A legendary Allman Brothers Band concert from 1971 is headed for release at the end of this month. Recorded on January 17th, 1971 at Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, PA and recently restored and remastered, the album captures the band less than two years into its storied career and two months before the recording of the group’s definitive live album At Fillmore East.
The recording features The Allman Brothers Band’s founding lineup of Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe, who had already developed a reputation with their improvisation-heavy performances by the time they arrived at Pittsburgh’s 3,700-seat Syria Mosque on January 17th, 1971. ABB’s debut at the venue, which previously hosted performances by The Who, Pink Floyd, The Band, Deep Purple, and Yes, included classic songs like “Statesboro Blues”, “Trouble No More”, and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, which featured unusually ethereal guitar work by Dickey before Duane finished it off with an incendiary solo. Gregg’s voice shined especially bright on “Midnight Rider” and “You Don’t Love Me”, and the set ended with a sprawling 20-minute “Whipping Post”.
Bootleg recordings of the 1971 concert long circulated on dubbed cassettes, burned CDs, and even vinyl disks, and the show was misidentified by many as Duane’s final performance before the guitarist’s death, which occurred on October 29th, 1971. That confusion may have stemmed from the fact that the band returned to Syria Mosque on October 15th, nine months after its January 17th debut at the venue, for what would end up being Duane’s third-to-last show. His very last performance actually took place on October 17th, 1971 at Painters Mill Music Fair, near Baltimore, and is featured on The Final Note, which came out in 2020.
Syria Mosque: Pittsburgh, PA January 17, 1971 will be available on October 28th. Pre-order and pre-save the album here. Information on the vinyl release is forthcoming. View the album art and tracklist below.
Syria Mosque Tracklist:
Statesboro Blues
Trouble No More
Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Midnight Rider
You Don’t Love Me
Whipping Post
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