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.
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)
The Stub Collection 