PROLOGUE – A dumb idea and preparations begin
I’m a tremendous fan of the Allman Brothers Band so about a year ago I joined their web site and started receiving emails about what the band was doing and where they were playing. My wife Chris and I had seen them in 1979 when they played here in Indianapolis and I kept telling myself that I had to see them play live again before I assume room temperature. Unfortunately gainful employment and life in general kept me from doing this for over thirty years until a cosmic alignment of my sister Sue giving me Ticketmaster gift cards and the announcement that the band would be playing two shows at the Chicago Theater August 20-21, 2013 told me the time to see them had indeed arrived.
The 99 cent Passport in Blue and Red
I’ve been a huge fan of the band since I “discovered” them in 1973. I’m not sure when I first heard them on the radio but that was the year I made the switch from AM pop music on Indianapolis’ WIFE to what was then a semi-underground FM rock station, WNAP. Listening to album oriented FM rock opened a whole new music universe to me and I consider it one of the most pivotal moments in my life. I never was much of an album/tape/CD collector preferring to piss away any extra money I’ve ever had on motorcycles so listening to the radio has always been my chief form of electronic musical entertainment. Fortunately for me WNAP was an excellent station in those days before crass commercialization ruined it as a radio station but that’s another story unto itself…
1973 was a year of huge change for me, beginning it as your typical confused and insecure teenager, a victim of raging hormones and at sixteen no longer a child yet not quite an adult. Motorcycles were already the dominant force in my life although there too I was drifting from a talent-less attempt at motocross to riding in the woods. This was during the whole back-to-the-land era and riding through the trees just clicked with me. Discovering the rolling forested hills of beautiful Brown County, Indiana during a bicycle trip from Indy to the state park and back with friends that summer cemented this love of the woods. Looking out from the park’s overlooks at what appeared to be endless forested hills gave you the impression that you could just take off into the woods on your bike and ride forever. Unfortunately the U. S. Forest Service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources had seen fit to make all of these woodlands off limits to motorcycles a couple of years prior but that, too is another story for another time.
As the summer came to an end “Ramblin’ Man,” the Allman Brothers Band’s first big commercially successful song, was released and getting huge airplay on both AM and FM stations. Because of this WNAP was playing more of the band’s previous works and I began to appreciate their depth and talent. I also learned of the tragedies that had befallen the band and their strength and resilience to come back despite the loss of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. A lifelong friend went off to Ball State University and came back with an assortment of albums including Brothers and Sisters, the first ABB album I listened to beginning to end. Hearing the flowing instrumental “Jessica” for the first time was almost a revelation and left me hooked.
At a summer job that year I met Chris, the lady who would later become my wife and for Christmas she gave me a copy of Beginnings, essentially the band’s first two albums which gave me an even broader exposure to their wide ranging talents.
Life went on and with it many changes. The only constants in my life were my wife, motorcycles and the ABB and the love for all of them never wavered. Fast forward to the summer of 2013 and not only did I manage to score a good seat for both nights at Chicago but also caught Gregg Allman and his band play at Evansville, Indiana June 25 at the Victory Theater, a venue very similar to the Chicago Theater where the band would be playing in August. While riding to Evansville on the gravel back-roads through the Amish country of southwest Indiana I got to thinking about how such a trip might have been done forty years prior when all I owned was a 125cc Hodaka Wombat. Although there’s one in the garage as this is written (bringing credence to the old saying about the more things change, the more they stay the same) it’s set up as a vintage competition hillclimber and not road legal. There is a ratty old Honda C-70 Passport step-through in the garage with a Chinese 125 motor in it, originally purchased on eBay for .99 (!!!)–why not ride it? Sure, I could ride the big bike, stay in a motel and do the trip quickly and in comfort but there’s no challenge in that. Riding the little bike north on the back-roads and camping would take me back to a simpler time when such a trip might have been done by a 16 year old with a limited budget but a big desire to see the ABB.
So far preparations for this adventure has consisted of swapping the standard pressed steel leading link forks for a set of hydraulic units from a Honda Trail 90 which made a huge improvement on rough roads. With this improvement I lost the small front luggage rack that came on the Passport so almost an entire weekend was spent fabricating and welding up another one to replace it that’ll carry my sleeping pad and maybe something light like my rain suit. One RAM ball was already on the handlebars to mount my GPS and a complete RAM no-spill drink holder was added with the thought that since the trip north will be done in the hot sun and treeless flat-lands of northwest Indiana having a cool drink at arm’s reach might not be a bad idea. The motor is new and just broken in so other than a change of oil, a quick check of the valves, giving the bike a once-over and a kiss for luck it’s pretty much ready to go.
