The Allman Brothers Band and Phil Lesh & Friends: 10/4/2008

This show was a jam-band fan’s dream. The Allmans and Phil Lesh. I was pretty psyched for this one. I made the drive from Asheville to Charlotte with my friend Greg, which took us a little over two hours. We had scored lawn tickets, which was fine. I felt no desire to be up close. Plus, the lawn tickets were only $16.50++, which was very reasonable for two great bands in 2008.

We staked out our little patch of grass at the Verizon Amphiteatre and waited for Phil. He came out and opened with “Cumberland Blues,” which was great. But the band didn’t seem able to sustain the energy for this particular show. There were a few high points, like “Golden Road” and “Cosmic Charlie,” but overall I was left with the impression that this was probably the weakest Phil & Friends show I had seen. It happens. As a musician, I know that you can’t be 100% all the time, and that any number of factors can affect a performance. Still, it was great seeing Phil, as always.

Then came the Allmans, and in comparison, they were stellar. Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes together on guitar were phenomenal. You could tell that they were feeding off of each other’s energy, seamlessly shifting between solos and augmenting and supporting each other like the seasoned veteran musicians they are. And Gregg Allman was in great form, belting out the tunes and making the hairs stand up on the back of the neck. By the time the last note of “Whipping Post” faded, I was completely rocked out.

My friend Greg and I wandered back to the car, only to discover to our dismay that the car would not start. One of the wires had come loose from the battery terminal. I tried not to panic, but the thought of spending the night in a parking lot in Charlotte was, shall we say, less than appealing. Thankfully, a friendly concert goer offered to help. We got the wire reattached, got the car started, and made it home without further incident.

Here are the setlists from the respective acts. Rock on!

Phil Lesh Setlist:

• Cumberland Blues
• Gone Wanderin’
• Rock-n-Roll Blues
• Minglewood Blues
• Row Jimmy
• The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)
• Uncle John’s Band
• Dark Star
• So Many Roads
• Dark Star
• In the Midnight Hour

Encore:

• Cosmic Charlie

Allman Brothers Setlist:

• Done Somebody Wrong
• Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
• The Same Thing
• Gambler’s Roll
• Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
• Manic Depression
• Come and Go Blues
• Come On in My Kitchen
• Into the Mystic
• Dreams
• Black Hearted Woman
• Southbound

Encore:

• Whipping Post

The Rolling Stones: 7/3/2019

I will begin this post by saying that this might just be the greatest of all my concert stories so far, and will be tough to top. As such, it is a fairly long post, but I promise you, it is worth the read.

So you may have noticed that the ticket stub has a date of May 31, 2019, which was not the date of the actual concert. If you’ve kept up with current events, you probably know that the entire No Filter tour was postponed because Mick Jagger needed heart surgery. (Who knew he had a heart?) I had bought three tickets for this show, with the intention of going with my wife and daughter. Going to this concert was actually a gift for my daughter’s birthday/graduation, since she had told me that of all the bands that were still touring, the Stones was the one she would most want to see. I suppose I’ve done my job as a rock and roll parent.

Anyway, the Stones rescheduled, and lo and behold, my wife and I had already relocated to California, a long way from Landover, Maryland, where the concert was being held. And since my wife had just started her new job, she could no longer go. So it was decided that I would fly back to North Carolina by myself, pick up my daughter, drive to Virginia, and then give the extra ticket to my nephew, at whose house we would stay. A bit of a logistical challenge, but worth it. I really wanted to make sure my daughter got to see the Stones.

Now is where the story gets really interesting.

About a week before the concert, I woke to an excited text from my daughter. She told me that she was letting people at her job know that she would be out the following week because she was going with her dad to see the Rolling Stones. One of her coworkers replied, “Oh, you’re going to see the Stones? My cousin works for the Rolling Stones. Do you want me to see about getting you backstage passes?” A quick email later, and we had three backstage passes waiting for us at will call. BACKSTAGE PASSES TO THE ROLLING STONES!! I really was having a hard time believing it. But I reread the forwarded text, which had the name of the contact should there be any issue picking up the passes or getting backstage, and was giddy with excitement.

