Warren Haynes Xmas Jam | 12.12 & 13

Wow. Awesome review and pics. This jam looks like it's becoming an institution. I might have to plan on this for next year. Well done.

Matt Abts on the Drums...

There are no words to describe how amazing this weekend of music was. I feel lucky that I was there on the rail both nights to take part in this experience. We met some very nice people both in line and on the rail. Overall it was a great group of artists and fans.

And how about the Jam By Day? I met Kevn Kinney and JJ Grey. On Friday we sat in Jack of the Wood and watched Kevn Kinney, The Abrams Brothers, Girls, Guns and Glory, Col Bruce Hampton and the Egyptian Windmill Operaters and finally JJ Grey before we went to get in line.

This was our first Jam and we will most definately be back.

Thanks to Warren, the Artists, the people who worked at the civic center, the road crews and the people behind the who make this happen!

Nice, finally a break from all the "Phish at Bonnaroo" hullabaloo going on over in the children's room. This review gets me really excited to see Mule with Dumpstaphunk opening for them on the 30th at Hammerstein. My stompin' shoes are ready to go.

Also, Steve Earle was fucking great in The Wire.

I love Tal. Does anybody have the btree of the allmans show? Sounds sick.

Thanks for the great review.

Oteil was great in Being There.

Great review but get your facts straight Jambase

>>>(Townes Van Zandt's "My Old Friend the Blues")

This is NOT a Townes Van Zandt song. Steve wrote it!!!!

looks like a fun time. gotta love asheville and the civic center!

Abts looks so amazing with that beard! wow!

Friday night was unbelievable!! This was my 4th Christmas Jam and by the best in my opinion. This was my first time seeing Dumpstaphunk and they were freakin unreal!! They had two of the nastiest dudes on bass that had everybody in the crowd getting their boogy on. Mule was insane and went into The Other One Jam during Fallen Down (which isn't listed on the setlist). Del McCoury Band was great as always, but when the Lee Boys joined them for Celebrate, the whole place erupted! So, so sick! Warren and JPJ were amazing on Going to California, definitely one of the highlights. DTB was good, but too short. Travis Tritt was actually pretty good (I can't believe I liked it b/c I had him pegged as pop country and thought I wouldn't be a fan, but his set was pretty solid). ABB were the best of the night!!! Guilded Splinters was so freakin dirty and raw, Elizabeth Reed was intense, and of course Mountain Jam>Dazed and Confused>Mountain Jam was a surprise and treat to end to their set b/4 the One Way Out encore. They played a longer set than anyone expected, especially b/c of how late it was. It was the perfect end to an insane night! If you haven't gone to Christmas Jam, do yourself a favor and go next year! Over 9 hours of music on Friday night! It was all the craziness of a festival jammed indoors on a single stage!

tal wilkenfeld is unreal. If you're unfamiliar, look up some of her stuff with Jeff Beck.

great review. by far, some of the best shots I've seen on jambase in a while. The Haynes/Kraz shot is great! Matt Abts looks soooo badass in those shots. The Del McCoury shots w/ JPJ are insane!

thanx for the quick review guys!

awesome shots.

will this be on DVD?

wow those pictures are amazing! Especially the ones of Derek Trucks! He looks like he's just goin crazy on the guitar! so much obvious passion!

I love that Karl Denson got so much jam time! He's one of the best sax players there is playing live these days. Big ups to the Greyboys...This looks like a fun time. SO many great players.

I'll be another one to say if you havent heard Tal Wilkenfeld, look her up. Her solo jazz album Transformation is unbelievable. Also, if you are from the New York area, try and catch a show with her and Wayne Krantz, Cliff Almond. Improvisation at its finest.

