The band had been scheduled to play 15 sold-out shows at the Beacon — an annual run of concerts that draws people from all over the country who pay several hundred dollars for tickets to see the blues-rock legends.

The band usually plays in March but previously said it was postponing those shows until the fall while Allman recovered from hepatitis C, a blood-borne disease that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

On Friday, the Allman Brothers Band announced on its Web site that the shows would be rescheduled for early 2009, the 40th anniversary of its founding.

“New York’s a second home to us,” Allman, 60, said in a statement. “We love playing there and are as disappointed as anybody not to be able to get there this time.” –