On Tuesday night the parking lot outside Merriweather Post Pavilion was expectantly converted into a hippie convention.

There were the aging members of the love generation who chased swigs of straight bourbon-whiskey with drags from their Marlboros and temporarily satisfied their anticipation for the show with stories from the glory-days.

All the while the new-age hippies listened with one ear, as they peppered the tailgating crowd with the usual solicitations: “Mali…Doses! You guys looking?”

Of course there were plenty of takers; the Allman Brothers Band had come to town and everyone was ready to party.

The Southern rock legends, led by surviving member Gregg Allman, hit the stage with their up-beat interpretation of the Muddy Waters’ classic “Trouble No More;” a staple of any Allman set list.

Warren Haynes, senior member of the jam scene who frequently plays with the Dead as well as the Allman Brothers and his own band Gov’t Mule, launched into a fierce display of slide-guitar mastery that set the creative tone for fellow guitarist Derek Trucks.

Trucks and Haynes fluidly traded lead and rhythm responsibilities, capturing and preserving the dual-lead guitar style pioneered by original Allman guitarists Duane Allman and Dicky Betts.

Derek Trucks, confidently backed by the soulful sounds of Gregg Allman’s organ, roared into “One Way Out,” the third song of the setlist.

The Allman Brothers have forged a career on updating traditional American blues for younger audiences. Nowhere is this more evident that with their classic “One Way Out,” a song originally recorded by blues artist Elmore James. “One Way Out” quickly became instantly recognizable as an Allman Brothers song after the boys injected it their unmistakable southern flair.

Highlights included guest-appearances from members of Widespread Panic, who opened the show, on songs such as “I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” and “Southbound.” Susan Tedeschi joined husband Derek Trucks on stage for a duet-version of “Don’t Think Twice,” a sentimental Southern love-song.

The show peaked towards the end of the set-list, as Gregg Allman traded his organ for an acoustic guitar on the band’s classic “Melissa.” After which Warren Haynes led the Brothers into their instrumental signature “Mountain Jam.” Haynes’ timing was perfect as he segued the band into an explosive cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused” only to transition back into the final portion of “Mountain Jam.”

The Allman Brothers returned to the stage with an encore that lasted for one song. Thankfully that song was a nearly ten-minute version of arguably their best-known original song, “Whipping Post.” The full power and strength of this song was leveled onto a grateful crowd, who were left wanting possibly just a little more.