Also great to see Robben Ford playing out there with all these people, truly one of the great guitar players, one of my favorites. Great to see him rockin with guys like Warren and Derek.. wish he would join up with Phil again.. maybe someday.. ; )

great review and great pictures. seems to be hell of a good time, for a hell of a good cause. from what i've heard and read about this jam, i am definatly considering making the drive down tobacco road and partaking in the festivities next year. Happy Holidays everybody and enjoy the festivities wherever you may be. A good show to one and all, and to all a good night...Ho Ho Ho :-)

Great review and amazing pictures, of course a reveiw can only do so much justice. YOU have to be at the Jam to really get a clear picture, not only the Civic Center, but the town during the day. I said it when the initial lineup was announced, but this is the best concert of the year in my opinion. You get a chance to discover new acts, but it is amazing how the collaborations take place on the fly. The X Mas Jam Band, Steve, Johnny, Coheed and Cambira were all frickin great. Chain of Fools was off the hook with Ruthie Foster, this woman can straight out sing, she makes it look effortless. When Joan said "I want to be Ruthie Foster when I grow up" I just shook my head and agreed. I mean, the first night was a give of how great the music would be, we all new the Allmans would bust it big, but Saturday night was the shit to me. I have heard I shall be released at the Jam maybe 3 or 4 times, but this version with C&C w/Warren was super nice. Last thing I'll comment on is the version of Gotta Serve Somebody with the alternating verses, once again Ruthie Foster waxed that shit. When would you get a chance to see Travis Tritt, Warren, Steve Earle, Joan and Ruthie Foster go through this classic, it was awesome. People, do yourself a favor and make plans now for next year, while everyone is stoked to hear about certain things that may go down in 2009, one thing is always for sure, The X Mas Jam will never let you down!!! Thanks to all who work so hard to put this show on!

1. Friday night was the best of the 5 xmas jam's i've been to 2. That Dumpstaphunk was worth the price of admission 3. Say what you want about Mr. Tritt but the dude can play the shi!t out of a guitar and carry a tune. 4. Open comments about the state of the civic center are unnecessary.

sweet pics!

I am jealous of those of you who had the great fortune to have been there, sounds like such a great time. Excellent review and super pics, thanks.

gratefullybred, I am a big Robben Ford fan, not sure folks are too familiar with him anymore, he is just an incredible player.

This might be a vacation road trip to plan in the future, and for a good cause, too. Warren is a class act.

Great review and photos Willa. I too was working this event. I almost spontaneously combusted when John Paul Jones played the keyboards during the Mule's version of "No Quarter." That sound was just as eerie Saturday night as it was in the 1970's. Good stuff, good stuff.

Sounds like a great time. How cool is Del McCoury? What a gentleman.

and nobody mentioned johnny winter. super hot. had the whole place dancing.

good times.

breadloaf-

have you ever heard any of the phil and friends shows with Robben from 2000? if not check them out on archive.org Robben's guitar style fits perfectly in the "jam band" realm. super tasty, and also has got chops to boot.

for my first christmas jam i definitely intend on attending the next years to come. had great time. allmans set was amazing, and its nice to see gregg looking healthy again. dumpstaphunk was definitely one of the best shows of night.

man seein gov, Coheed and Mr denson......awesome...this looks like it fuckin rocked!

This Looked Awesome! just like all the other Xmas events. John Paul Jones is one of the greatest bassest ever!, and Bonnaroo Superjam 07 (w/ Harper & ?LOVE) closed the door on that for me. I think he should just jump on the bus with the Mule until Plant gets his head out of his ass. Plus Gov't Mule has needed a "Bass Player". P.S. great review!

Damn - This sounds like it was steller few days of music in a gorgous area!

Looks like a bunch of lucky folks were treated to a serious bit of rock. Huge congrats to the pen and cameras - you made me wish I was there!

Looks like a great time. Wish I was there. Simply said Warren is the man and nice guest spot from JPJ.

yeah, i'd love to hear the ABB set. torrent or sendspace anymore?

Mule's new bass player is a monster. He really fit in.

I was there Friday night for my 30th B-Day! It may have been the best concert I've been to. KD w/ the Mule doing the sickest Other One Jam ever. The Mice Elf was awesome with Dumpstafunk and friends, the bluegrass was an awesome mix of things especially when the Lee Boys joined them, Travis Tritt is a little badass on guitar, the acoustic Soulshine and Going to Cali with Warren and Jon Paul Jones was chillingly poetic and the Allmans thru down a classic set with the most impressive Guilded I've ever heard, JJ Grey's voice was truely soulful on And It Stoned Me, the Statesboro Blues was funky as hell, Denson blew up the Dreams (Trucks and Oteil kept looking at themselves in amazement as they watched KD-pretty sweet), Tal held her own on bass during Liz Reid, a great Mt. Jam sandwich with Mr. Jon Paul Jones on for Dazed and Confused. We got there at 7:30pm and didn't leave until after 4am!

