Scene and Heard

The Allman Brothers

Johnny Winter

What started as dream of the Allman Brothers Band to have a ” festival featuring the band and their many side projects “, has become the south’s most important music festival of the year. With the help of Live Nation, the past two years, the sixth annualWanee Music Festival held at Spirit of Suwanee Music Park, in Live Oak Florida, the festival has grown to over 16,000 fans camping and enjoying the beautiful park and the great North Florida Spring weather.

Wanee Festival added an extra day of music and a stellar lineup of musicians to the 2010 edition of the show. This years show made it a difficult choice of what band to pick between or leave before the show finished in order to see another show.

Devon Allman kicked off the event with a blistering set that was an omen of  incredible guitar filled music you would hear for the next two and one half days. Col. Bruce Hampton followed with a jammed filled set that included Butch Trucks of the Allmans setting in on drums.

It wasn’t all guitar and jamming. Funk filled shows by George Clinton and the Parliment Funkadelic, A Sly and Family Stone tribute by IvanNeville’s Dumpstaphunk made sure fans got their share of the groove.
The legendary Dr. John and the Funky Meters brought a New Orleans flavored jazz based funk to the crowd.

The Lee Boys joined by Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, and supergroup, The Word starring Robert Randolph and North Mississippi All Stars and John Medeski kept the gospel jam magic at a high level.

Impressive shows by music  legends such as Johnny Winter, Steven Stills, Bob Weir and Hot Tunarounded out the afternoons and early evening.

Both nights where put in high gear when Widespread Panic began at 6:30 playing over two hours each night, Panic and their large fan base set the bar high for the headlining Allmans Brothers.

The Allman Brothers did what they do best, playing from their catalogue of 41years at a fever pitched pace. They are a music machine perfectly in sync on every note. Greg Allman, one of the best all time blues voices was as strong  as ever. Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks are both considered top guitarists in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 all time greatest guitarists poll. The wall of sound formed by drummers and bass form a well oiled music machine carrying you with them through every musical twist and turn.

Inviting guest musicians to sit in is expected with the Allmans, this year they were joined by John Bell, Dave Schools, and Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic, Johnny Winter, and Luther Dickinson to name a few.

Gov’t Mule ended Friday’s lineup with a blistering set playing to the nearly 3:00am. The event ended with Derek Trucks and his wife Susan Teseschi  starting at nearly 12:45 Sunday morning and wrapping up a spectacular weekend of music close to 2:45.

Wanee Festival has become bigger and better every year. I am not sure how they will top this one. You can purchase the entire shows to watch on your home computer at Moogis.com

Complete cds of the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule shows are available from Hittin the Note

Widespread Panic shows from Widespread Panic’s website

To see more photos : http://mikeseye.phanfare.com