When The Peach Festival hosted its inaugural event back in 2012, it quickly became an Allman Brother Band extended family gathering. Year after year, the festival hosts the band and its members’ various side projects on its lineup, and 2017 is no different. This year, The Peach Festival boasts sets from Warren Haynes’s Gov’t Mule (who will be joined by friends such as John Scofield), Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, the final performance from Les Brers, and an Allstar Tribute to Greg Allman & Butch Trucks, making for what is sure to be a weekend full of touching ABB-inspired moments from the multitude of artists set to appear from August 10th to 13th at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA.
2017 hasn’t been an easy year for family, friends, and the scores of adoring fans of the iconic Allman Brothers Band. With the tragic loss of founding drummer Butch Trucks back in January followed by the news that Gregg Allman had succumbed to liver cancer in May, to say the wind has been knocked out of many of our proverbial sails would be a major understatement. And while there have been many tributes from artists across the musical spectrum these past few months, nothing will compare to the collective energy and vibe that will be experienced at this year’s Peach Festival. With the artists in attendance and the gathering of fans far and wide, Montage Mountain will witness a truly cathartic experience.
One can expect both somber moments and those of sheer joy at this year’s Peach Festival. There will be tears shed, hugs doled out in abundance, countless stories shared amongst friends and strangers, and divine musical moments as each and every person on-site helps create a proper send off to both Allman and Trucks. Not to mention there will be plenty of chills running up and down spines throughout the weekend as the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll past takes hold of the thousands in attendance.
High on the list of must-see chill-inducing performances slated to go down at Peach is “A Peach Tribute To Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks.” The master and former ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell (currently with The Rolling Stones) will lead the tribute as musical director, alongside ABB members Jaimoe, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones. Butch’s nephew and Widespread Panic drummer Duane Trucks, Gregg’s son guitarist Devon Allman, former ABB guitarist Jack Pearson, rising guitarist and vocalist Marcus King, keyboardist Bruce Katz (who has toured with both Butch and Gregg’s bands, and Les Brers) Lamar Williams Jr., son of former bassist Lamar Williams and vocalist of Les Brers, guitarist Pat Bergeson of Les Brers, musical director of the Gregg Allman Band and guitarist Scott Sharrard, GAB keyboardist Pete Levin, Berry Oakley Jr., son of original ABB bassist Berry Oakley, and Butch Trucks’s son and guitarist Vaylor Trucks will all participate in this monstrous tribute to the Allman Brothers Band.
As Chuck Leavell expressed in a press release, “This is a golden opportunity for those of us that were close to Gregg and Butch to pay homage to them and celebrate their lives and their many contributions to music. I’m proud to be a part of it and can’t wait to share the stage with all the great players that will be a part of it.”
While many will come to the realization that the Allman Brothers Band proper is no longer, the spirit of the group lives on in its many extensions. The roots that Duane Allman began to put down almost fifty years ago—ones that Gregg continued to water after the tragic motorcycle accident that took his legendary guitarist brother—have become the foundation of Southern blues rock. The Allman Brothers spawned the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band, North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Crowes, the Drive-By Truckers, The Marcus King Band, and so many more throughout the years, and will continue to inspire countless musicians for years to come.
This year at The Peach Festival, many offerings will be raised in honor of the two major losses that hit the Allman Brothers Band world this year. It is something that fans of the legendary group, and those that simply respect the long history of rock music, will not want to miss. These are the moments that we live for and appreciate the most when it comes to the love of music and the celebration of life.
The String Cheese Incident’s ‘Allman Brothers Family Incident’ at Peach Festival 2016:
[via Rock, Roots, & Blues – Live]
This year’s lineup includes sets from Widespread Panic (2 Nights), My Morning Jacket, Gov’t Mule & Friends featuring John Scofield, Umphrey’s McGee, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Mike Gordon. The festival will also see sets by Lettuce featuring Chaka Khan, Greensky Bluegrass, Dark Star Orchestra, Galactic, Rich Robinson’s Magpie Salute, Keller Williams’ Kwahtro, Cabinet (2 sets), Hayley Jane & The Primates, Pink Talking Fish Eats a Peach (A full performance of Eat A Peach intertwined with Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads, and Phish songs) and many more incredibly talented acts in addition to must-see collaborations with the artists-at-large, the Turkuaz Horns and Primate Fiasco.
Tickets are on sale now at ThePeachMusicFestival.com. For CID travel packages, VIP, and festival details, visit the festival website. For event updates and additional information, join the Facebook Event page. Check out the full festival lineup below:
