you never know who’s going to jump onstage and jam out. This time around, it was Devon Allman, Gregg and Cher’s kid! He’s a corker of a guitarist with a much heavier tone than Betts. Another endearing sight is that fact that Betts’ son, Duane (named after the late Duane Allman) is now a full-fledged member of his dad’s band and plays a prominent role.
“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, “Ramblin’ Man”, and “Southbound”, all classics, have not lost any of their magic. As a matter of fact, the whole show was mesmerizing.
