LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Mission accomplished! Devon Allman and Donavon Frankenreiter have officially broken the World Record for the fastest time to play a concert in 50 states by successfully performing 50 shows in every state in 49 days. The rock ‘n’ roll recording artists and longtime friends along with their talented band mates – Matt Grundy (bass), John Lum (drums), David Gomez (percussion, sax), Jackson Stokes (guitar) – just completed the challenge with their final, celebratory performance in California at BeachLife Ranch, the second annual coastal country SoCal festival co-founded by Frankenreiter, where Allman and Frankenreiter were also presented with custom Gibson guitars.
“This was the craziest tour I’ve been a part of,” shares Allman. “It was really a privilege to get to play for so many people in a really compact amount of time. It was a pretty insane idea that I had to try to beat the record, but it was really fun for the whole band and crew to have this goal the whole time. We missed home a lot, but we got to allow many people to turn off the world for a couple of hours, smile, dance, and have a good time. That means everything to us. We want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us on this crazy endeavor.”
“A once-in-a-lifetime experience playing 50 shows in all 50 states in 49 days,” adds Frankenreiter. “I never thought at the age of 50 that I’d be holding on to a world record. It was the chance of a lifetime, the experience of a lifetime, and the camaraderie between the band and me and Devon was like no other. Once in a lifetime dream come true.”
The See It All American Tour kicked off on August 5 with two shows in one day (Maryland and Pennsylvania) and then crossed the country this summer at a pace that’s never been done, bringing these road warriors to places they’ve never been, traveling over 14,000 miles via bus plus roundtrip flights to Alaska and Hawaii each in one day. The previous record, set in 2003, was all 50 states in 50 days. At each show, the duo performed a combined set with the band featuring music from their new collaborative EP, Rollers, and hits from their respective solo catalogs for a show described as magnetic, fun, and “a hell of a party.”
They were also supported nightly by a talented roster of rotating opening acts, including Matt Andersen, JD Simo, Matt Costa, Mishka, Jackson Stokes, and Goodnight Texas. Along the way, Allman and Frankenreiter shared video recaps of their adventures – head over to their Instagram pages to see how it all went down: @devonallmanofficial and @donavon_frankenreiter.
Before launching the tour, Devon and Donavon released Rollers in June via Allman’s Create Records, with its music serving as the tour’s official soundtrack. The 6-song critically acclaimed EP, produced by Luther Dickinson of the multiple Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars, is highlighted by the singles “Calling All You Riders” and “See It All” as well as a guest appearance from Maggie Rose on “We Belong.”
Congratulations!
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Original Story and Interview Below – Publishing August 28, 2023
Interview with Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter
The SEE IT ALL Tour World Record-Breaking Trailblazers
By: Laura Rode (L.Rode) / CelebrityAccess
August 20, 2023, PONTE VEDRA, FL (CelebrityAccess) – As Devon Allman and Donavon Frankenreiter (D&D) embark on their world record-breaking tour, they took a few minutes before their Ponte Vedra Concert Hall tour stop to discuss their endeavor to set a world record by performing 50 shows – 50 states – in UNDER 50 days. On the day of the interview, the duo were already 17 days into the tour.
L.Rode: What inspired you to take on such a challenge?
Devon: I’ve aspired to create this world record for a long time – called Donavon one day, and he was instantly all in.” Devon also stated if this title is ever challenged, the duo plans to get out again to retain it.
L.Rode: What stop are you most looking forward to?
Donavon: “California at a large festival – this is the most anticipated stop as it is the last one. Plus, here we will be awarded our world record achievement to put an exclamation point on this tour.”
I then asked them to define how this world record is “defined” as it is not through the well-known Guinness franchise.
Devon: “Prior record holders didn’t use Guinness either – basically, it gets used for namesake only, and we decided it wasn’t worth all the “requirements.” The record is the same record regardless of its title.”
L.Rode: Why not just travel by air?
Devon: “We wanted this to be a real tour, not flying to each tour stop. We are on the road each night, traveling to every state, with the entire team collected on this one tour bus. We wanted it to be a real tour.”
L.Rode: What’s next for D&D after this tour and world record?
