So, it has been really hard for me to post stubs and write about concerts when everything was locked down. Thankfully, the vaccine has allowed concerts to resume, so I will be going to my first concert since the pandemic struck very soon. That said, you can expect a stub and story soon, after which I plan on resuming my somewhat regular posts. Yes, I still have a supply of old stubs and memories to share. So until my next post, I leave you with a song…
First off, I’d like to apologize for the long hiatus. With COVID putting concerts on hold, I just could not bring myself around to posting about past shows. It felt like rubbing salt in a wound. But as vaccines are rolling out and concerts are getting booked again, I feel OK starting to share stories once more.
For this one, we go back to 2010 for the annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. For those who need a refresher, the Christmas Jam is a benefit concert in Asheville, NC where all the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. This show had a great lineup, with the following headliners:
Steve Miller Band
The Warren Haynes Band
Gregg Allman
John Bell (from Widespread Panic)
Umphrey’s McGee
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Missing Cats
In addition to the headliners, there was also a slew of special guests, including: Mike Barnes, Cody Dickinson, Fred Eltringham, Sherman Ewing, Ruthie Foster, Audley Freed, John “JoJo” Hermann, Terence Higgins, Ron Holloway, Ron Johnson, Robert Kearns, Kevn Kinney, Ivan Neville, and Artimus Pyle.
Because this was a general admission show, my friend Terry and her date got there early and secured seats for us. We were straight back, which was OK, but I would have preferred being closer and on the side. Still, the sound was good, and at least I didn’t have to stand outside in the cold for hours, which was a plus.
Not surprising, the high points for me were Steve Miller and Gregg Allman (who even jammed together, which was way cool). Warren’s band was great, as were Umphrey’ McGee and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Not a big John Bell fan, but he did perform “Walk on Guilded Splinters” with Gregg Allman, and that was excellent. The only disappointment was that Steve Miller did not play “The Joker,” but everything else made up for that one minor disappointment.
As is always the case with a Christmas Jam, the music went on until the wee hours of the morning. But it was a great time, and thinking about it now, I can say I am itching to see some live music again.
Here are the setlists.
Missing Cats:
Smiling Assassin
The Slaughter
Step On Over Me
Highwire
Over Lubbuck
Umphrey’s McGee:
Conduit
1348
Ain’t No Sunshine w/ John Bell
Miss Tinkles Overture
All In Time
The Warren Haynes Band (featuring Warren Haynes, Ivan Neville, Ron Johnson, Terrance Higgins, Ron Holloway, and Ruthie Foster):
Man In Motion (w/ Andy Farag and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
Rivers Gonna Rise (w/ Andy Farag and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (w/ The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
Sick Of My Shadow (w/ Andy Farag and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
Steve Miller Band:
Jet Airliner
Take the Money and Run
Mercury Blues
Further On Up The Road (w/ Warren Haynes)
Just Got Back From Texas
Ooo Poo Pah Do (w/ Carlos Reyes)
Shubada (w/ Carlos Reyes)
Nature Boy (w/ Carlos Reyes)
Wild Mountain Honey (w/ Carlos Reyes)
Dance Dance Dance (w/ Carlos Reyes)
The Stake
Abracadabra
Livin’ In The USA
Fly Like An Eagle (w/ Warren Haynes and Carlos Reyes)
John Bell:
Dobro Christmas Medley
Papa’s Home
May Your Glass Be Filled
Gregg Allman:
Midnight Rider
Just Another Rider (w/ Dirty Dozen Band and Ron Holloway)
Dreams (w/ Ron Holloway)
Just Like A Woman (w/ John Bell)
Walk on Guilded Splinters (w/ Dirty Dozen Band and John Bell)
Melissa (w/ Warren Haynes)
Lost Highway (w/ Steve Miller)
Dirty Dozen Brass Band:
Ain’t Nothing By A Part
Papa Was A Rolling Stone (w/ Warren Haynes)
Thats What Love Will Make You Do (w/ Ron Johnson and Warren Haynes)
Spanish Moon (w/ Warren Haynes, Ron Johnson, Ivan Neville, and Artimus Pyle)
Superstitious (w/ John Bell and Ron Holloway)
Use Me (w/ Warren Haynes, John Bell, and Ron Holloway)
I remember this performance clearly; the only thing I don’t remember about this concert was who I went with. Obviously, I was focused on Neil.
The International Harvesters were a country band backing up Neil on this tour, which was cool because they played a lot of acoustic tunes that went over really well, such as “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man” and “Helpless.” And even the more intense Crazy Horse tunes, like “Down by the River” and “Powderfinger” actually sounded really good with the country flavor.
I am a huge Neil Young fan and would see him multiple times after this with Crazy Horse, but I have to confess that it was very cool seeing him with this configuration. There is something about Neil’s country-style music that just soothes my soul.
Here is the setlist. Long may Mr. Young keep playing music for us.
So you may have noticed that I have been a little slow here lately. That’s because I have been doing some much-needed work on my other blog: Stuff Jeff Reads. Specifically, I have designed a page that lists all the books, poems, short stories, and essays that I have covered on the blog, organized my author name.
I can’t tell you much about this show. I went with some friends of mine because we had heard the band was supposed to have been good, and because Churchill’s Hideaway was our favorite dive bar at the time. The one thing I remember about this night was my bandmate’s comment after the show: “The Suck Pets.” Whether they sucked or not, I really can’t say. But who cares. Back then, it was more about going out, checking out live music, and having fun with friends.
Since I have about 175 concert ticket stubs and memories up here now, I have added a new page that lists the concerts in chronological order. Check it out, and feel free to let me know which year seems like the best for live music (note — there are still MANY more stubs coming, so check back).
It is no secret that I am not a fan of Ticketmaster. They charge exorbitant “convenience” fees, offer crappy service, basically have a monopoly, and as a final kick in the groin, they allow scalpers to resell tickets through their website for obscene amounts of money. Now, to add insult to injury, they appear to be moving toward the elimination of real tickets:
As I thought about why they would possibly want to do this, it dawned on me: They want to milk you for more money. Whenever possible, I purchase my tickets at the box office window. Doing so, you do not have to pay the Ticketmaster fees. By no longer offering real tickets, you are forced to purchase the virtual ticket online and pay their ridiculous fees.
Just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy new year! Thank you all for supporting my blog and for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to another year of blogging with you all.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 590 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 10 trips to carry that many people.
The Stub Collection 