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)

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

Warren Haynes 25th Christmas Jam – Second Night: 12/14/2013

After a long night of music on the first night of the Jam, I rested up and felt ready for the second night’s festivities. The headliners for the second night were:

• Aquarium Rescue Unit
• O.A.R.
• Michael Franti & Friends
• Gregg Allman & Friends
• Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
• Gov’t Mule
• Xmas Jam Band

In addition, there was a nice array of special guests: Craig Sorrells, Bill Evans, Roosevelt Collier, Casey Driessen, Mike Seal, Dr. Dan Matrazzo, Billy Thornton, Ron Holloway, Mike Barnes, Ron Johnson, Jeff Sipe, Audley Freed, Count M’Butu, and John Scofield.

I had seen all the main acts before, with the exception of Aquarium Rescue Unit and O.A.R. I was totally unfamiliar with O.A.R., but had heard of them. I have to say, they were really good. Their version of Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain” with Warren Haynes sitting in on guitar was excellent.

Of all the bands performing that night, I was most excited about Aquarium Rescue Unit. I’d seen Col. Bruce Hampton several times, and was pretty psyched to see the classic ARU reunited for a live performance. They did not disappoint at all, even though my expectations were high. They totally jammed from beginning to end. Unfortunately, this would be my last time seeing Col. Bruce. Just a few years later, he would die in a way that every musician dreams about. He was on stage with a stellar list of musicians, celebrating his 70th birthday with a concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. While jamming with his friends, in the middle of performing the Grateful Dead’s “Lovelight” as an encore, he collapsed on stage and died. Here is the Jambase article about his death. When I go, I hope it’s like that; guitar in hand and surrounded by my friends.

Anyway, back to the Christmas Jam.

The rest of the night was incredible. It had to be to keep me up until 3:00 am again. While ARU was the highlight for me as far as bands go, the definite high point of the entire night was when Gregg Allman kicked off his set with “Statesboro Blues.” I can’t think of a better Allman Brothers’ tune to open a set.

Speaking of sets, I could not find all the setlists, but here are the ones I was able to locate. Rock on!

Setlists:

Warren Haynes and Craig Sorrells

• Hope She’ll Be Happier

O.A.R.

• About Mr. Brown
• Dareh Meyod
• Black Rock
• Fool in the Rain (with Warren Haynes)
• Peace
• Heaven
• That Was a Crazy Game of Poker

Aquarium Rescue Unit

• Fixin’ to Die
• Elevator to the Moon
• Basically Frightened
• Compared to What
• Yield Not to Temptation (with Bill Evans and Roosevelt Collier)
• Space Is the Place (with Warren Haynes, Casey Driessen, Roosevelt Collier, Bill Evans, Mike Seal, Dan Matrazzo, Billy Thornton, Ron Hollaway)
• Right Now (with Ron Holloway, Mike Seal, Casey Driessen, Roosevelt Collier, Bill Evans, Ike Stubblefield, Billy Thornton, Craig Sorrell)

Michael Franti & Friends

• I Got Love for You
• I Don’t Wanna Go
• The Sound of Sunshine (with Mike Barnes)
• 11.59 (with Mike Barnes)
• Let It Go
• Life Is Better With You (with Warren Haynes, Artimus Pyle, and Chris Pyle)
• Say Hey (I Love You)
• Hey World

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

• Medicine >
• The Divide >
• Big White Gate
• Stop the Bus >
• Paris (Ooh La La) >
• The Lion the Beast the Beat >
• Nothing but the Water
• Gimme Some Lovin’

Gregg Allman & Friends

(Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Audley Freed, Ron Johnson, Jeff Sipe, Count M’Butu)

• Statesboro Blues
• Just Another Rider (with Bill Evans, Ron Holloway, Craig Sorrells , Greg Hollowell)
• Soulshine (with Bill Evans, Ron Holloway, Craig Sorrells, Greg Hollowell)
• Stormy Monday
• Dreams (with Oteil Burbridge, Bill Evans)
• One Way Out  (with Oteil Burbridge)

Gov’t Mule

• Hottentot (with John Scofield and Dr. Dan Matrazzo)
• Doing It to Death (with John Scofield and Dr. Dan Matrazzo)
• Sco-Mule (with John Scofield, Dr. Dan Matrazzo, Ron Holloway)
• Kind of Bird (with John Scofield and Bill Evans)
• Whisper in Your Soul (with Grace Potter)
• Gold Dust Woman (with Grace Potter)

Warren Haynes Christmas Jam – Night Two: 12/13/2008

This was the second night of the 20th Anniversary Christmas Jam. While the first night was long and epic, the second night proved to be even longer and more jam packed.

I basically went solo this night. My wife could only handle one night of jams, but I had friends who were there so I was able to hang out with them for most of the night (although they did leave early, and I stayed to the very end, which was around 4:30 am). The headliners for this night were Steve Earle, Johnny Winter, Coheed and Cambria, Michael Franti, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, John Paul Jones, and Gov’t Mule. In addition, there was a plethora of guest musicians forming impromptu groups and sitting in with the other bands.

