Warren Haynes’ Xmas Jam | 12.15 | NC
By Team JamBase Dec 18, 2007 • 12:00 am PST

19th Annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam :: 12.15.07 :: Asheville Civic Center :: Asheville, NC
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At 7 p.m., the crowd was finally ushered inside from the cold and rain into the Civic Center, which was decked out in Christmas lights and holiday cheer. Haynes kicked off the marathon show by reminding us of the Jam’s ultimate cause – to benefit Habitat for Humanity – before powering through “Soulshine.” Bruce Hornsby, Mike Farris and a full gospel choir joined Haynes for a rousing, near-spiritual rendition of “Trouble” that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Gov’t Mule opener Grace Potter and the Nocturnals followed with their girl power Southern rock. With her sexy, bluesy vocals and the moves to match, Potter was all charm, strutting around onstage in a mini-dress and knee-high white go-go boots. But it was her vocal chops that really wowed the audience as the band grooved through an all too short set that probably left everyone in the audience a fan.
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The only slightly gray Jackson Browne took the stage with an acoustic guitar for the mellowest, most serious set of the night. “I love this kind of show because you never know who you’re going to run into,” he said. Backed by drummer Wally Ingram (Stockholm Syndrome) and keyboard legend Bernie Worrell, the set had the warm and melodic lean that Browne has perfected. Never one to shy away from politics, the singer-guitarist opened with Christmas lament “The Rebel Jesus” and continued to make his views on war known with a moving cover of Dylan’s “Desolation Row” and his own “Drums of War.” The Asheville crowd certainly seemed to be on Browne’s side as Haynes joined in for a stirring rendition of well-known freedom tune “Patriot.”
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After an impromptu one-song performance by Kevn Kinney, Garrett “G. Love” Dutton performed a bouncing hip-hop-laced set that only seemed a little out of place amongst the ’70s/’80s revelry. And the audience didn’t seem to mind. G. Love saw a variety of cameos including fiddler Dave Muhlethaler, Jason Isbell, Bernie Worrell, Andy Hess and, of course, Haynes. With his shiny high-top shoes and a little bit of swagger, G. Love was a refreshing jolt of energy – the perfect way to lead up to the long-anticipated appearance of Peter Frampton.
Frampton didn’t disappoint. Despite having short, cropped white hair in place of his iconic long, curly hair from his heyday, Frampton seemed spry as ever as he took the stage with Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis and Andy Hess and guitarist Audley Freed. With a constant smile on his face, Frampton barreled through energetic rockers like “Four Day Creep” and Humble Pie tunes “Shotgun” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” A talk box hinted at the upcoming “Do You Feel Like I Do,” which for the older fans was a trip down memory lane and for the younger ones a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear the legend perform his legendary song. But, despite the crowd’s super sonic reaction to “Feel,” Frampton had another trick up his sleeve.
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Despite the fact that it was creeping toward 2 a.m., a large part of the crowd stayed to hear Gov’t Mule’s show-ending performance. The Jam had come full circle since Haynes’ “Soulshine” opener, traveling from good ol’ Southern blues to acoustic folk to hip-hop and Brit-rock and back again. Haynes kept it simple, playing through Gov’t Mule tunes with Worrell, Mike Barnes, Freed, Holloway and a cameo by Col. Bruce Hampton before bringing Frampton back for a cover of Ray Charles’ “I Believe To My Soul.”
Despite some initial hesitancy by younger Christmas Jam fans, Haynes managed to again pull off a stellar show. Where previous Jams have catered to 20-somethings with acts like Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews, this year gave everyone a chance at some serious nostalgia and proved to younger audience members that their parent’s heroes can still rock & roll. It’s clear that Warren Haynes has got this Christmas Jam thing down to an art, and Jam fans will likely follow him in any direction he chooses to go.
Continue reading for more of Willa Stein’s Christmas Jam photos…
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2007 SETLIST
12.15.07 :: Asheville Civic Center :: Asheville, NC
WARREN HAYNES, DANNY LOUIS, BRUCE HORNSBY & THE HABITAT ENSEMBLE
Soulshine
MIKE FARRIS, WARREN HAYNES, DANNY LOUIS, BRUCE HORNSBY & THE HABITAT ENSEMBLE
Trouble of The World
GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS
Ain’t No Time, Stop The Bus, Nothing But The Water (Intro), Watching You*, Big White Gate
* w/Mike Barnes on Guitar STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Tight, Empire One, Bouncing Very Well*, Couldn’t Get It Right**
* w/ Machan Taylor **
w/Warren Haynes & Machan Taylor
JACKSON BROWNE
The Rebel Jesus, Desolation Row*, Drums of War* , Next Voice You Hear**, Lives In The Balance***, Patriot****
* w/Wally Ingram & Bernie Worrell
** w/Wally Ingram & Bruce Hornsby
*** w/Wally Ingram & Warren Haynes
**** w/Wally Ingram, Warren Haynes & Shelley Colvin BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS
Long Valley Road, White Wheel Limo*, Fortunately Numb, End of Innocence**, Rainbow’s Cadillac***
* w/Warren Haynes & Ron Holloway
** w/Jackson Browne & Warren Haynes
*** w/Warren Haynes, Ron Holloway & Bernie Worrell KEVN KINNEY
My Jesus
G. LOVE
Rainbow*, Superhero Brother**, Can’t Get Back To Jersey**, Cold Beverages***, X-Mas Blues***, Peace, Love & Happiness****
* w/Fiddle Dave Muhlethaler
** w/Jason Isbell
*** w/Bernie Worrell & Andy Hess
**** w/Warren Haynes, Bernie Worrell & Andy Hess
PETER FRAMPTON*
Four Day Creep, Shotgun, Blooze**, I Don’t Need To Doctor**, Do You Feel Like I Do, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
* w/Audley Freed, Danny Louis & Andy Hess
** w/Warren Haynes, Audley Freed, Danny Louis & Andy Hess
GOV’T MULE
Beautifully Broken, I’m A Ram, Streamline Woman, Mr. High & Mighty, Fixin To Die*, I Believe To My Soul**, 32/20 Blues***, Goin Out West****
* w/Col. Bruce Hampton, Jason Isbell, Bernie Worrell & Ron Holloway
** w/Peter Frampton & Bernie Worrell
*** w/Ron Holloway & Mike Barnes
**** w/Audley Freed
JamBase | North Carolina
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