‘We love you, Dad.’ Allman Brothers Band returns to Macon to honor Dickey Betts
Back in the city that cemented their success in the 1970s, members of the Allman Brothers Band, friends and family reunited at the Macon City Auditorium Friday night to pay tribute to Dickey Betts, the band’s vocalist, guitarist, and founding member, who died last year.
Dickey Betts’ son, Duane Betts, led the tribute concert, in which the nearly sold-out auditorium experienced performances of classic songs from the Allman Brothers Band and Dickey Betts’ own songs like “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Rain,” which were performed by former members of the band, including Chuck Leavell, Warren Hayes and Oteil Burbrudge.
Some of the proceeds from the show “will benefit the brand new Dickey Betts Scholarship at Berklee College of Music,” the Allman Brothers Band said.
Relatives of the members — including Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman; Derek Trucks, nephew of founding member Butch Trucks; and Lamar Williams Jr., son of Lamar Williams — participated in the once-in-a-lifetime event. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, who formed a band together called the Tedeschi Trucks Band, also performed Allman Brothers classics. Jimmy Hall, from Wet Willie, also performed. Even though Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson, the last surviving founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, was expected to perform Friday, he did not make an appearance.
The last time Dickey Betts performed in Macon was on May 17, 2018, at the Macon City Auditorium as part of his comeback tour, which featured Devon Allman’s band, the Devon Allman Project, Duane Betts and Bonnie Bramlett. His last known live performance would be the same year in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the Peach Music Festival.
Dickey Betts died on April 18, 2024, at 80 years old in his home in Osprey, Florida, his family confirmed in social media. His manager, David Spero, told Rolling Stone Magazine that he died from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“With deep sadness the Allman Brothers Band learned ... that founding member Dickey Betts has passed away peacefully in his home in Sarasota, Florida, following a period of declining health,” the band said in a statement. “He was passionate in life, be it music, songwriting, fishing, hunting, boating, golf, karate or boxing. Dickey was all in on and excelled at anything that caught his attention.
“Play on Brother Dickey, you will be forever remembered and deeply missed.”
Mayor Lester Miller and Mayor Pro Tempore Seth Clark took the stage to announce that, to honor the impact of the Allman Brothers Band and Dickey Betts in the city, they officially declared Feb. 28 to be Dickey Betts Day in Macon.
“Duane, Christy, Donna,” Clark said. “It is an honor of my life. Your father’s music created the cosmic soul of Macon, Georgia, and raised people like me for generations in this town. And we’re here to celebrate Dickey Betts.”
“And we’re here to make sure that celebration doesn’t just stop tonight,” Clark said.
The event was livestreamed on YouTube.
Duane Betts: ‘We love you, dad’
On Friday, at around 6 p.m., fans were already lined up around the Macon City Auditorium venue in attempts to snag T-shirts and posters from the merch table. Among those with tickets were hopefuls circling the venue, with one or two fingers raised in the air, wondering if they could snag last-minute tickets to the tribute concert.
Inside, chatter among fans detailed their excitement to see the Allman Brothers Band reunite. Many were from out of town, coming to Macon from New York, Japan and Aruba to witness the band playing some of their iconic songs. The line for the merch table grew long, causing the concert, scheduled to start at 7 p.m., to be delayed by thirty minutes.
The band began their first set with the instrumental piece “Hot ‘Lanta,” which was followed by a performance of “Statesboro Blues,” which included Jimmy Hall’s singing and harmonica. Chuck Leavell, Charlie Starr and Oteil Burbrudge made occasional appearances to perform songs throughout the night like “Long Time Gone,” “Nobody Knows” and “Jessica.”
After an approximately 30-minute break between sets, Dickey Betts’ wife, Donna Betts, received an award from Davis Wimberly, the Berklee College of Music’s senior director of institutional advancement, for establishing the scholarship that will help “young musicians, artists that are getting their start.”
Miller and Clark presented a plaque that established the day of the concert as Dickey Betts Day.
The second set included performances of “Pony Boy” featuring Trucks and Tedeschi. Warren Haynes appeared played lead guitar and sang for songs like “Back Where It All Begins” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”
Lamar Williams Jr. featured in the performance for “Midnight in Harlem,” and the song before the encore, “Revival.”
Then, just before 11 p.m., Duane Betts led a performance of “Ramblin’ Man,” Dickey Betts’ most iconic song. All of Dickey Betts’ friends and family joined in for a performance to end the night.
“We love you, Macon,” Duane Betts said. “We love you, Dad. This one’s for you. Thank you, everybody.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