So on July 1 I flew to NC and met my daughter. July 2, the two of us drove 8 hours to VA and connected with my nephew (who is the same age as my daughter and they get along great). Then it was July 3, the day of the show.

FedEx Field, the stadium which is home to the Washington Redskins, was about 30 miles from where we were in VA. The concert was scheduled to start at 7:30, so we left the house at 3:30 to give us plenty of time. I was unprepared for the traffic we encountered. It literally took us 2 ½ hours to get to the stadium. I was trying hard to be cool.

We paid the exorbitant $60 to park, and inquired about where the will call window was located. I was told there were two, one on each side of the stadium. Not knowing where the passes would be, I picked the one that was closest and we got in line. And we stood there. And stood there. The line was not moving and people were freaking out. I later discovered it was because the computers were not working and no one who had tickets at will call could get the tickets they paid for. Now I was feeling worried, because if I got to the window and the passes were on the other side of the stadium, we might have a problem. As I was discussing this with my daughter and nephew, someone near us in line, who was more observant than myself, pointed out that there was another will call window off to the side with a sign that said “Band/Tour Will Call” and suggested I go there. So I did. I walked right up and told the person there that I was supposed to be picking up backstage passes and gave him my name. “I have nothing for that name,” he informed me.

I responded, “C**** was the person who was supposed to give us those.”

“I just spoke with C**** and he didn’t say anything. But I can call him.”

So the guy made a call from his cellphone, I watched as he spoke and nodded, then he took two passes from the drawer and slid them under the window to me. I felt a twinge of panic and meekly mentioned that there was supposed to be three, and he casually got the third and passed it to me. And in my hand I held three backstage passes to the Rolling Stones.

I met back up with my daughter and nephew, and we each affixed our passes.

Right next to the window where I got the passes was the special VIP entrance. We walked up, they looked at our credentials, and we breezed in. Then they scanned our tickets (yes, we still needed the tickets we bought), and were escorted to an elevator that brought us up to the fifth floor. From there, we were led to the VIP lounge that looked down on the back of the stage. Free food and beverages were provided, so we ate and rehydrated, while milling around and chatting with people there.

Now I had never been backstage before, so prior to heading out there, I consulted with a friend of mine, Bill, who is a music journalist, just to know what to expect. He said for show like this, we probably would not meet Keith or Mick. They provide catering, and then usually one of the lesser band members comes out for a quick meet and greet before the show. So in this case, that band member was Chuck Leavell, long-time keyboardist for the Stones, who was also a member of the Allman Brothers in the 70’s. We got to meet him, and he was really nice and accommodating, graciously posing for a picture with the three of us.

At this point, the opening act, Ghost Hounds, had already been playing for a while, so we decided to leave the air conditioned comfort and go take our seats. By the time we got to section 431 in the upper deck, the opening band was playing their last song.

Although we were in the upper deck, the seats were not bad, and we had a decent view of the stage. We chatted with the folks around us as we waited for the Stones to take the stage.

Finally, the lights went down, and they exploded onto the stage, opening with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Great choice! For a group of guys who have survived over 70 years of hard living, and Mick just having heart surgery, they sounded damn good and had a lot of energy.

About halfway through the show, the band moved to a smaller satellite stage in the center and played a couple acoustic tunes, which was great, because then we had an even better view of the band.

All the while, I was noticing how much fun my daughter and nephew were having, and I felt really happy. I was glad that they were enjoying the show, and after going backstage and meeting one of the band members, I knew that this would be a special memory for them both.

But wait… things were about to get infinitely better.

About 2/3 through the show, the band was playing “Miss You” and my daughter was standing up and dancing. She was the only person standing in our section, and I was glad that people around us were not being jerks about it. But then some official looking dude with a lanyard and badge came up to us and waved my daughter closer. The two of them leaned across me so I heard the conversation.

Dude: “How many are in your group?”

Daughter: “Three…” (tentatively, like she was in trouble)

Dude: “Well I only have two passes to go up front. I’m with the band and am looking for someone in the upper decks who is dancing and enjoying the show so I can bring them up front, but I only have two wristbands. Do you want to go up front?”