A local Chicago resident on the Allman Brothers Band web site suggested a campground near Peotone, IL which is only a few miles from the southernmost Metra station at University Park. Riding the train downtown will get me within a quarter mile of the Chicago Theater and eliminate the risk of life and limb trying to ride through the downtown area as well as trying to find a place to park.
So the trip’s parameters have been laid down and preparations for this adventure are well under way. Will the little bike survive and deliver me there and back again? Will I be fried to a crisp in the blazing sun? Get lost on the checkerboard of roads through the seemingly endless cornfields?
Stay tuned. This is going to be a long, strange trip…
THE ENGINE RUNS AND THE BAND PLAYS (Dateline: I left Indy August 19, 2013. The two days of the show were the 20th & 21st. I returned on the 22nd.)
Song: Statesboro Blues
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: Live at Fillmore
Time: 4:20
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Wake Up Mama, Turn Your Lamp Down Low
Figuring an early start might get us out of Indy before the rush hour traffic hit I got up at 4:30 AM, no easy task after over thirty years on the afternoon shift. By the time the gear was loaded on to my C70 Passport it was nearly daylight. Managing to get the load down to three bags–the tent, the sleeping bag and a collapsible dry bag–it took a spider web of bungee cords to get it all lashed on the rear of the bike. Choosing not to do a trial pack the night before it took a few minutes to figure out how to get it all securely tied on. By this time the sun was almost up and unfortunately it turned out to be a very cool morning for August, going along with what had been an unusually cool summer and to be comfortable it took a hoodie under my windbreaker. Satisfied that all my gear appeared to be more or less safely tied to the bike with a kiss from my understanding wife the little bike and I motored away.
Not normally up that time of day it was a surprise to see the volume of traffic on the streets that Monday morning. From looking at maps I’d found a street that would lead us directly out of Indy and far out into the country to the west before beginning the zig-zagging route towards the Chicagoland area. Turning north just west of Avon, Indiana we went under one of the two “haunted” railroad bridges that spanned both the road and the creek next to it. A similar one was just west of there on the same rail line south of Danville and were popular places in high school for my buddies and I to take carloads of otherwise rational girls and climb into and over the arches through the narrow passageways made inside the bridges.
The “haunted bridge” near Avon, Indiana
The “haunted bridge” near Avon, Indiana
By heading north we bypassed the town of Danville and were soon out in the cornfields of Hendricks County.
Jimmy Durante, spokesperson for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, would be proud of this patch
The towns of North Salem and Ladoga passed under the wheels of my steed before we made our way into Crawfordsville and what was supposed to be a quick gas stop. Unfortunately the Honda step-through’s design placed the gas tank under the seat which required the removal of two bags before the seat would hinge up and reveal the gas cap. With the tank replenished we made our way out of town and were making good time on a pike headed towards the metropolis of Wingate when I reached back to see if our load was doing okay–and realized I didn’t have the tent.
Fuuuuuuuuuuudge!!!!!!
Well, maybe that isn’t exactly what was said. Doing a quick U-turn we raced back to Crawfordsville at close to the little bike’s top speed of about 55-60. Already the Allman Brothers “good karma” was working and my tent was sitting right where I’d left it on a stack of cedar chips for sale next to the pumps. Refilling the tank, strapping on all the gear on and retracing our path north we were soon back to where I’d turned around.
Song: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More (Album Version)
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Time: 3:40
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
By now it was getting warmer and at Attica it was time to shed the hoodie and get a coke for the drink holder. The Wabash and Erie Canal at one time ran right next to the McDonalds and several historical markers are located just behind it.
Wabash & Erie Canal historical site, behind McDonalds, Attica, IN
Wabash & Erie Canal historical site, behind McDonalds, Attica, IN
Wabash & Erie Canal historical site, behind McDonalds, Attica, IN
Traffic was extremely light and the decision was made that rather than continue zig-zagging through the country on the backroads we’d instead roll north on IN 55, taking us through the towns of Pine Village and Oxford. North of Oxford U. S. 52 intersected with IN 55 and it was used for about a dozen miles through Benton County and the rows and rows of wind turbines towering over us on both sides of the road.
Wind power chopping up the birds. It’s no solution. Even Greenpeace is complaining about it.
Wind power chopping up the birds. It’s no solution. Even Greenpeace is complaining about it.