Donavon: “The Allman Family Revival Tour. It’s such a fun group of musicians – the greatest guitar players you can ever play with. There are like ten other musicians, and you all get to jam together and watch your hero(s) play. The first year, I was like, this is so incredible playing with the best guitar players from all over the world; it’s insane. Then I imagined the fans going to a concert, and a new singer or a new guy playing a guitar every song! It’s so exciting to watch and cool, and it’s like a revival – It is a revival!”
D&D will be playing the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville and then hitting Ruth Eckerd Hall in Sarasota, where they anticipate the latter as “an extra special show and a must-attend.” The show is already sold out.
L.Rode: So, have you been able to (so far) …“See It All?”
Donavon: “We are definitely trying; a camera crew is traveling with us and filming everywhere we go – pawn shops, surfing, etc. For example, today at Ponte Vedra Beach, they recorded our surfing excursion. We are trying to get in as many beach days before being landlocked going forward – which starts tomorrow. We’re heading to Biloxi, MS, about 10 hours on the bus, then onward inland.
As we hit each state, we capture all these moments in hopes that it’s complete and can be fashioned into a cool series, a great documentary, or even footage for our DVD, posts, music videos, etc. We already have some great footage for all those mentioned above.”
Devon: “We are also recording our live performances and will have footage from all the states. The plan is to put it together for the DVD showing the making of a “World Record” and what it took to accomplish it.”
L.Rode: Still feeling pumped to accomplish this record?
Devon: “Definitely – however, I miss my wife, family, and home. Some family members, on occasion, do get to come out at certain stops.”
Donavon: “Still pumped – yes. You miss your family, wife, and kids, but the music is so much fun, and the live show is fun. The easiest part of the day is when I hit the stage, and the music lifts you up, and it’s like, wow, we did it – we did another show.”
Devon: “We both have had moments. We were about seven days in, and I was down and questioning wtf did I get myself into – Donavon, too – we really talk each other down. Then you get on that stage and get amped up, having that adrenaline, and you just made all these people feel good. All else takes a back seat.”
Donavon: “This is a unique tour. We’re not just doing it to do it – like, wow, cool paycheck, we did 50 shows in a row. No, we’re doing it for a purpose –it’s fun, we’re recording it, filming it, and when we pull this off, it’ll be a world record. I’m like, I don’t hold a world record; this will be cool.
“It’s such a gnarly tour, I’m like, good luck to any other band that thinks they can fuckin’ break this record. It’s not easy. The team is on the bus together, and we all travel together; it’s not easy.”
L.Rode: How’s the actual travel been?
Devon: “Sleeping on the bus is the hardest part – it seems this bus hits every bump and pothole. But we are 17 days in, and it’s like 3rd of the way, so two more 3rds. We can do this.”
Donavon: “What makes it really worth it all is when people come up to us and tell us their stories of how our music has got them through some of the hardest moments of their lives – then the struggles of the tour and all the rest of the crap just go away.”
The Show:
The show took place later that evening at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. The venue was converted from an old church and is structured like a school gymnasium with a stage and audience area, which has hosted many esteemed artists over the years. The show will be seated or general admission (GA), depending on the artist. D&D’s show was GA, so real estate was crucial for the best viewing area. In addition, the lighting was poor, and it was extremely hot inside the venue. However, the show must go on.
The first opener, Jackson Stokes, played a few of his originals. Stokes is also part of the band playing with D&D. After Stokes, we were rocked by a performance from rock blues guitarist J.D. Simo (guitar and vocals) and Adam Abrashoff (drummer)—a stellar set of career-notable creations.
Stage turnover was swift for D&D to play their 75+ minute set. With a selection of many career-spanning songs, including their collaborative single and tour title: “See It All,” additional songs performed were: “Fired Up”; “Acapulco Gold,”; “Calling All You Riders,”; “Electric Lady”; “Leavin’”; “Where You Gonna Run To,” and many more.
Overall, the show was a great experience to see and hear from artists who have made their mark in the music world over several decades.
Ultimately, D&D is now on the road to making music history with this unique world record attempt. After witnessing their determination – I have confidence that this will indeed be accomplished. Best of Luck to all involved!
Visit www.devonanddovavon.com to find a show date near you.
