Warren Haynes Discusses Leaving Allman Brothers

Later this month The Allman Brothers Band will play what’s been announced as the group’s final concerts. Guitarist Warren Haynes shared some of his most extensive comments about the end of the band and their six-show run at NYC’s Beacon Theatre in an interview with KRXO’s David Kelso.

[Photo by Jeremy Williams]

Haynes decided to set the record straight about the uncertainty regarding the end of the Allmans’ run. “For the past three years the Allman Brothers Band, as a band, has been talking about stopping touring at the end of the 45th anniversary. We all agreed that would be the time and place to go out. It’s not something that two of us or four of us or five of us or six of us decided on, the entire band decided on it. Sometime this year some people started changing their mind and getting cold feet and some of us had already made plans accordingly. So it’s not like this whole concept came from Derek and myself, this is something that we all agreed on, but Derek and myself had made plans beyond this year. And we still feel like it’s the right thing and hopefully the entire band will be in agreement. But it’s not my decision to make, if they want to continue that’s something that’s their decision,” Warren told Kelso.

Warren continued on by discussing why he feels ending the Allmans run is a good idea, “There’s certain bands that can just go out there and play their hit songs and go through the motions and it’s okay. The Allman Brothers Band, since I joined 25 years ago, they’ve never looked at their selves that way. For 25 years the discussion has always been when the time comes that we feel like in any way we’re compromising our legacy and our integrity and turning into a nostalgia act, then it will be the time to stop. And that’s not something that comes from me, that comes from the original members of the band ever since I joined.” He doesn’t think the Allmans have reached that point yet, but he feels at some point they would.

Warren treaded lightly when asked about whether Dickey Betts would perform with the Allmans at the final shows, “I would like to think so. Me personally, I’d like to see that happen.” He then went on to say that both he and Derek felt weird about moving on with the Allmans without Dickey and he’d love to see Betts sit in at the Beacon. As for his emotions leading up to the finale? “It’s gonna be really emotional, it already is…being part of that band for 25 years is an unbelievable experience and opportunity.”

Haynes also broke the news that Gov’t Mule will start working on a new studio record “fairly soon” and that there’s a few live releases coming. Warren explained that Mule’s Halloween show from 2008, when the band covered Pink Floyd, will be released on DVD. The band will also celebrate their 20th anniversary by releasing vinyl of Gov’t Mule covering The Rolling Stones on Halloween ’09 and Warren also revealed the group will put out their “Sco-Mule” collaboration with John Scofield at some point soon.

Be sure to listen to the whole interview at KRXO.com.