Wind power chopping up the birds. It’s no solution. Even Greenpeace is complaining about it.
At Earl Park it was time for a quick stop to visit my friendly neighborhood Gas-Gas motorcycle dealer, Jim Snell of Rising Sun Imports. The business at one time focused on the repair of crashed Japanese automobiles prior to Jim turning his hobby of riding motorcycle observed trials competition into a full-time business catering to the trials community. He also has an interesting collection of cars and bicycles including a ‘59 Chevy he totally rebuilt.
Rising Sun Imports
Now west of U. S. 41/52 gravel roads became a part of the route through the cornfields created out of the prairies of northwestern Indiana. After a quick stop at Kentland for gas it was north to Morocco where just outside of town a rare canopy of trees shaded us through the Willow Slough State Fish and Game Area. Originally the plan called for following a road that was actually an old railroad bed through this area but it turned out to be gated. Overcoming the temptation to go around the gate and head directly northwest instead we headed due north before taking a shaded road west through the wildlife area.
Riding through the desolate Willow Slough Wildlife Refuge
With no “Welcome to Illinois” signs to greet us the crossing of the state line was done without fanfare and soon after continued our travels north and west to the town of Momence. Again the main roads were left behind in favor of what seemed like an endless gravel path that went straight as an arrow for miles and miles.
Endless gravel path that went straight as an arrow for miles and miles
Finally the GPS told me enough latitude north had been gained and it was time to head west towards Peotone, IL and the campground I’d call home for the next three nights. Arriving at Enchanted Shores Campground and checking in we were led to a nice site under a tree only steps away from the showers–perfect, or so it seemed. Unfortunately the showers appeared to have last been cleaned during the Clinton administration. They were full of all sorts of crawling creatures and, as I found out later, the roof leaked badly explaining the strong smell of mold and the water dripping out of the light fixtures. The urge to go find a motel was tempered by reminding myself that one of the purposes of this trip was to do as I would have done forty years prior as a lad of sixteen with no money to get a room. I sat up my tent, figured I could survive for a few days without a hot shower and then rode off to celebrate our safe arrival by enjoying a spaghetti dinner at an Italian restaurant a few miles away in Monee.
Home sweet home, final destination campsite
Song: Blue Sky
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Time: 5:09
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Blue Sky
A beautiful sunny Tuesday morning followed a good night’s sleep and after a quick but cold shower we were on the road to University Park to catch the train. I left way too early not knowing how long it would take and fearing that I’d miss my train into Chicago but it all went well once I found a place to park and lock up my bike. Then I had to figure out both how to pay for parking and buy a ticket out of the machine at the station. This took a few minutes and I missed the train that was at the station and had to wait for the next one an hour later.
Sit down and let somebody take ya to Chicago, yes siree
It was a pleasant surprise how nice the train rides went. The Metra employees were extremely friendly and since it was close to midday the train was fairly empty. It was also clean and comfortable, too–highly recommended for anyone considering a trip into downtown Chicago.
The inside of the Metra train
Arriving at the “end of the line” at Millenium Park upon exiting the station I found myself in darkness–it’s basically below ground at that point as are the roads in front of it. A stairway led back into the light and put me at the center of Chicago’s famous downtown Loop area. After a quick lunch at Subway it was off to find the Chicago Theatre a few blocks away.
The Chicago Theatre
With much of the afternoon ahead based upon suggestions from folks on the forum at the Allman Brothers Band website I headed to Buddy Guy’s Legends blues bar where Tommy Talton (an old friend of the ABB) and his band were going to have a CD release party and perform up until almost time for the ABB show. Hanging out there, swilling non-alcoholic brew and listening to Tommy and the band both days was a great way to spend the afternoons waiting for the concerts.
Buddy Guy’s Legends blues bar
Yours truly, Tommy Talton, saxaphonist Brad Guin
Making my way back to the theatre their crack security force was doing their best to keep the hoards of concert goers under control who were waiting to get in.
Nothing gets past this girl!!!
As I found when I went to see Gregg Allman and his band perform at Evansville, IN the vast majority of the fans were definitely baby boomers and I still get a kick out of seeing folks in tie dyed T-shirts with gray hair. Naturally I had to blend in so I brought the only two tie dyed shirts I own which were from Eldora Speedway’s World 100. The gray hair came naturally…
The Faithful gather before the Tuesday show
Eventually the doors opened and the fans filed in. After checking my backpack an usher (remember those?) escorted me to my seat which on Tuesday was at the front extreme right of the theatre and turned out to be awesome.
