Allman Brothers & Wet Willie

This rare pre-concert cardboard poster advertised the Allman Brothers after they had lost Duane Allman but were still performing with bassist Berry Oakley. Except for a tiny smudge in the bottom, it’s pristine.

 If you look closely at the photo you can see a thin white line where the maker has sliced Duane out of the photo. Interestingly, a similar poster for the night after this show, for a concert at Hampton Roads VA, included Duane in the photo even though he had died 6 weeks earlier!

At the time, that the Charlotte Coliseum was built, in 1955, it sported the largest unsupported dome in the world and notably was the first free-spanning dome in the United States. Interestingly, it was made of tin, much lighter than steel.

There is some question as to whether this show took place. When a major tragedy hits a band like Duane's passing, schedules are thrown into chaos and performances become spotty for a short period. Although we could find no evidence that this gig happened, it's still possible that it did, because there is evidence (a used ticket stub) that they played the night before, December 10, in Nashville.

The band was still promoting the At Fillmore East live album, their third, released that summer, and they were on their way to becoming the hottest band on the planet, despite the tragic loss of their founder.

Mobile, Alabama's Wet Willie, also on Capricorn Records, was the opening act. Their best-known song, "Keep On Smilin'", reached No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. Several other of the group's songs also appeared on the singles charts in the 1970s, which featured their soulful brand of Southern rock.