I looked at my daughter and nephew, not wanting to split them up, or send them off alone, and asked the guy, “You don’t have three?”

“Nope,” he said, “Only two. Do you want them? I can take you up front right now.”

At this point, my nephew spoke up. “Go! Go! This is your chance. I’ll stay here.”

So we promised to come back up and get him afterwards, and went off with the dude who handed each of us a very official looking wristband.

The dude told us we would go up front on Keith’s side of the stage, that this was the best spot to be for the rest of the show. While we were going down, we could hear “Paint It Black” being played, the one song we missed, but a worthwhile sacrifice. We told the dude that C**** had also given us backstage passes, and he was like, “Oh cool, I know C**** really well.” And as we quickly made our way down to the front, my daughter kept looking at me, eyes wide, commenting, “What the fuck? How is this happening? I feel like I’m dreaming.”

We finally got down by the pit right in front, and the security did not want to let my daughter and me through. The dude started yelling at the security guy, flashing his badge, and then he waved someone else over, who said something to the security person, and just like that, we were right in front of the stage. The dude said his farewell, went off, and my daughter and I danced and basked in the glory of seeing the world’s greatest rock and roll band from a vantage point that few have experienced. Of course, I had to snap a few pictures on the phone.

We were up front for the last five songs, which was basically the last quarter of the 20-song show. I’ve been to many concerts in my life, but none of them compared to this experience, of being backstage and then essentially front row, for the Rolling Stones. And the fact that I shared the experience with my daughter, and the look of sheer ecstatic joy on her face, made the whole night seem like nothing less than a rock and roll fantasy come true. Miracles really do happen.

After the last note of “Satisfaction,” my daughter and I made it back upstairs and had no problem reconnecting with my nephew. Then we made our way to the car, sat in the traffic getting out of the stadium parking area, and made the drive back to Virginia with no problems, basically basking in the afterglow of the most epic concert experience ever.

I still have a drawer full of old stubs with stories associated to them, and more concerts on the horizon, but I doubt that I will ever be able to top this one. I suppose the only thing I can add at this point is the setlist. And yes, I know, it’s only rock and roll, but I like it, like it, yes I do!

Setlist:

• Jumpin’ Jack Flash
• It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)
• Tumbling Dice
• You Got Me Rocking
• Mercy, Mercy (Don Covay & The Goodtimers cover, first time performed since July 5, 1969 at Hyde Park)
• Rocks Off (by request)
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Angie (B-Stage / Acoustic)
• Let It Bleed (B-Stage / Acoustic)
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Honky Tonk Women
• Slipping Away (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
• Before They Make Me Run (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
• Miss You
• Paint It Black
• Midnight Rambler
• Start Me Up
• Brown Sugar

Encore:

• Gimme Shelter
• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Allman Brothers and Little Feat: 10/31/1991

Halloween Night with the Allmans and Little Feat!! I almost don’t need to say anything else.

I went to this show with my good friend Melissa. We decided not to get dressed up, but appreciated the fans who did. The Miami Arena was packed. We got there and grabbed our seats, which were on the right side of the stage, about halfway back. Great view, and the sound was good for an arena.

Little Feat opened and totally rocked it. Warren Haynes even came out and sat in on one of their songs. The only thing that was disappointing was I wished they would have played longer. I love me some Feat, and while the set was solid, there were plenty of other songs I would have loved to have heard.

Then the Allmans came out and kicked things off with “Statesboro Blues.” Perfect! The whole set was killer, and Melissa was especially psyched that they played her namesake song. Members of Little Feat came out and jammed with the Allmans on “Southbound,” which was way cool. And they closed the night with “Whipping Post.” We danced our asses off and left totally pumped from a long night of incredible music.

Here are the setlists.

