Allmans and Phish and The Dead... Oh my!!

Well 2009 could not be off to a faster start on the concert front. In the first six months of this year, the New York area has a chance at jam-trifecta! I'm just hoping to bear witness.

First, the Allmans will be back at the Beacon this March, after a one-year hiatus. Gregg is fully recovered from hepatitis C and the brothers are ready to rock the Upper West Side for another 10 nights. I've seen the Allmans in a bunch of different venues and let me tell you, they're always better at the Beacon. I've seen them sound sleepy and lackluster, but when they take up their yearly residency in my neighborhood, they're wide awake. I'll be there Saturday, March 14th. Yogi's will be missed.

Next up, the Dead in April. The boys are back together, joined by Ratdog's Jeff Chimenti on keys and the hardest working man in show business, Warren Haynes, on vocals and guitar. Warren, of course, will have just been here with the Allmans and will be joining the Dead tour just three weeks after the Beacon shows wrap up. This is the first tour to reunite Bobby, Billy, Mickey and Phil since 2004 and was brought about by a successful one-time effort last year on behalf of Barack Obama. Presale Dead tickets go up today at noon. I'm nervous and excited. It's not a cheap ticket, but it's a show I can't miss.

Finally (phinally?), Phish is back and will make their way through the area in June. This is their first tour together since before Trey's drug DWI up in Vermont. Fortunately, his fans weren't bound by the same conditions of his probation. The great news, they're playing Jones Beach! I've always felt they're more of a club band than a stadium band, despite their outsized fan-base. Granted, the shitty news is exactly the same. I have my ticket requests in for both shows, but I'm not particularly hopeful. A lot of folks are hoping to cram into that amphitheater. We'll see how it goes.

So that's the morning word. I'll be sure to let you know how I do on the Dead seats. And of course, if you find yourself with an extra, you know how to find me!