The concert featured on this album, at the Manley Field House at Syracuse University, catches the Allman Brothers band two months after the death of Duane Allman. The five remaining members—vocalist Gregg Allman, guitarist Dickie Betts, bassist Barry Oakley, and drummers Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks—carried on with an incendiary performance. It remains a unique and interesting period in the band’s career, as there was only one guitarist with Gregg Allman’s keyboards to fill in for Duane’s absence.

Dickie Betts is one of the underrated guitarists of his generation. His sound has a preciseness that makes each individual note distinct. His lasting opus is “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”; the woman in the title was taken from a tombstone in Macon, Georgia. Ironically, Duane Allman, Barry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Duane Allman all now reside in the cemetery.

The version of “Elizabeth Reed” contained here clocks in at over 15 minutes as Betts, Gregg Allman and Oakley improvise off the main melody and create new layers and textures. The three, with the drummers setting the foundation, create one of the more unique interpretations of this often-played song.

Their classic songs—“Statesboro Blues,” the twenty minute “Whipping Post,” and “You Don’t Love Me”—do not have the full sound of the past, or the future for that matter, due to the missing guitar. Their cover of T Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday” works better as they can make the music fit the five musicians available. Gregg Allman’s “Midnight Rider” is always enjoyable, but is always too short.

The Allman Brothers Fillmore East album is one of the best live albums ever released. Manley Field House Syracuse University, April 17, 1972 may not be quite as good as its predecessor, but it is very good in its own right, as it presents a glimpse of a unique time in the band’s career.

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