Finally the house lights went down and the crowd went nuts as the band walked across the stage to their instruments. Expecting the first song to be “Statesboro Blues” most were surprised when they opened the show with “One Way Out” and immediately had us all up on our feet dancing and clapping. Highlights of the first set included an album quality rendition of “Hot ‘Lanta” but the real magic moment happened when we heard the opening notes of “Statesboro Blues” which included a sit-in by Tommy Talton. The band closed out the first set by making us all believers with “Revival.”
After a break the band returned to play more ABB classics followed with an awesome cover of “The Sky is Crying,” closing out the second set with “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. After five minutes of clapping, hooting and hollering by the fans they returned to do “No One to Run With” as their encore.
Making my way back to the train station a return ticket was purchased and a seat found alongside fans headed home from the show. Seeing another fan drinking a “tall boy” I learned that drinking on the train was tolerated and from what they told me only during the “Taste of Chicago” did the Metra authorities stop this from happening. Pretty cool.
Doing this on a bus in Indy will land you in the slammer!!!
Song: Midnight Rider (Album Version)
Artist: Greg Allman
Album: 20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection: Best of Greg Allman
Time: 4:28
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Midnight Rider
Arriving back at the University Park station and with the knowledge that an early start was in order for the next day to catch the Chicago Theatre tour I rushed to my waiting Passport, fired it up and jammed south through the darkened countryside. Just before arriving at the campground a quick break at an all night stop-n-rob gassed us both up with fuel for the bike and an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, donuts and milk for me.
Morning came way, way too soon but another ice cold shower brought me to life and it was back to the train station to make it back to Chicago in time for the noon tour of the theatre organized by “Chicagofan” (a. k. a. Julie), one of the great people on the ABB web site. Thinking of everything she said we couldn’t go without bling and a set of beads adorned with multicolored mushrooms went around my neck. Perfect!!
The Author under the marquee
The throwaway cameras used for this trip didn’t work well inside the theatre so the pictures here don’t do it justice. Go to: http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/about/history.html to see better pictures and a full history of the theatre. Saved from demolition in 1986 it went through a nine month renovation to it’s previous glory after most of it’s insides were covered during a “modernization” in the early 1950’s. By covering rather than removing the ornate decorations the theatre was actually preserved during these “improvements” and much of the original theatre remains today because of it.
Inside the Chicago Theatre
The Mighty Wurlitzer!!
Our tour guide
After the tour it was back to Buddy Guy’s for another afternoon of O’Douls and blues by Tommy Talton before the hike back to the theatre for night two.
For whatever reason a security guard wanted the contents of our pockets in our hands as we entered and my teargas pistol, needlessly purchased out of fear of what might happen during my trip to the Windy City, was stealthfully transferred from my pocket into my backpack and I made my way inside without incident.
Wednesday night my seat was on the left side of the theatre on an aisle and again turned out way better than I anticipated–honestly there’s probably not a bad seat in the house. Finally the house lights went off, the band made their way on to the stage and kicked off the evening with “Don’t Want You No More/Cross to Bear.” The next seven songs included “Trouble No More,” “Dusk ‘til Dawn,” the classic “Stormy Monday” and they closed out the first set with an almost fourteen minute rendition of a favorite of any ABB fan, the instrumental “Jessica.”
Gregg got out his acoustic guitar and opened up the second set with “Melissa” that had the whole place gently singing along following it up with “Stand Back,” an incredible cover of the Van Morrison classic “Into the Mystic,” and “Key to the Highway” with Jaimoe’s drum tech Rachel “Stixx” Turner temporarily taking over the skins. Next up they launched into personal favorites “Blue Sky” and “Dreams” with Tommy Talton again sitting in before they closed the show with “Black Hearted Woman.”
Most people were expecting “Whipping Post” to be the encore that evening but up against curfew constraints they instead came back and gave us “Southbound.” All too quickly it was over and like the night before a recording of the beautiful acoustic instrumental “Little Martha” was played for us to make our exit by but as happened on Tuesday no one moved until it was over followed by a healthy round of applause.