Little Feat Setlist:

• Let It Roll
• Hate to Lose Your Lovin’
• Fat Man in the Bathtub
• Boom Box Car
• Willin’
• Cajun Girl
• Shake Me Up
• Oh Atlanta
• Dixie Chicken (with Warren Haynes)

Encore:

• Texas Twister

Allman Brothers Setlist

• Statesboro Blues
• Blue Sky
• End Of The Line
• Nobody Knows
• Southbound (w/members of Little Feat)
• Low Down Dirty Mean
• Melissa
• Come On In My Kitchen
• Midnight Rider
• Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• Hoochie Coochie Man
• Kind Of Bird
• Get On With Your Life
• In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
• Revival

Encore:

• Whipping Post

Allman Brothers Band with the Jeff Healy Band: 8/30/1992

I’ve seen the Allmans many times over the years, but this may be the best show I saw them perform. In 1992, the band had a really solid lineup:

• Gregg Allman
• Dickey Betts
• Warren Haynes
• Butch Trucks
• Jaimoe Johanson
• Allen Woody
• Johnny Neel

I had gone up to New York to visit friends, and before heading up there from Florida, my friend Susan asked if I liked the Allman Brothers. “Ummm… YEAH!” So her and her boyfriend got tickets for all of us to go see them at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. I was pretty psyched, but I got even more excited when I found out that Jeff Healy was the opener. As a guitarist, I was much impressed by Healy’s guitar work. He was visually impaired, so he would sit in a chair and lay his guitar across his lap, and wail like a goddamn banshee. Sadly, he died on March 2, 2008 at the age of 41.

Anyway, we battled the insane traffic and made it to the show. It was jam packed with people. The concert was being held in an “amphitheater” outside the football stadium, and it was a zoo. But the Jeff Healy Band came out and stoked the crowd. (Wish I was able to find the setlist.)

Next, the Allmans took the stage. Sadly, Warren Haynes was absent for the first several songs (he was stuck in traffic). But the band rocked on and eventually Warren joined them on stage.

About halfway through the set, Jeff Healy came out and joined the Allmans for a few songs, which was incredible. Healy’s slide work really meshed well with the Allmans.

I was really grateful I did not have to deal with the traffic afterwards. I was pretty rocked out, so I crashed in the back seat and woke up when we got back out to Long Island.

Here is the Allman Brothers’ setlist.

Setlist:

• Don’t Want You No More
• It’s Not My Cross To Bear
• Statesboro Blues
• Blue Sky

(Note: First 4 songs without Warren)

• Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
• Nobody Knows
• End Of The Line
• Seven Turns
• Midnight Rider
• Ramblin’ Man
• Melissa
• Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• Hoochie Coochie Man (w/Jeff Healy)
• Southbound (w/Jeff Healy)
• Get On With Your Life
• Jessica
• Revival
• Whipping Post

Warren Haynes’ 29th Christmas Jam: 12/9/2017

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam has become a holiday tradition for me. I have gone every year since 2002, so this makes 16 years in a row that I have attended.

This year’s lineup was solid right from the initial announcement. That coupled with the fact that the Jam has gained national publicity over the years made getting tickets this year a bit of a challenge. Additionally, almost all of the seats were reserved this year, meaning that general admission was standing room on the floor, or obstructed view behind the stage. Since I am too old now to stand up for an 8-hour concert, I decided to get in line early and purchase reserved seats.

I got to the box office about 9:00 am on the day the tickets were going on sale (on-sale time was noon). I was the first in line, which pretty much ensured I would get seats. The next person in line, who showed up not long afterwards, would not stop talking to me. Now I’m a bit of an introvert, so after 15 minutes of listening to this guy blabber I was starting to feel uncomfortable. After 30 minutes, I was ready to lose it. Thankfully, my friend Robert showed up and took a shift in line, allowing me time to go home, do a little work, and then return as it was closer to on-sale time.

The box office started selling tickets about 15 minutes prior to when they went on sale to people via the internet, which was great. Even so, there was a lot of tension in the line and tempers flared because the line was not moving fast enough. Robert and I were glad to get our tickets quickly, and then we walked to a nearby vegetarian restaurant for some lunch.

The concert sold out that day, and the reserved seats were gone within minutes. What really sucked was that reserved seats immediately became available through “third-party vendors” for over $300 per ticket, four times the cost of the $75 seat. I really despise scalpers!

