Now that the weather is getting warmer and the calendar has turned to April, the festival season is in full swing. Next weekend the Allman Brothers Band and Live Nation bring their Wanee Festival to Live Oak, Florida’s Spirit of Suwannee Music Park for three full days and four nights of sets from a slew of HT faves and up-and-coming acts.
The action kicks off on Wednesday night, the 17th, with an afternoon and evening of music from the likes of Cope and Dumpstaphunk before Wanee gets in full swing on Thursday. We preview the festival with five things to look for / questions that will be answered by the time the final band leaves the stage at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park early on Sunday morning.
1. Will the Allman Brothers Band pick up where they left off at Beacon run?
After the 2011 Beacon Run ended on a sad note with Gregg Allman unable to perform, the Allman Brothers Band turned in an impressive 11 shows at the New York City venue last month. Allman was in fine form and we’re hopeful that will continue through the band’s headlining sets at Wanee.
2. Who will Galactic’s friends be for their late night set on Saturday?
New Orleans funkmeisters Galactic are set to close out the festival with a late night set on the Mushroom Set following the Allmans final performance on Saturday. The set is billed as “Galactic and Friends” and we can’t wait to see who they bring up with them.
3. Will Widespread Panic bring out any guests for either Wanee set?
2013 will mark Widespread Panic’s third appearance at Wanee out of the last four years as 2012 was the first year they didn’t play the festival since 2009. Panic and the Allmans have a long history of collaboration and we’re interested to see how the guest spots work. Will members of Panic sit in with the Allmans and/or vice-versa? With two Panic and Allmans sets planned, there’s plenty of time to find out.
4. Who will the Allmans bring out for their sets?
There are so many bands on the Wanee lineup that have strong ties with the Allman Brothers Band. Whether it’s side projects from band members, or extended ABB family members or groups signed to band members’ labels, nearly every act on the bill has some sort of connection to them. With that in mind, how the hell do you figure out who to bring up as guests? We bet some tough decisions will have to be made.
5. Which up-and-coming band will attendees come back raving about?
The early afternoons at Wanee are filled with sets from developing and regional acts such as The Revivalists, Monophonics, Yeti Trio and The Lee Boys. Which band will leave a lasting impression on festivalgoers? We’ll find out next weekend.
Tickets for Wanee are currently priced at $215 and are available here.
2 Responses
Don’t forget, the Allmans will be playing a show before Wanee, this Friday at Crossroads. I’m wondering if they will pick up at MSG where they left off uptown at the Beacon! Especially with Clapton playing with them, I have visions of 3-19-09.
The Lee Boys tore the roof off the (already roofless) main pavilion back at Bear Creek 2011. They somehow managed to take the whole crowd to church, while rocking harder and louder and more heavily than just about any other band at that festival.
Can’t wait to hear them again at the same gorgeous location!