Well the hardclicking staff came across this Cameron Crowe classic about the Allman Brothers on the terrific Longform site yesterday and it got us to thinking about the time in 1970 when Jim and Rae and Margaret and I queued up to see the band at Cincinnati’s Ludlow Garage.

But the band was really late and it got pretty late and then Margaret said “This is insufferable” and then we left.

Idiots.

Because . . . via The Basement Rug:

The Allman Brothers Band Live at Ludlow Garage 1970

Whereas At Filmore East was the result of a professionally engineered effort to produce a concert album, the Allman’s Ludlow Garage album is full of technical flaws – beautiful wonderful flaws. One of the many amps on stage seemed to be having a bad night. Perhaps a tube was going, or maybe it was just the powerful vibes the band was putting out that night, but you can hear it buzzing intermittently throughout most of the show. This is the reality of a young band performing in a small club. The show goes on – technical flaws and all.

The show:

The Allman Brothers Band Live at Ludlow Garage 1970

1. Dreams (Allman) – 10:15
2. Statesboro Blues (McTell) – 8:09
3. Trouble No More (Waters) – 4:13
4. Dimples (Bracken/Hooker) – 5:00
5. Every Hungry Woman (Allman) – 4:28
6. I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town (Weldon) – 9:22
7. Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) – 5:23
8. Mountain Jam [Theme from First There Is a Mountain] (Allman/Allman/Betts/Donovan/Oakley) – 44:00

The Allman Brothers Band:

Gregg Allman – Organ, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Dickey Betts – Guitar, Vocals
Duane Allman – Guitar
Berry Oakley – Bass
Jaimoe – Percussion, Drums
Butch Trucks – Percussion, Drums

So here I am, 44 years later, sitting in my office listening to what I should have heard live in 1970.

God bless the Internet.

Margaret, though, still has some ground to make up.

P.S. Duane was his usual brilliant self that night. More’s the pity, yeah?