On the day of the show, I went with my wife and daughter, and it was quite nice to not have to stand in line for hours to get a seat, which I had to do in the past when it was all general admission. We showed up 30 minutes before showtime, walked right in, got our seats, and started enjoying the music.

As I expected, there was a lot of Allman Brothers music performed. Warren was a long-time member of the Allman Brothers Band, and I knew that Gregg’s passing would inspire a tribute. All the music was excellent, although I thought Margo Price was a little weak. Her vocals were powerful, but her songs were just not that interesting. The high points for me were Jake Shimabukuro on ukulele (mindblowing!); Les Bros performing an Allman Brothers tribute; and Ann Wilson from Heart singing with Gov’t Mule (heavy on the Led Zeppelin). Trey Anastasio and The Avett Brothers were also outstanding, so all in all, a great night of music.

My wife and daughter got tired around midnight, so they left at that point. I stayed until 3:00 am, to the very end. After my family left, I went and sat with my friend Robert, who was kind enough to give me a ride home after the show. I could have walked, but it was bitter cold and I was very grateful not to be dealing with icy winds in the early morning hours.

Anyway, here is the full setlist from the evening’s marathon musical event. Rock on, and have a rockin’ New Year!

Setlist

Holly Bowling (pre-show)

• St. Stephen >
• Free
• Proxima B
• Cassidy
• Little Martha

Warren Haynes & Jake Shimabukuro

• Melissa
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Jake solo)
• Dragon (Jake solo)

Margo Price

• Nowhere Fast
• Tennessee Song
• Wild Women
• Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)
• Learning to Lose
• All American Made
• Paper Cowboy

Holly Bowling & Jake Shimabukuro

• Bird Song >
• 6/8
• Hallelujah

Blackberry Smoke

• Fire in the Hole
• Let It Burn
• Waiting for the Thunder
• Free on the Wing (w/Benji Shanks, guitar)
• Ain’t Got the Blues (w/Benji Shanks, guitar)
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken Intro >
• Ain’t Much Left of Me

The Avett Brothers

• Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
• Cigarettes
• Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women
• Country Blues
• Laundry Room
• Paranoia in B Flat
• No Hard Feelings

Warren Haynes

• If We Make It Through December (w/The Avett Brothers)
• You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (w/The Avett Brothers)
• Southern Accents (w/Ann Wilson)
• I Am the Highway (w/Ann Wilson and Jake Shimabukuro)

 

Trey Anastasio

• Gotta Jibboo
• Burn That Bridge
• Everything’s Right
• Aqui Como Alla
• Sand
• Dark and Down
• Set Your Soul Free
• First Tube

Warren Haynes

• Miss You (w/Trey Anastasio)
• Midnight Rider (w/Trey Anastasio)
• Morning Dew (w/Holly Bowling)

Les Bros (Marc Quinones, Warren Haynes, Paul Riddle, Lamar Williams Jr., Bruce Katz, Jorgen Carlsson)

• Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
• In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (w/Mike Barnes, guitar)
• Southbound (w/Mike Barnes, guitar; Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, guitar; and Craig Sorrels, trumpet)
• Blue Sky (w/Charlie Starr, guitar)
• Dreams (w/Marcus King, guitar)
• Whipping Post (w/Marcus King, guitar)

Marcus King

• Remember
• Jealous Man (w/ Stephen Campbell)
• Where I’m Headed (w/Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, guitar and Stephen Campbell)
• Rita Is Gone (w/ Stephen Campbell, Dean Mitchell, Kyle Snuffer & Craig Sorrels)
• Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out (w/Craig Sorrels, trumpet, Stephen Campbell, Dean Mitchell, Kyle Snuffer, Charlie Starr)

Gov’t Mule

• Traveling Tune
• Thorns of Life
• No Quarter (w/Ann Wilson, vocals)
• Black Dog (w/Ann Wilson, vocals)
• Cry Baby (w/Ann Wilson, vocals)
• Mother Earth (w/Ann Wilson, vocals) >
• You Shook Me (w/Ann Wilson, vocals
• Immigrant Song (w/Ann Wilson, vocals)
• Magic Man (w/Ann Wilson, vocals)
• Mule (w/Craig Sorrels, trumpet)

The Allman Brothers Band: 10/22/1980

Throughout the years, I have seen the Allmans many times, but this was the first time seeing them live, and it was awesome. I went with my friend Mark and we had to rely on our parents to shuttle us to and from the show. But what a show it was! The Sunrise was such a small, intimate venue, and our seats were very close to the stage. They played for a long time, even though the number of actual songs was relatively small, but they jammed each song to the fullest, including a version of “Whipping Post” that must have been at least 20 minutes.

