On January 17, 1971, Miami, Florida, hosted Super Bowl V, where the Baltimore Colts battled to a win over the Dallas Cowboys. About 1,200 miles to the north there was a different kind of noise and history being made that evening. The Allman Brothers Band, fresh off a run through North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, decided to make their first trip to the Steel City and performed a concert that’s become a thing of legend at Pittsburgh’s historic Syria Mosque.
The Mosque had been home to the city’s symphony, was a marvel of modern architecture, and was the design inspiration for Chicago’s Medinah Temple. Acoustic fidelity was at the center of the Mosque’s design, and soon after the Allmans’ January 1971 appearance became a regular destination for big-name rock acts traveling through town. As local rock legend Joe Grushecky told Goldmine: “Syria Mosque was a legendary place and one of the founding places where they would host rock and roll back in the day here is Pittsburgh.” That legend was frankly birthed the night of January 17 and coupled with a concert later that fall in October.
The Allman Brothers returned to Pittsburgh on the October 15 and found the city’s Pirates leading the World Series three games to two and headed to Baltimore to wrap up what would become their fourth championship . The energy present on both of these nights at the Mosque was palpable. Pittsburgh-based rock promoter
