Thank you from Syracuse, Dickey Betts!

To celebrate the end of a grueling workweek, my wife and I attended the Taste of Syracuse festival. We’re both foodies, so having some great chow was foremost on our minds. We got there Saturday evening, and the crowd was enormous. What a pleasure it was to see so many Syracusans, people of all sizes, colors, shapes, and proclivities, out having a great time all at once.

Along with the food booths, this festival also has music, and this year the festival expanded to have multiple stages. We got to the main stage, and the headliner, Dickey Betts, was just beginning to play.

I knew his work from the Allman brothers, of course, and was familiar with several of his hits, including Jessica, Rambling Man, and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, which I used to enjoy quoting in my electric guitar solos. I had read about Betts’ famous Les Paul guitar, and how it was so superior to other Les Pauls that Paul Reed Smith (if I recall) and others analyzed it, trying to figure out its mojo. It occurred to me that this guitar must not be there; it’s almost asking for theft, or at least damage, when you bring your best 6-or-7-figure guitar out on the road. Having said that, the Gibsons present had nothing to be ashamed of!

Despite being a big fan of the Allman Brothers, frankly, seeing Betts’ name brought to mind the many reunion tours that one sees nowadays, some of which don’t do the original acts much justice. But as soon as I heard Betts’ drummer pounding out a hot groove, any doubts were washed away. They tore into a blues, and the slide player soloed with a huge, thunderous tone and a great feel. I couldn’t stop moving when the piano player took over with a hot, greasy New Orleans feel. Then came Betts’ signature guitar sound and soloing. Finally, a third guitarist came in and soloed very well, and I remarked upon how young he looked. I found out later that he was apparently Betts’ son!

Guitaristically speaking, I realized that we were in a no-Fender zone, with a rare 3-Gibson guitar line-up doling out huge, nutritious slabs of Gibsony Goodness, especially evident in the 3-guitar harmony on a lengthy quote from Hendrix’ Third Stone From the Sun. The groove was infectious, and with so many people around us dancing and loving the music, so many great food smells, and such a festive friendly vibe everywhere, that it seemed very trippy in spite of our being totally sober! I thought to myself, maybe this is how Deadheads or Woodstock attendees must have felt. And best of all, we won’t even get flashbacks, apart from good memories!

I read a little bit online about the Elizabeth Reed song, and found out that there are some interesting conflicting anecdotes about the song’s origin. I was particularly pleased to find a webpage that purported to have lyrics to the song, which is an instrumental.

The whole band was excellent, and despite being very loud, the mix of the music was remarkably good for a large outdoor venue. Dickey’s characteristic sound, very full and sustaining, yet clear with a nice high-end and just a touch of grind, certainly emphasized that.

We had begun the evening just hoping to get some tasty food and have some fun, but were pleasantly surprised by this touch of greatness! To me, this performance set a high-water mark that will be a challenge to match for bands at subsequent summer shows. Mr. Betts, you outdid yourself with great playing, a great band, and a terrific show, and we all thank you!!!!!!!!!