I was able to locate the setlist from the show, so here it is.

• Don’t Want You No More
• It’s Not My Cross to Bear
• In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
• I Got a Right to Be Wrong
• From the Madness of the West
• Angeline
• Southbound
• One Way Out
• Jessica
• Whipping Post
• Midnight Rider

Warren Haynes Christmas Jam – Night One: 12/12/2008

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam is my favorite musical event of the year. I have gone every year since moving to Asheville and it’s always one of the highlights of my concerts. This year was the 20th anniversary jam, so it was a stellar two-night extravaganza. The first night featured: The Allman Brothers Band, The Del McCoury Band, The Derek Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, John Paul Jones, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Joan Osborne, and Travis Tritt; along with special guests: Karl Denson, Robben Ford, Ruthie Foster, JJ Grey, Matt Grondin, Ron Holloway, Eric Krasno, The Lee Boys, Susan Tedeschi, and Tal Wilkenfeld. It would be the first of two very long nights of music.

I went with my wife this first night, and we had to pace ourselves. Music started right at 7:00 and went on and on and on. There were so many high points, it’s hard to pick any particular ones out, although Warren and John Paul Jones performing an acoustic version of “Going to California” was right up there. I was also really impressed with Tal Wilkenfeld’s bass playing. But as I said, everyone was so great, it was almost overwhelming. Even Travis Tritt was great, and country music is not really my thing.

We ended up leaving around 3:30 am, as the Allman’s were playing “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” because my wife had pretty much hit the wall. So, we missed a few songs. But that’s ok, because I would be going again the second night, which was just as amazing.

Here is the setlist from the first night.

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Dumpstaphunk

• Gasman Chronicles
• Meanwhile
• Sheez Music
• Livin Ina World Gone Mad  (w/Matt Grondin & Karl Denson)
• Everybody Want Sum
• Bad Boy (w/Warren Haynes & Eric Krasno)
• Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself (w/Tal Wilkenfeld, Eric Krasno, Warren Haynes, Danny Louis )

 

Joan Osborne

• The One I Love
• Hallelujah in the City
• Cathedrals
• Help Me (with Warren Haynes)
• Christmas in New Orleans (with Ron Holloway)

 

Travis Tritt

• Homesick
• Leave My Girl Alone
• I Walk the Line
• Pickin’ at It
• Anymore
• The Pressure Is On (with Warren Haynes)
• Move It On Over (with Warren Haynes)

 

The Del McCoury Band

• 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
• Squirrel Hunter (with John Paul Jones)
• Little Georgia Rose (with Travis Tritt)
• Old Kentucky Shore (with Joan Osborne & Travis Tritt)
• My Love Will Not Change (with John Paul Jones)
• Celebrate (with The Lee Boys)

 

Warren Haynes

• Soulshine (with John Paul Jones)
• Going to California (with John Paul Jones)

 

The Derek Trucks Band

• Down in the Flood
• Days Is Almost Gone
• Can’t Sleep at Night (with Susan Tedeschi)
• People (with Susan Tedeschi)
• Anyday (with Susan Tedeschi & Eric Krasno)

 

Gov’t Mule

• Brighter Days
• Like Flies
• Bad Little Doggie
• Blind Man in the Dark
• Sco-Mule (with Robben Ford and Tal Wilkenfeld)
• Fallen Down > ‘The Other One’ jam (with Karl Denson)

 

