Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record
August 8, 2008
by Mimi Estes
Hang onto your hats. The Allman Brothers are about to roll into the mid-Hudson. Bethel Woods will be the kick-off point Tuesday for the long-awaited 2008 summer tour.
This will be first time the band has performed together since 2007, because of Gregg Allman's bout with hepatitis C.
Word spread like wildfire through the legions of fans who hoped for a speedy recovery when their favorite keyboardist had to get much-needed rest and recuperation.
It was a happy and healthy Greg Allman who spoke with us in a phone interview last week. He has beaten the hepatitis C virus, battling through two months of debilitating interferon treatments to work his way back to playing for the fans. "I've known about having the disease for a long time, but was never a candidate for treatment until last year. I knew it would be a battle, but I'm great now," says Allman. "We're a band that puts on two-hour shows that change every night. You gotta be at full capacity to do that. And now I am."
Bob Weir's band RatDog will open the show. If luck has it, they'll join the Brothers at some point and treat the audience to some of the best jazz/blues fusion available in the world today.