Warren Haynes’ 22nd Christmas Jam: 12/11/2010

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)

Crosby and Nash: 9/30/2007

I recently watched the David Crosby documentary, which was sad because it showed how messed up he was and how he burned bridges and lost all his musical friends. I did get to see Crosby, Stills and Nash before this show, but I don’t have a stub (it was an outside festival gig and I just payed my admission at the gate).

I went with my wife to this concert and we saw friends of ours there, which was nice, even if we were not sitting together.

The show was very good, and David and Graham harmonized beautifully together. The selection of songs was also great, spanning their long career together. As I reflect back on this show, I again feel sad knowing that these two will never perform together again, that the animosity is too great to overcome. But at least we have the wealth of music they created together.

Here is the setlist, and thanks David and Graham for the great music that you brought to us through the years.

Set 1:

• Military Madness
• Marrakesh Express
• Long Time Gone
• Lay Me Down
• Immigration Man
• In My Dreams
• I Used to Be a King
• Carry Me
• Cathedral
• Déjà Vu

Set 2:

• Guinnevere
• Milky Way Tonight
• Just a Song Before I Go
• Naked in the Rain
• Wasted on the Way
• Jesus of Rio
• To the Last Whale…A. Critical Mass B. Wind on the Water
• Almost Cut My Hair
• Wooden Ships

Encore:

• Our House
• Teach Your Children

Brian Eno’s 77 Million Paintings: 10/28/2011

This ticket was for admission to an art installation by Brian Eno which was part of MoogFest in Asheville, NC. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Eno, he “is an English musician, record producer, visual artist, and theorist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop and electronica. A self-described “non-musician”, Eno has helped introduce unique conceptual approaches and recording techniques to contemporary music. He has been described as one of popular music’s most influential and innovative figures.” (Source: Wikipedia)

The concept of the art installation is a combination of visual images and ambient music generated through software to create a continually morphing experience. “The title is derived from the possible number of combinations of video and music which can be generated by the software, effectively ensuring that the same image/soundscape is never played twice.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Anyway, MoogFest was a weekend-long electronic music festival, and this year I was doing the full festival (more on that soon). I decided to check out the art installation, to get myself in the proper mental-state-of-being for three days of mind-expanding music. And this definitely did that. I spent a fair amount of time basking in the sights and sounds that can only be described as consciousness-altering. After that, I was primed and ready to indulge myself into the rest of the festival.

This is one of those things that needs to be experienced. Words fail to adequately convey what it was like. As such, here is a link to a 7-minute sliver of Eno’s multimedia masterpiece on YouTube. Check it out. Headphones recommended.

Taj Mahal Trio: 11/5/2006

This is going to be a short and sweet post. This stub hearkens back to a simpler time. I had bought tickets for me and my wife to go see Taj Mahal. Before the concert, we went out for dinner, then made our way to the Orange Peel and just had a great time listening to excellent live blues music.

These long months of COVID social distancing and no concerts has really emphasized how wonderful it is to just go out for dinner and attend a concert with someone you love. I really miss these simple pleasures. I can’t wait for when I can have a date night with my wife, enjoying dinner and a concert. Hopefully it will not be too far in the future.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe, and please do your part to help us return to a happier place.

Wilco: 4/21/2009

The first time I heard Wilco was when someone turned me on to their collaboration with Billy Bragg, which is an amazing album (check it out if you are not familiar). After that, I began to explore more of Wilco’s music and gained a deep appreciation for them. Since I had not seen them before, my wife and I jumped at the opportunity to see them at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, an intimate venue.

There really isn’t a whole lot to talk about with this show. Wilco was amazing, and I had a wonderful evening with my wife. Sometimes just enjoying live music with someone you love is all you need.

Here’s the setlist.

Setlist:

• Sunken Treasure
• Remember the Mountain Bed
• You Are My Face
• I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
• Pot Kettle Black
• Handshake Drugs
• She’s a Jar
• Impossible Germany
• At My Window Sad and Lonely
• Forget the Flowers
• Jesus, Etc.
• I’m Always in Love
• A Shot in the Arm
• Box Full of Letters
• Heavy Metal Drummer
• Hummingbird (with Lilac Rain – vocals)

Encore:

• The Late Greats
• Candyfloss
• Hate It Here
• Walken
• I’m the Man Who Loves You

Encore 2:

• Misunderstood
• Hoodoo Voodoo
• I’m a Wheel

Ozomatli: 3/11/2009

This was a really fun concert. I had seen Ozomatli open for Santana and they were awesome, so I was excited to see them in a small venue.

The opening act was Chali 2na, who was one of the founding members of the hip hop group Jurassic 5. He was cool and got the crowd going. Always great when you have a good opening act, it’s like a bonus.

As far as Ozo goes, they were fantastic and had the audience dancing from start to finish. Near the end, they came out into the crowd with various percussion instruments and had a real tribal thing going. It was very cool. If you’ve never seen or heard Ozomatli, I highly recommend them. They are the epitome of what a multicultural world beat band should be.

Rock on.

Warren Haynes 18th Christmas Jam: 12/16/2006

This Christmas Jam was a strange one, with some highs and some lows. Also, things on a personal level were very unsettled at the time, so that affected the overall experience.