Allman Brothers

• Don’t Want You No More
• It’s Not My Cross to Bear
• I Walk on Guilded Splinters
• Statesboro Blues
• And It Stoned Me (with JJ Grey)
• Who’s Been Talking ( with Robben Ford & Ivan Neville)
• Dreams (with Karl Denson)
• In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (with Tal Wilkenfeld)
• The Weight (with Ron Holloway, Danny Louis, Susan Tedeschi, & Ruthie Foster)
• Mountain Jam
• Dazed and Confused (with John Paul Jones)
• Mountain Jam (with John Paul Jones)

Encore:

• One Way Out (with Roosevelt Collier & JJ Grey)

Warren Haynes’ 28th Christmas Jam: 12/10/2016

Warren Haynes, former guitarist with the Allman Brothers and currently with Gov’t Mule, has been hosting the Christmas Jam in Asheville for 28 years now. The Jam is a benefit concert that raises money for Habitat for Humanity and Warren invites a slew of artists to participate in the marathon event. This year, my youngest daughter came to the concert with me, and I also had some friends come in from out of town for the show, so it was quite the party.

This year’s show featured the following headline acts:

• Gov’t Mule
• Bob Weir
• Michael McDonald
• Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss
• The Last Waltz Band

In addition, the show also included a plethora of guest musicians, too numerous to list them all, but some of the ones that deserve note are Branford Marsalis, John Medeski, Bob Margolin, Steve Kimock, Duane Trucks, and George Porter Jr.

I was out of town for work the day the tickets went on sale. Thankfully, my good friend Robert waited in line and bought tickets for me. THAT is a true friend! The show sold out in one day, so I was really grateful that he picked them up for me.

My friend Dana from Florida came up for the concert, along with her friend Jackie. We went out for lunch the day before and discovered that they were also friends with two of my Asheville friends, Craig and Dara, with whom I was going to the show, so we all got seats together. It’s a small world in rock and roll.

The show this year was amazing. My wife said it was probably the best Christmas Jam she has attended. So many high points, but probably the top two for me were Alison Krauss joining Bob Weir to perform “Peggy-O” and also Branford Marsalis and Warren Haynes joining Weir and Co to play an amazing rendition of “Eyes of the World.” Words cannot adequately convey the energy that was released during that performance.

The concert went on until about 3:00 in the morning. I left during the second-to-last song (“Dreams”), but that was fine. I definitely got my fill of great music.

Here are the set lists:

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Holly Bowling
Cryptical Envelopment >
The Other One >
Cryptical Envelopment >
Taste
The Inlaw Josie Wales

Warren Haynes
The Real Thing
And It Stoned Me

Jamey Johnson & Alison Krauss
High Cost Of Living
Make The World Go Away
I Ain’t The One
John Deere Tractor
Heartache
Even The Skies Are Blue
Dreaming My Dreams With You
Lay Down Beside Me
My Dixie Darling
When You Say Nothing At All
In Color with Howard Johnson

Holly Bowling
Help On The Way >
Slipknot! >
Cassidy >
Bird Song

George Porter Jr., Eric Krasno, Terence Higgins, Branford Marsalis & John Medeski
I Need More Time
Just Kissed My Baby > with Marcus King
He Bite Me (The Dragon) with Marcus King
Sugaree with Bob Weir
Iko Iko with Bob Weir

Michael McDonald & Friends (Audley Freed, Don Was, Terence Higgins & John Medeski)
Freedom Highway
Sweet Freedom
I Keep Forgettin’ with Branford Marsalis
What A Fool Believes
Takin’ It To The Streets

Holly Bowling
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing >
Crazy Fingers >
The Other One >
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing

Bob Weir & Friends (Steve Kimock, Don Was & Duane Trucks)
Easy To Slip (Bob Weir Solo)
Peggy-O (Bob Weir with Alison Krauss)
Ghost Towns
Only A River
He’s Gone > with Warren Haynes, Holly Bowling & Branford Marsalis
Eyes Of The World > with Warren Haynes, Holly Bowling & Branford Marsalis
Truckin’ with Warren Haynes, Holly Bowling & Branford Marsalis
Ripple with Warren Haynes, Holly Bowling & Branford Marsalis