Tired from a long day and knowing I needed to be up early to break camp and start the journey home I retrieved my backpack, left the theatre for the last time and made my way to the train station, stopping only to give Julie a hug of thanks for all she did in making the theatre tour happen. Another $6.25 got me a place on the southbound train and I slept most of the way back to University Park. Arriving there it was a surprise to see that it was raining and without having my rain suit with me unfortunately I was facing a pretty miserable trip back to camp. Again the ABB good vibes saved me and after sitting under an awning with the bike for awhile the rain quit and allowed us to ride back without getting wet, the rain restarting just as we rode into the campground. All you’ve gotta do is believe…
Song: Stormy Monday (Live At The Fillmore East/1971)
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: At Fillmore East
Time: 8:48
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
…and Thursday’s All So Sad
It rained most of the night and I awoke with a buzz from the previous evening’s music in my head and a few puddles of water in my tent. The new mil-surplus Gore-Tex bivy sack kept the sleeping bag dry and the only bummer was waking up with the realization that not only was my adventure nearly over but I faced the nasty task of breaking camp and loading up in the rain before we could ride south.
The party’s over … packed and ready to head south
It went relatively quickly and after donning the rain suit the campground was left behind as the easterly route home began in a thunderstorm, retracing our route to the state line. Crossing it my diminutive motorbike began sputtering from the exposed air cleaner soaking up rainwater in the downpour. Nursing it east to the interchange at I-65 and Indiana State Road 14 we sought cover at a gas station and got the tool bag out. Finding the bike ran fine without the air cleaner I figured lengthening the intake tract of the carburetor it would make it more difficult for the water to enter it. A bottle of orange juice was purchased for it’s nearly correct diameter and after a few simple cuts with my Swiss Army Knife it was clamped in place.
Roadside repairs
Roadside repairs
Unfortunately droplets of water continued to make their way into the engine and with it misfiring I decided to parallel the interstate on my way home in the event that if the little motor decided to give up the ghost at least I could catch a bus or hitchhike home. A different route took us down U. S. 231 through Rensselaer, Remington and Wolcott before leaving the highway and again using rural roads. Just north of Lafayette it sputtered to a stop at what appeared to be a deserted crossroads. I’d just unloaded and laid all the gear out on the road to do some diagnostic work when suddenly there was rush hour traffic all around me!! Quickly kicking all of it to the side of the road I traced the problem to a nearly empty gas tank. Apparently running wide open with the air cleaner off while the little bugger was sputtering along was using a lot more gas that usual. Switching the fuel petcock to reserve and reinstalling the air cleaner that had been drip-drying in the pocket of my rain suit the bike fired right up and seemed to run fine. A nice lady who stopped to see if we were all right told me gas was just a few miles away on the north side of Lafayette and once there bike and rider were replenished with gasoline and Taco Bell.
Song: Southbound
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: Brothers And Sisters (Deluxe Edition)
Time: 5:10
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Southbound
The rain finally blew off to the east, the sun came out and warmed things up again. After stashing the rain suit it was four-lane U. S. 52 through Lafayette to just north of Lebanon where it joined with I-65. Since the Passport’s 40-45 MPH cruising speed couldn’t run with the interstate traffic we left U. S. 52 and jogged into the north side of Lebanon. Old Highway 52 took us through town and a few turns later came to parallel the interstate all the way into Indianapolis. One more stop to fill the little Honda’s one gallon tank, a trip through the downtown Indy area and it was back to our humble abode and the waiting arms of my loving wife.
I got out of my riding gear and was sitting barefoot on the patio with a sweet tea listening to the bike make those tic-tic-tic sounds as it cooled down, reflecting upon our little adventure. In my mind for four days I was sixteen again without a care in the world, just my little bike and the open road. More importantly for a few hours the previous two evenings I got to share the Allman Brothers Band’s message of peace and love expressed through their music–and the world’s a better place because of it.
Song: Little Martha
Artist: The Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Time: 2:07
Source: http://amazon.com/mp3
Epilogue, Little Martha
This acoustic instrumental is the only Allman Brothers song written entirely by Duane Allman. He wrote it for Dixie Lee Meadows, a girl he was having an affair with. “Little Martha” was a nickname Duane called her.
According to Scott Freeman’s Midnight Riders: The Story of The Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman claimed this came to him in a dream in which Jimi Hendrix showed him how to play the song using a sink faucet in a hotel room. Duane woke up and started playing it.
16 Oct 1970 — L-R: Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, Berry Oakley. Duane Allman and Berry Oakley died in separate motorcycle accidents, Duane in 1971 and Berry in 1972. — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis
October 16th, 1971, inside of two weeks before Duane’s death on Oct. 29th. Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, & Berry Oakley above. Duane and Berry died in separate motorcycle accidents– Duane in 1971 and Berry in 1972.
THE END (For Now)