When Warren opened the show, playing an acoustic number with Ruthie Foster, he informed the crowd that there would be something special at the end of the night, and to make sure to stay. I did not need much convincing.

After that, the “Xmas Jam Band” played for a while, playing some great songs and bring up lots of special guests.

Steve Earle played next. He was really good and I gained a whole new level of appreciation for his music.

Not long after Earle, Johnny Winter took the stage. I had seen him once years ago, and it was not his best night, but it felt kind of special to see him this time. He was pretty sickly, and was literally assisted out on the stage and placed in a chair. Then his classic Gibson Firebird was brought out and placed in his hands, and he proceeded to wail. This would be my last time seeing the legendary bluesman, may he rest in peace.

Next up was Coheed & Cambria. I was kind of looking forward to seeing these guys because I’d heard great things about them, but I have to say, I was disappointed. Maybe they were having an off night, but they just didn’t do it for me.

Michael Franti followed, and he got the place on their feet and dancing. John Paul Jones (the great Led Zeppelin bassist), played with him for almost the entire set. While the friends I was did not care for his set, I personally really enjoyed it. Hey, to each their own.

Ben Harper performed next, and he was great. This was my first time seeing him, and he totally lived up to my expectations. The fact that I was still rockin’ in the early morning hours is a testament to his set.

Finally, the closing event of the night: Gov’t Mule’s set. They played a few cover tunes with some guest musicians, and then brought out John Paul Jones to do a mini Zeppelin set to close the night. Totally rocked the house!

It took me a couple days to recover from all that music, but it was well worth the lack of sleep. Here is the full setlist from the night’s multiple performances.

WARREN HAYNES & RUTHIE FOSTER:

• Grinnin’ In Your Face

XMAS JAM BAND (Audley Freed, Jen Gunderman, Buddy Cage, Kevn Kinney, Fiddle Dave, Robert Kearns, Edwin McCain, Mickey Raphael):

• Blues on Top of Blues
• Straight To Hell
• Free Fallin (w/ Patterson Hood)
• Dreams To Remember (w/ Joan Osborne & Horns*)
• TCB (w/ Robben Ford, Joan Osborne, Eric Krasno & Horns*)
• Chain of Fools (w/ Ruthie Foster, Robben Ford, Joan Osborne, Karl Denson, Ron Holloway, Eric Krasno)
• When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (w/ Joan Osborne, Warren Haynes & Horns*)
• Tumblin’ Dice (w/ Ruthie Foster)

* Karl Denson, Ron Holloway, Derrick Johnson, Craig Sorrells

STEVE EARLE:

• Copperhead Road
• Christmas In Washington
• My Old Friend The Blues
• Guitar Town (w/ Warren Haynes)
• Gotta Serve Somebody (w/ Warren Haynes, Steve Earle, Joan Osborne, Travis Tritt & Ruthie Foster)
• Brand New Companion (w/ Mickey Raphael & Warren Haynes)

GROUP SONG:

• Serve Somebody

JOHNNY WINTER:

• Paul Nelson Jam (Intro)
• Hideaway
• Blackjack
• I Used To Love Her But It’s All Over Now (w/ Warren Haynes)
• Mojo Boogie

COHEED AND CAMBIRA:

• No World For Tomorrow
• Gravemakers & Gunslingers
• Mother Superior
• Favor House Atlantic (acoustic)
• I Shall Be Released (w/ Warren Haynes)
• Welcome Home (w/ Warren Haynes)

MICHAEL FRANTI & JAY BOWMAN (FRED ELTRINGHAM ON DRUMS):

• Love Don’t Wait (w/ John Paul Jones, Robben Ford & Mickey Raphael)
• Sweet Little Lies (w/ John Paul Jones, Robben Ford & Mickey Raphael)
• All I Want Is You (w/ John Paul Jones, Robben Ford, Mickey Raphael & Eric Krasno)
• Hey World (w/ John Paul Jones, Robben Ford, Mickey Raphael & Eric Krasno)
• I Got Love For You (w/ John Paul Jones, Robben Ford, Mickey Raphael & Ron Holloway)
• Say Hey

BEN HARPER & RELENTLESS 7:

• Number No Name
• Shimmer
• Lay There
• Better Way
• Fly 1 Time
• Keep It Together
• Dressed In Black
• Boots
• Up To You Now
• Good Times, Bad Times (w/ John Paul Jones)

GOV’T MULE:

• Southern Man (w/ Patterson Hood)
• Lively Up Yourself (w/ Karl Denson & Robben Ford)
• Simple Man (w/ Travis Tritt)
• Livin’ Lovin’ Maid (w/ John Paul Jones)
• Since I’ve Been Loving You (w/ John Paul Jones)
• No Quarter (w/ John Paul Jones on keys & Audley Freed)
• The Ocean (w/ John Paul Jones on bass, Ben Harper & Mike Barnes)
• When The Levee Breaks (w/ Ben Harper & John Paul Jones on bass)