The Last Waltz Band (Warren Haynes, Don Was, Terence Higgins, Michael McDonald, John Medeski, Jamey Johnson, Mark Mullins & Levee Horns)
Up On Cripple Creek
The Shape I’m In
Stage Fright
Georgia On My Mind
The Weight with Bob Weir & Alison Krauss
Ophelia
It Makes No Difference
Helpless with Alison Krauss
Mannish Boy with Bob Margolin & Smoky Greenwell
Further On Up The Road with Bob Margolin & Smoky Greenwell
King Harvest
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Holly Bowling
Terrapin Station Suite >
Slipknot! >
Franklin’s Tower

Gov’t Mule & Friends (without Matt Abts) 
Mule with Rocky Lindsley
32/20 Blues with Rocky Lindsley, Mike Barnes, Marcus King & Smoky Greenwell
Sco-Mule with Rocky Lindsley, Jeff Sipe & Branford Marsalis
Dreams with Paul Riddle, Duane Trucks, Steve Kimock & Branford Marsalis
Mountain Jam with Paul Riddle, Duane Trucks, Steve Kimock, Branford Marsalis & Tony Coleman

Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam: 12/12/2015

Warren Haynes, former guitarist with the Allman Brothers and currently with Gov’t Mule, has been hosting the Christmas Jam in Asheville for 27 years now. The Jam is a benefit concert that raises money for Habitat for Humanity and Warren invites a slew of artists to participate in the marathon event. I’ve been attending this show every year since moving to Asheville, so if my fuzzy math serves me well, that makes 13 years that I have been going to the Jam.

This year’s show sold out fast, boasting a solid lineup. Unfortunately, one of the performers who I was REALLY looking forward to seeing—Joe Bonamassa—had to cancel. In spite of that, it was a great show.

I went with my wife and we met a group of friends (Perry, Philip, Devorah, Mike, and Bob) and we secured a row for ourselves on the left side of the stage, which afforded us a great view.

The show began promptly at 6:45 with Love Canon, a fun bluegrass act who plays bluegrass versions of 80’s pop hits. They played between acts while the crew was setting up and breaking down equipment. After a few songs, Warren came out and played a great acoustic version of George Harrison’s “Give Me Love.”

After Warren, we had an electric set from Hot Tuna, one of my favorite bands. Hot Tuna was formed by Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the guitarist and bass player from the Jefferson Airplane. They were great, but too short, playing a mere five songs if memory serves me well.

After Hot Tuna, Bruce Hornsby played an acoustic set. It was good, but strange. I had seen Hornsby several times and this was the first time I had seen him that he did not play any piano, playing dulcimer for the entire set. It was not what I expected, but I feel like I got to see something that most people will never have the opportunity to experience.

Next up was the Tedeschi Trucks Band, who were the highlight of the evening in my opinion. They were incredible! The energy was so high and the musicianship was so impressive, I was kind of dumbstruck. If you have never seen this band and have the opportunity, do not pass it up.

Following TTB was Dawes. I was not too familiar with them, but I knew they were somewhat popular. They were OK in my opinion, but not great. They also seemed less interesting following such an outstanding performance. They did a nice version of Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” to close their set, which was fun.

The next act to perform was Blackberry Smoke. Personally, I was not impressed with this band, at all. I know they are very popular, but they were not my thing and their sound was wretched, which did not make things any better. My friend Bill texted me during their performance and called them Black Pickup Exhaust, which caused a chuckle.

It was now getting late in the evening, and the Doobie Brothers took the stage. They opened with “Jesus is Just Alright” and played one hit after another. I loved their show! You knew every song and the crowd was singing along. It was fun and brought back lots of memories for me. The Doobies were huge when I was growing up, and I listened to “Black Water” over and over as a kid. They were a close second to Tedeschi Trucks, in my humble opinion.

The Doobies finished about 1:30 am. Warren’s band was still scheduled to play, but by this time I was tired. Since I have seen Warren more times than I can count, I decided to skip the last set and get some much-needed sleep. I heard it was good, but looking at the set list, I could tell I didn’t miss anything special.

Just to give you all a taste of the Christmas Jam, here is a video that my good friend Robert made: Tedeschi Trucks Band with Warren Haynes joining them on guitar. Enjoy!