Six musicians walked onstage, and by the end of the night an entire room had been pulled to its feet and swept into ecstasy. “The Allman Brothers are six musicians who brought the audience up off the floor onto their feet, clapping and shouting for encores in a frenzy that had to work it's way to the top, increasing in momentum from meek beginnings to a purely ecstatic end. ⁠The band's foundations are Duane and Gregg Allman, who play lead guitar and organ, respectively. They have two drummers, one of whom used to be in Otis Redding's band, another guitar player and a bassist, all of whom are the most incredible six musicians ever to be lined up in front of a row of amps.⁠ When they started their set, half of the audience was outside. Those inside knew something was up the second the band started, and about halfway through the most gratifying set probably ever played at the Electric Zoo, everyone was inside being mowed over. Duane Allman (who has played on Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett records) is a guitar player who is in the same class with Clapton, Bloomfield, and all the big guns as is guitarist, Dickey Betts, who trades solos off and on with Allman.⁠ The Brothers really got off when they did Donovan's “First There Is a Mountain." Everybody soloed, especially the two drummers, who cook like crazy without getting in each other's way. The song was mostly theirs, but the others took short perfectly timed licks in turn every now and then. When it ended, the audience wouldn't let them off stage without an encore: Hoochie Coochie Man.” Rory O’Connor 1969