The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania came to a highlight on Saturday afternoon with A Peach Tribute to Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks. Since its inception back in 2012, Peach Fest has always served as an extended family gathering for the Allman Brothers Band—year after year, the event has hosted the band, its members’ various side projects, and their expansive musical family to join together and celebrate the nearly 50 year legacy. Following this year’s losses of Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman, Peach Fest became a place for catharsis for both artists and fans alike, with the event’s lineup sporting numerous tributes to the historic Southern rock band. However, of the various tributes, scheduled or not, that have gone down over the weekend, none was more anticipated than Saturday’s Peach Tribute, which was put together by the masterful former ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell, who served as the tribute’s musical director.

The tribute sported an unreal lineup of legendary musicians, with many of those on tap related to the Allman Brothers Band by blood or musically and making the set function as a family gathering in the truest sense of the word. ABB members Jaimoe, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones were all in their original placements, with Butch’s nephew and Widespread Panic drummer Duane Trucks filling in for the fallen Brother. Gregg’s son and guitarist Devon Allman, Butch’s son and guitarist Vaylor Trucks, Dickey Betts’ son and guitarist Duane Betts, Berry Oakley’s son and bassist Berry Oakley Jr., and Lamar Williams’ son and vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. were all in rotation. In addition, former ABB guitarist Jack Pearson, keyboardist Bruce Katz (who formerly toured with both Butch and Gregg’s bands as well as Les Brers), Les Brers guitarist Pat Bergeson, musical director of the Gregg Allman Band and guitarist Scott Sharrard, GAB keyboardist Peter Levin, rising guitarist and vocalist Marcus King, and Gabriel Kelley all participated in the massive tribute set.

However, while this line-up in and of itself is already the stuff of legends, as to be expected, the set hosted a number of spectacular unannounced sit-ins, including those by former ABB guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes and Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring (who also has history of playing with the Allman Brothers Band) and Dave Schools among others. For the duration of the performance, Duane Trucks was stationed in Butch’s place behind the kit, along with Jaimoe and Marc—mirroring the original Allman Brothers Band set-up—with Oteil holding down the bass for the majority of the set save Schools’ various sit-ins. Chuck Leavell also played for the duration of the tribute, while Katz and Levin traded off in Gregg’s spot. The performance also offered a tribute to another fallen brother lost this year, Col. Bruce Hampton, with several of the same players who participated in Hampton 70 performing a rendition of “Yield Not To Temptation.” The set closed with “King Grand,” a tribute to the late Jimmy Nalls, guitarist of Sea Level. Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe, Lamar Williams Sr., and Jimmy Nalls were all founding members of Sea Level, so the tribute was especially fitting to the occasion and an honorary way to close the set.

There is now full audio from the set, as recorded by Ted Gakidis and uploaded by JamBuzz:

Setlist: A Peach Tribute To Gregg Allman & Butch Trucks | Peach Music Festival | 8/12/17

Statesboro Blues, Don’t Keep Me Wondering, One Way Out*!, Dreams#, Jessica^, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More^, Midnight Rider^!, Stand Back^, South Bound^+, Come & Go Blues@, Whipping Post@, Yield Not To Temptation, King Grand$

* w/ Devon Allman on Guitar
# w/ Devon Allman on Guitar, Jimmy Herring on Guitar & Dave Schools on Bass
^ w/ Duane Betts on Guitar
+ w/ Marcus King on Guitar
! w/ Scott Sharrard
@ w/ Warren Haynes on Guitar and Vocals
$ Vaylor Trucks – Guitar

[Phierce Photo by Keith G. Instagram: @PhiercePhoto]