Gregg Allman’s Laid Back Festival is back. After the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural fest, the one-day extravaganza will be returning to not just one but five U.S. cities this summer with events headlined and curated by the legendary Allman Brothers singer himself. (See below for dates and cities; other acts are TBA.) It will celebrate not just music but food and drink, showcasing more than 20 regional restaurants, food trucks, breweries, wineries and other artisans at each festival stop.
The festival is named after Allman‘s classic 1973 solo debut, Laid Back, which the classic rocker developed as a separate creative outlet after internal disagreements within the Allman Brothers. The first Laid Back Fest was held last summer at Wantagh’s Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, featuring performances by The Doobie Brothers, Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers, Bernie Williams, Allman himself and more. This is the first year, however, to feature an expanded itinerary.
As Allman puts it, “We had so much fun last year that it seemed like we should try this in other towns…so we’re coming back and taking it on the road!” Performances will take place on two distinctive stages – the main “Laid Back” stage and the smaller and more intimate “Low Country” stage, which takes its name from Allman’s 2011 solo release, Low Country Blues. The latter stage will primarily feature rising artists local to each individual tour stop.
Allman has kept busy since the Allman Brothers’ final concert in 2014, from organizing and headlining Laid Back Fest last year, releasing a live album, touring the U.S., and planning a new studio album, to be recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in February. Little is known about the forthcoming record, but Allman has mentioned a desire to cut some Jackson Browne songs as well as old-school blues numbers.
Stay tuned for this year’s line-up, which is still to be announced. For complete details about the festival and to purchase tickets, visit the official website. Tickets cost $20 to $125 through Live Nation, and they go on sale at 10 am on February 6th.
Laid Back Festival 2016 Schedule:
May 7 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 25 – Nashville, TN – Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel
July 16 – Chicago, IL – FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 23 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
September 25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
