Foster Auditorium, Memorial Coliseum

March 24, 1971, March 17, 1973, and January 22, 1976 

The premiere Southern rock band’s first show at an indoor UA venue was at Foster Auditorium which featured a pair of opening acts, Hydra and Young’uns. General admission tickets were $4.00, and student tickets were $2.00. The posters listed the U. A. Entertainment Committee as the producer of the program. Posters featured a photo of the six original members, likely shot for the release of the band’s debut album on Capricorn Records in 1969. The concert spotlighted music from the group’s eponymous first album, and their second, Idlewild South. It was the same set that would become their biggest seller, The Allman Brothers Band at Filmore East, and featured all of the members of the original band. The 1973 concert at the University of Alabama was a doozy. With the death of lead guitarist Duane “Skydog” Allman in 1971 at the age of 24, the band was dramatically impacted. Bassist and founding member Berry Oakley lost his life about a year later. By the time the reconstituted version of the Allman Brothers Band headlined at Memorial Coliseum, talented pianist Chuck Leavell, a Tuscaloosa native, had joined the band full-time. Oakley was replaced by Lamar Williams. After Duane’s death, the band released a series of albums including Eat a Peach, Brothers and Sisters, and Win, Lose or Draw, which did not enjoy many good reviews. Mobile’s Wet Willie opened the evening. With the Macon-based Allman Brothers Band still on shaky ground, their Capricorn Records label mates Wet Wille took full advantage of the opportunity and controlled the evening. Led by energetic singer Jimmy Hall’s gospel grooves, performing music from the band’s first two albums. Reminiscent of Mick Jagger, Hall prances around the stage playing a blues harp and saxophone while performing like a southern preacher at an old-fashioned tent revival. There were originals, including “Macon Hambone Blues” and “Airport,” as well as blues standards like Big Boy Crudup’s “That’s All Right,” which opened the show, and the Otis Redding barnburner, “Shout Bama Lama.” The concert was a huge hit. The same set recorded a live album, Drippin’ Wet, which was recorded on New Year’s Eve in 1972 at The Warehouse in New Orleans. When the Allman Brothers Band played their final concert at Memorial Coliseum in 1976, it was an emotional day as the last date on what would become the last tour for many years. Gregg Allman was dating Cher, and there was controversy running through the band, with rumors of a break-up everywhere. Per usual, a group of roadies referred to as the “Almost Brothers,” took the stage for a soundcheck before the show. Crimson Tide running back Johnny Davis, who was also a talented gospel piano player, even sat in for a bit. The Charlie Daniels Band, which had been gaining notoriety around the country, opened the show with a slew of Southern rock numbers including, “Uneasy Rider,” “Trudy” and “The South’s Gonna Do It (Again),” with another Tuscaloosa native, Charlie Heyward, on bass. Like Leavell, he’d grown up in the local rock scene playing with homegrown musicians like Court Pickett (Sailcat) and crack guitarist Tippy Armstrong (The Alabama State Troupers, Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett). Patrick Covert designed the poster promoting the 1976 show in the University of Alabama’s largest performance venue. It featured a losing poker hand, making a subline connection to the band’s comparatively lackluster Win, Lose or Draw album. Tickets for the concert were sold at $4.50 for University of Alabama students, and $6.50 for general admission.