\t\t\t\t\tOteil & Friends Close Out the Year with Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead\u2013Associated Covers in Fort Lauderdale\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Photo: Marc Millman <\/p>\n
Oteil & Friends rang in the New Year on Wednesday evening at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. During the two-set performance, the ensemble, led by bassist Oteil Burbridge and featuring Tom Guarna, Lamar Williams Jr., Jason Crosby, Johnny Kimock, and Jaden Lehman, leaned into an array of covers that sparked a connection with the namesake\u2019s career accolades and setlist arrivals which touched on material associated with the Allman Brothers Band and the good ol\u2019 Grateful Dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Opener \u201cSisters and Brothers\u201d struck a chord between this group of players and the Jerry Garcia Band\u2019s approach. Next, they focused on originals: the 2024-released single \u201cLove & War,\u201d followed by \u201cEveryday is a Blessing\u201d and \u201cLucky Strike.\u201d Garcia\u2019s \u201cRubin and Cherise\u201d landed ahead of a deep cut from the Dead archive, \u201cMason\u2019s Children,\u201d which, according to Setlist.FM<\/a>, represented a debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n Burbridge\u2019s own \u201cHush\u201d broke the pattern of Dead material, although it resumed during follow-up \u201cNew Potato Caboose.\u201d For their final move during set one, Oteil & Friends fixed their passion to \u201cWay We Rise.\u201d The second frame fizzled with a return to the Grateful Dead\u2019s songbook on \u201cBertha.\u201d They positioned \u201cEstimated Prophet\u201d with Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cMoney,\u201d reprising Crosby\u2019s mashup tendencies, which resurfaced as \u201cFriend of the Devil\u201d with Nirvana\u2019s \u201cLithium\u201d before the New Year countdown\u2013aligning with \u201cCats Under the Stars.\u201d<\/p>\n After welcoming 2026, the band spun \u201cHelp on the Way\u201d into sister songs, \u201cSlipnot!\u201d and \u201cFranklin\u2019s Tower.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIn Memory of Elizabeth Reed\u201d trailed, with \u201cScarlet Begonias\u201d and \u201cFire on the Mountain\u201d not far behind. For the band\u2019s last move, they used their encore to cover Mighty Clouds of Joy\u2019s \u201cMighty High.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n