INTERVIEW: Duane Betts on Headlining New Year’s Eve in Saratoga Springs
Photos provided
“When we play an Allman Brothers song, when I play one of my dad's songs, I don't think I'm replacing it … it's my little way of saying ‘thank you.’”
Saratoga Springs may be known for its summer music scene, but each year the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration proves that winter can be just as lively and has been getting bigger every year. This year’s lineup includes headliners The Allman Betts Band (at the City Center) and Nicotine Dolls (at UPH) to ring in the new year. Other acts set to perform earlier in the evening include The Belle Curves, Glass Pony, Ally the Piper, Heard, Maggie Doherty, Angelina Valente, and The Little Saints. Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band will play at Caffe Lena.
I caught up with lead guitarist of The Allman Betts Band, Duane Betts, before he comes to Saratoga from Sarasota, FL for New Year’s Eve. Betts, the son of Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts, is no stranger to the Capital Region. While he has played nearby venues like Levon Helm Studios in recent years with his other band, Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel, Saratoga holds a special place for him.
“I have a lot of good memories from Saratoga from when I was young and my dad would play Saratoga Performing Arts Center,” Betts says, reflecting on his time touring with the Allman Brothers in the ‘90s. He later returned to SPAC with The Allman Betts Band in 2021, opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackberry Smoke.
“I always look forward to coming to that area. And I'm really looking forward to this show. It'll be fun.”
Betts met Devon Allman and Berry Oakley Jr in 1989 during the 20th anniversary reunion tour of the Allman Brothers Band. After playing together at the late Gregg Allman’s 70th Birthday Celebration, they decided to form the Allman Betts Band and continue writing and performing together, honoring their fathers’ legacies and adding their own songs to the fabric of modern blues-rock.
Since then, Betts and Allman have developed a strong songwriting partnership in addition to help from collaborating singer-songwriter, Stoll Vaughn.
“The first song that we ever wrote together on the first record was called ‘Long Gone.’ And that's one of my favorite songs off of any of the records that I've been involved in. That's a good example of something that Devon and I worked together on, just the two of us first and then Stoll helped out a little bit with it later.”
One of his favorite songs to play with the band is “Autumn Breeze,” originally written by a late friend and singer-songwriter Chris Williams, from Alex Orbison and Betts’ first band, Backbone69. “Autum Breeze” was later included on The Allman Betts Band’s debut album, Down to The River. The song’s emotional weight and expansive guitar passages make it a standout when it appears in the setlist.
“It's not one of our songs that we play all the time. And maybe that's why, but it holds such a special place in my heart because I just love Chris so much,” Betts says. “I love the lyrics, and it has a really beautiful long jam in the middle that I do. Chris had it that way on purpose; he always wanted that space for me.”
When it comes to Allman Brothers material, Betts says “Jessica” has been especially meaningful to play lately. Written by his father and named after his sister, the instrumental embodies joy and hope, qualities that resonate strongly especially around this time of year.
“It makes everybody so happy and I feel really close to my dad when I play that one.”
The Allman Betts Band recently completed their Revival Tour where they only played songs from the Allman Brothers catalog, inviting special guests who also resonate with this history. The NYE performance will feature more of their original material with a few Allman Brothers covers mixed in.
“Devon and I, we really take a lot of pride in our fathers’ contributions to rock-and-roll. And it's a beautiful songbook that each of them left. We also take a lot of pride in playing the music right, having the right intention, and maintaining the spirit of the music.
“When we play an Allman Brothers song, when I play one of my dad's songs, I don't think I'm replacing it … it's my little way of saying ‘thank you.’ I'm going to try to do my best to pass that spirit onto the audience, and I think the audience appreciates that.”
This past year, The Allman Betts Band had artists like Dweezil Zappa and Tommy Prine join them on stage, reflecting a growing community of second-generation musicians carving out their own paths while honoring the legacies and songs of their parents.
“He's an amazing talent in his own right,” Betts says, discussing Zappa. “And he obviously cares deeply about his father's legacy and the way the music is played. That speaks volumes and I relate to that, so we got along really well.”
In 2026, Betts has plenty on the horizon. In addition to a Japan tour with the Allman Betts Band, he is preparing to release a new solo album produced by Dave Cobb. Betts has a Palmetto Motel tour with US dates including one at the Egg in Albany on April 29th.
Betts’ New Year’s resolution: “I think it's just to have a good outlook and remain positive. I'm looking forward to it; it's going to be a fun year.”
The Allman Betts Band will play at the City Center at 8pm. Tickets can be purchased here. Full schedule can be found here.