On AllMusic, Steve Legett wrote, "the world can always use another live Allman Brothers Band release — perhaps it helps to think of this band in the same way one looks at the various classic quartets and quintets of jazz artists like Miles Davis or John Coltrane. It's the songs, yeah, but it's also who's playing those songs, and all the little improv twists and turns that come with that."[1]
On Jambands.com, Brian Robbins said, "The gold to be found in this 2-CD set is the presence of guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes and the late Allen Woody on bass.... The Allman Brothers Band had some pretty powerful hoodoo under the hood in 1992 and was firing on all cylinders at the Beacon that March. Play All Night captures something that was unique to that combination of talents."[3]
In Premier Guitar, John Bohlinger wrote, "Play All Night benefits greatly from the warm, round fuzz of Allen Woody's bass, a force of groove and attitude that you won't find on the other live Allman Brothers recordings."[4]
In a review for All About Jazz, Doug Collette commented: "as much as the arrangements and the musicianship is polished, there's a raw abandon to the music... the Allmans exhibit as much of a sense of adventure as consummate skill, both individually and collectively."[5]
Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited stated that the album is "as exciting and fresh sounding as ever, and is one of the best live efforts the band has ever laid down on tape."[6]
Writing for Relix, Larson Sutton noted that the album is "representative of the septet firing on all cylinders," and remarked: "Still fresh and still out to prove something, it's the influence of Haynes, Woody, and Quinones that spurs the veterans to reach back into the catalog of classics with fresh ears, and to add new songs equal to the high standard of the early days."[8]
Engineering: David Hewitt, Phil Gitomer, Dave Roberts
Photography: Kirk West
Art direction, design: Rob Carter
Liner notes: John Lynskey
Selections from Play All Night LP
A two-disc vinyl LP called Selections from Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 was released on April 19, 2014, in conjunction with Record Store Day. The record album, produced as a limited edition of 4,000 copies, contains 10 of the 16 tracks from the CD.[9][10]
Side one
"Statesboro Blues" (McTell)
"End of the Line" (Allman, Haynes, Jaworowicz, Woody)