The lineup was pretty solid:

• Dave Matthews
• Gov’t Mule
• The John Popper Project Featuring DJ Logic
• Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives
• New Orleans Social Club (featuring Henry Butler, Leo Nocentelli, Ivan Neville, George Porter & Raymond Weber)
• Taj Mahal Trio
• Special Guests: Mike Barnes, Brendan Bayliss, Randall Bramblett, Audley Freed, Col. Bruce Hampton, Taylor Hicks, Kevn Kinney, Branford Marsalis, Mickey Raphael, Dave Schools

I was really psyched to see Branford Marsalis. He is a virtuoso on the saxophone, and I had really high expectations of him jamming with various groups.

I guess I should address the low points first. John Popper’s group was pretty boring. He is a great harmonica player, but something about him as a frontman just doesn’t spark excitement for me. The other weakness in this show was Dave Matthews. Although I like Matthews, he was totally sick at this show, obviously fighting the flu. He was struggling to sing, and actually had to stop midsong once to get a drink and catch his breath. I give him a lot of credit for getting up there in such condition, but it did not make for a great performance.

As far as the high points, Branford and Taylor Hicks jamming with New Orleans Social Club was mind-blowing. Hicks, the American Idol winner, played harmonica alongside Marsalis, and the look of admiration and awe on Taylor’s face of getting to jam with Branford was priceless. Branford also performed a killer sax solo on “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.”

The last thing I want to say is that Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives were awesome. I had seen Marty solo at the Christmas Jam, just sitting in on mandolin, but to see him with his full band was really great. They were really top notch musicians and their entire set was flawless.

I was only able to locate the setlists for Dave Matthews and Gov’t Mule, so here they are. If anyone has any other setlists from this show, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Dave Matthews:

• Bartender
• Grace Is Gone
• #40
• Save Me
• So Damn Lucky
• Smooth Rider (aborted)
• Gravedigger
• Crush
• Long Black Veil

 

Gov’t Mule:

Set I

• Cortez the Killer (w Dave Matthews)
• All Along the Watchtower (w Dave Matthews)
• Reggae Soulshine
• Brand New Angel
• Unring the Bell
• Leaving Trunk

Set II

• Sco-Mule
• Mule
• Sugaree
• I Shall Be Released
• Time to Confess
• 3 String George
• Child of the Earth
• Devil Likes It Slow
• The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
• I Shall Be Released

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

Dark Star Orchestra: 2/12/2009

So I have to confess that ever since the COVID-19 crisis hit I have grappled with whether or not to post about my concert memories. It just seemed like rubbing salt into a wound, because in spite of all the great streaming performances that are being made available, for me, there is nothing quite like being at a live concert, and this is what has been the most difficult for me during these five weeks of social distancing (so far). I really miss going to concerts, and if you are reading my blog, I can only assume you feel the same. But a fellow blogger encouraged me to start posting again (thanks Barb), and also, there seems to be a glimmer of hope that some restrictions may be eased soon. So, here we go.

For a long time I was reluctant to go see Dark Star Orchestra. Having seen the Grateful Dead many, many times, and having been in a “Grateful Dead tribute band” for several years, it just did not call to me. But at the encouragement of a good friend, I decided to go and check them out. And I’m glad I did. They are exceptionally good musicians, and the crowd was very appreciative. Let’s face it, the crowd can make or break a concert. Music is a reciprocal art form, where the artists and the audience feed off each other and create a unique energetic experience. And DSO definitely was able to make that connection with the Orange Peel crowd. I danced and grooved with all the other freaks, and everyone just had a real good time. Sometimes, that’s all we need.

I really hope we can all start gathering at concerts again in the near future. Heck, I have tickets to see Alanis Morissette with Liz Phair and Garbage in June. The show still has not been cancelled or postponed. Hope springs eternal.

Please let me know if you want to hear more concert stories in these days of social distancing. I still have plenty of stubs and stories to share.

Stay safe, and may music soothe your mortal soul.

MoogFest: 10/29/2010

This stub was from the first MoogFest held in Asheville, NC. I went with my wife and our older daughter, who was very excited that MGMT was performing. I was unfamiliar with MGMT, but my daughter gave me some of their music to listen to, and it was very cool. Anyway, we got tickets only for the first night of the three-day festival.

There were more bands playing than we had the opportunity to see, and of the ones we did see, some of them we only caught part of their sets, since the festival was taking place at multiple venues (Civic Center, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Orange Peel). Of the bands that performed on the Friday night, these are the ones we got to see:

• DEVO
• MGMT
• Big Boi
• Girl Talk
• The Octopus Project

Couple things to note. One of members of DEVO had a death in the family and could not attend, so the remaining members performed with Octopus Project, which was cool. Big Boi we only caught a couple songs. MGMT was definitely the high point. We went up fairly close (they were playing in the Civic Center). It was general admission with an open floor, so lots of freaks dancing to the music. My daughter had a friend with her, and the two of them were psyched. It made my wife and me very happy to be there and to see them having so much fun. Live music is such a great bonding experience.

At the time, I was not a huge fan of electronic music and hip hop, but I really enjoyed the energy and the light shows were mind-boggling. I made a promise to myself that next year, I would go all three days. And I kept that promise to myself. I’ll try to dig up my stub from that show and post on it soon.