“I Just Hated ‘Em”: Gregg Allman on the One Piece of Standard Equipment He Refused to Use

At a time when modern musical technology can make just about anyone sound amazing in the studio and on stage, it can become all too easy to forget that good musicians are the ones who can accomplish sonic perfection sans tech. And the best musicians are the ones who make this kind of pitch-perfect music during live performances, when virtually anything can go wrong. Gregg Allman of Allman Brothers Band fame was this kind of rare musician—and he got his start when this now-common piece of on-stage equipment wasn’t yet a standard.

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As guitarist Kenny Vaughan recalled in a 2023 interview with Otis Gibbs, he noticed the Allman Brothers Band’s stage configuration while he was opening for the band as Lucinda Williams’ guitarist. Vaughan realized that no matter what stage the band was playing that night, the Allman Brothers Band set themselves up in the same exact way. Gregg Allman, he noticed, was always in the same spot on stage. When Vaughan asked him about it, Allman said it was to avoid hearing the monitors.

Avoiding hearing the monitors is certainly a counterintuitive notion in modern-day stage production, with most musicians wanting more in their monitors, not less. However, Allman told Vaughan that he got his start in the late 1960s. Having on-stage monitors was largely unheard of back then, as most bands used small PAs that only amplified the vocals enough to cut through the guitar amps and drums.

How Gregg Allman Found His Ideal Stage Setup

Instead of using the monitors at the foot of the stage, Kenny Vaughan said Gregg Allman positioned himself far enough away from the band—and his amp—to hear his vocals and guitar coming out of the main speakers, not the monitors. Allman told Vaughan, “I never could get along with [monitors]. I just hated them.” Vaughan laughed and added, “He sang really well, you know. Like Ray Charles, man.”

And indeed, for a performer like Gregg Allman, finding the right stage setup was absolutely necessary. Some steel-nerved musicians can perform under virtually any circumstances, no matter how unfavorable. But Allman often struggled with stage fright, which made a consistent stage setup all the more critical.

Talking about stage fright in an interview with Dan Rather, Allman said, “I think a lot of entertainers have it. They just won’t admit it, you know. But you know, when you walk out there on stage, the energy from the people hits you. At first, it’s scary. It’s a strange thing going out on stage.”

But as Allman said in a 2010 interview with Chattanooga.com, “[The stage fright] goes away as soon as the music starts. Sometimes on the opening count off. But I still experience a bit of anticipation every time out.”

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images