Gregg Allman

On this day 17/11/1977 - Cher/Gregg Allman

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On this day, 17 November 1977, Musical superstar Cher and rocker Gregg Allman played Cardiff University on their Two The Hard Way Tour, with support provided by Splinter.

At the time of the tour, Cher had just finished production of The Sonny & Cher Show after a broken six-year run. Allman's band, The Allman Brothers Band, was in the middle of an acrimonious breakup.

The European leg of the tour covered the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Wales, Scotland and West Germany, over a span of 29 days.

The tour would start November 6, 1977, and was to be a 29 date tour, but on December 3, 1977 Cher pulled the plug on the tour and left Allman in Europe while she headed back to the United States with her children.

The show, whose material was selected by both of them, combined both Allman's material, which he sang solo, and numerous duets between the two on softer material in a blues or country and western vein.

Cher avoided the gaudy, over-the-top outfits of her normal stage self, and instead wore jeans, a tank top, and a cowboy hat. The two also engaged in some married-couple stage banter.

The Hard Way Tour also led to the final breakup of the couple. While pre-tour publicity had emphasized that Gregg Allman was free from drug and alcohol problems, Cher discovered during the tour that Gregg Allman's drinking had returned, and once the tour was complete, she told him that their marriage finally was done for good.

The set list included:

"Matthew's Arrival"

"Trouble No More"

"Don't Keep Me Wonderin'"

"Queen Of Hearts"

"Let This Be a Lesson to Ya"

"Sweet Feelin'"

"One More Try"

"Oncoming Traffic"

"Come and Go Blues"

"Bring It On Back"

"Leave My Blues at Home"

"Whipping Post"

"Move Me" (with Cher)

"Do What You Gotta Do" (with Cher)

"Midnight Rider"

Also included in the setlist at various stages of the tour

"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (with Cher)

"Love the One You're With" (with Cher)

"Love Me" (with Cher)

"Half-Breed" (Acoustic Version) Cher solo (with Allman at the guitar)




Personnel

Organ and Vocal: Gregg Allman

Vocal: Cher

Piano: Neil Larson

Guitar: Ricky Hirsch

Guitar: John Hug

Bass: Kenny Burke

Drums: Bill Stewart

Saxophone: Gene Dinwiddie