The Allman Brothers Band & Widespread Panic @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Well, I had completely written my review for this show a few days ago, and accidentally deleted it after a night at the bar. I've been discouraged to write anything else about it, so I decided to keep it short. The Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic finished out their co-headlining tour just north of Houston, at The Woodlands' Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. I was late to the show, so I missed the opportunity to photograph Widespread Panic, but made it in time to catch most of their stellar one-set performance. The finish of their set saw Allman's guitarist Warren Haynes stepping up for covers of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and Neil Young's "Cortez The Killer," which were both treats to hear live. Other highlights of the set included a slowed-down, funked-out verson of "Ribs & Whiskey," fan-favorite "Tall Boy" and the first run-through of the highly-requested Warren Zevon cover, "Lawers, Guns & Money," in over a year. It was a quality set, and helped to cement them as one of my all-time favorite live bands.

The Allman Brothers Band focused on many of their originals, but also ran through a host of covers with the help of every member of Widespread Panic throughout the show. Greg Allman has been a bit under the weather as of late, but that was barely noticeable as his voice sounded as good as ever. The best moments of the show came when Panic guitarist Jimmy Herring joined the fold, and battled Haynes and Derek Trucks for guitar god supremacy. Panic vocalist John Bell stepped up to match verses with Allman on a spirited take on Dr. John's "I Walk On Guilded Splinters," a cover Panic also decided to tackle most recently at Voodoo. To close out the show, most members of both bands came to stage for a ripping version of the classic Allman Brothers cut "Southbound," which was a fitting way to end such a highly-regarded Southern-rock tour.

I was able to photograph The Allman Brothers Band, despite missing the opportunity with Widespread Panic earlier in the evening. Check out my shots after the jump.