The first time I saw the Blues Traveler band, with John Popper on harp, was when they opened for the Allman Brothers Band at the Jones Beach Theatre in August of 1990. My wife and I had orchestra seats up front to the right of the stage and at the time I knew nothing of Blues Traveler. John Popper on that harmonica, that he played as if in place of a lead guitar, blew me away. The then heavy set John Popper had the coolest multiple harmonica accoutrement hanging around his neck (or was it a vest?) where he would pull out the appropriate harp for the occasion. Honestly, if you would have asked me back then who would have been the bigger act going forward, Blues Traveler or the Dave Matthews Band (who played together at a H.O.R.D.E. festival), I would have said that Blues Traveler was going to blow up big. Obviously DMB graduated to headline stadiums and Blues Traveler seemingly disappeared from the scene and became a footnote to 90’s jam band lore.
The legendary Allman Brothers Band were an amazing live act, one of my all-time favorites, and I never hesitated to try and make one of their shows anytime they came around. We went to see The Brothers 50th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden right before the world shut down for the pandemic. Somewhat amazingly, we are vaccinated but in some sort of limbo waiting for the latest surge to subside.

Wasted Words

Rock on!

GQ