THE BEARD LOOKS GREAT!

warren haynes= overrated

someone tell him to not play with the dead this summer

^ANNNNNNND the fuckin stupidest comment of 2008 goes to MOVEMYPEEPS congrats!

wow this looks like a lot of fun. it's so diverse. and plenty of zeppelin covers always go over well. Props to the forty-something air guitarist who said coheed and cambria was like rush. they've both got the progressive vibe goin' with impressively high pitched vocals at times. *great review!*

Thanks for the great pics! Most of the show is up on btetree.

I was moved to tears on a few occasions during both nights, Del McCoury got me started. This was a Zeppelin lovers dream. The funniest thing I heard was someone behind me yelling "Jimmy Page wishes he was here!" when John Paul Jones and Warren were playin' Goin to California. Great time and many, many thanks to everyone that made it happen! This was my first of MANY Christmas Jams to come.

GREAT WEEKEND

Tal is nothing short of amazing. First time I had seen her live blew me away.

The Allmans Mtn.Jam>Dazed and Confused>Mtn jam sandwich was fantastic.

Going to California had everyone roaring!

J. Winter I think had the best jam of the weekend. I am going to have to look it up but it was one of my favorites.

Thought Matt Abs was a blonde lost a beer bet to my lady.

I thought the venue was great!

Surprise set with Oteil, Susan, Dereck and Mike at the Stella Blue was brilliant.

John Paul Jones second time I have seen you with Mule and all I can say. Fantastic!

Will be back for 2009!

this was my 9th year and the best ever going to california brought tears to my eyes i seriously cried like a little girl- i go to alot of shows and this is by far the best of the year every year. i drive from philadelphia 10 hours its rough but i stay for 3 nights asheville is a really cool town with alot to see and do.just look at the setlist i mean when the levee breaks was better than the original just a goodhearted show i highly recommend going..just bring a good pair of shoes both nights started at 7 and ended at 420 you do the math i didnt sit once either night thats how good this shit can get

It was a great concert all around Except that I had so looked forward to seeing Ben Harper and hearing him live doing his thing and he totally switched it up on me. I like the old style of music so much better. It was unique. I'm not the only one who thought that was dissapointed in his new style. But, I'll be back with my family next year and who know, maybe Dave Matthews will show.

This was my first Christmas Jam and it completely melted my face to the Civic Center floor. Asheville is such a great place, Habitat for Humanity is such a great organization, and there were such great vibes going around Asheville it was impossible not to have one of the best weekends of the year.

The main thing this article leaves out is the the pre-Jam shows at Jack of the Wood, Emerald Lounge, and Stella Blue. I only made it to the Saturday portion of the Jam (damn working at a hospital) and hence I could only hit one pre-show, but the Emerald Lounge was BUMPIN on Saturday. A bluegrassy crew called Tennessee Hollow started things off for us, and Velvet Truckstop really got the place movin. Truckstop's covers of the Stones' Dead Flowers, Dylan, and closer Dont Do It by the Band were all fantastic. The band gelled midway through the set had had the 75 or so people inside blissfully grooving away. It was great being able to look out the but open bay window of the Lounge and see the words Asheville Civic Center as a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come.

Jack of the Wood, a small hole in the wall inside the Laughing Seed restaurant, apparently had some real hard hitters going at it. Col Bruce Hampton and Patterson Hood both made appearances, and the show was recorded and posted here:

Patterson Hood

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=520979

Stella Blue on Friday included a STELLAr lineup of U-Melt, Lee Boys, Dumpstafunk, and Yonrico Scott band that makes me jealous of every person there. Basically, it was a get-down anywhere you went.

The vibe in the Civic Center on Saturday was unbeleivable. I felt like everyone in there was a friend I hadnt met yet, and I ended up making several throughout the night. I met people from 30-year Neil Young tour vets to a 45-year old 6 year bonnaroo vet to an amazing group of kids hanging out on the folded up bleachers to the right of the stage (Emily, Moon, Zane - whats up). Looking out over the massive (Id guess 7000-8000 but I could be way off) crowd swathed in swirling lights while John Paul Jones shattered the place with bass bombs on No Quarter pretty much brought me to tears. I knew it would be a special Mule show when Patterson Hood came out on Southern Man for the opener. I absolutely LOVE Karl Denson so when he came out on Lively Up Yourself i made my way up to the front of the stage to cheer him on. And if your soul didnt quiver when Travis Tritt belted it out on Simple Man, well, you must not have one. Looking up at the clock during The Ocean (along with No Quarter one of my fav Zepp songs), and noticing it was already 3:15 AM and there was still an encore to come was a truly surreal moment.

So, thanks for the GREAT article, the amazing pictures, thanks to the bands and promoters and everyone who helped put this on, thanks to my friends for convincing me to drive from Durham for just the one day, thanks to the guy on craigslist who hooked me up with a ticket for $50, and thanks to all you beautiful people who helped make Christmas jam so unbeleivably AWESOME!

Peace and love,

chapelphish

This was my 4th xmas jam, and besides all the logistical problems with having this many acts even over two nights let me tell you that is was an awesome experience. The ventilation system in the civic center sucks, so the only things i can complain about are cigarette smoke and the fact that ben harper pretty much destroyed an entire evening of unreal music when he took an hour to get onstage and then all the waiting just to suck. sorry, just not a fan. Not a huge Michael Franti fan, his set was spectacular. Not a huge Del McCoury fan, but i sure as hell am now because that whole set from John Paul Jones to being able to get high while watching travis tritt sing, to the lee boys coming out and ripping that place to shreds was amazing. I miss Andy Hess a great deal, he was most certainly needed throughout the weekend. Big ups to Eric Krasno, the man was everywhere all weekend. Other than the walrus himself Kras played with everyone. The one most certain thing i can walk away from this event from other than the facts that i will go again and again, the derek trucks band should have gotten a longer set, and the whole getting no damn sleep thing is that tony hall, the bass player from dumpstaphunk, is the baddest mo' fo' on the planet hands down. the man is the lead guitarist in a band where he plays bass and there's another bass player. TONY HALL IS THE MAN, PERIOD. Thanks warren haynes and the entire crew, it was amazing.

The Warren Haynes 20th Anniversary Christmas Jam was smokin'!

For more amazing photos from this year's Warren Haynes Xmas Jam visit Performance Impressions: http://www.performanceimpressions.com/Warren_Haynes_Xmas_Jam_Photos_2008/" target='blank'>http://www.performanceimpressions.com/Warren_Haynes_Xmas_Jam_Photos_2008/

See past year Xmas Jam photos at http://www.performanceimpressions.com

http://www.performanceimpressions.com/Warren_Haynes_Xmas_Jam_Photos_2008/

This was my first Xmas Jam and I will be back!! I have been to way too many concerts from the Stones to Floyd and many inbetween and this was way up there with the BEST EVER!! Great photos and nice reveiw! I was leary at first not knowing some of the talent on the schedule...but I did not find not one that I did not like!The Pre-Jam at the Orange Peel was just the start of what would be one of my most memorable concerts ever! The fact alone that over 7,300+ people in one place with not one bad incident is in its self almost unheard of!!Let alone some of the best musicians I have ever witnessed all together is "MAGICAL"!! It was a long trip coming from south FL but well worth it!! I will bring the whole family next year! Gregg, looked & sounded great considering how ill he has been! Thanks to Warren and his whole famuley,the people of Asheville,the hard workers at the civic ctr.,all of the great talent for making this happen & all for a wonderful cause! I had more energy than my youngest daughter and my nephew and they wanted to sleep in the first morning!! I can hardly wait for next year! And yes, JORGEN was smoking with the MULE!!Thank You,ALL for making my best Christmas in a long time! And yes Matt is a natural blonde!! Peace to all for the New Year!!

Any one know who the guitarist is who played with Warren Haynes and Johnny Winter on "All Over Now" He frigg'in smoked!?