PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
On a scorching hot day then spending a few hours stuck in a hot venue wouldn’t normally be most people’s idea of fun, but when Warren Haynes plays then that’s different and the venue was full. Normally gigs at the Stables have an interval either after the support act or when there’s no support then midway through the artists set, but people were advised that tonight there would be no interval. As any Gov’t Mule fan will know, Warren Haynes doesn’t do short sets so people were expecting a set that would last a couple of hours.
This was my first time seeing a Warren Haynes show as opposed to Gov’t Mule, so it was interesting to see the differences. Rather than all being his own songs, it was largely cover versions with quite a few Allman Brothers songs included in the set. As with Gov’t Mule you get the impression that even if the same songs were played every night, the songs would still be different each time as there’s so much of an improvised jam feel to the music.
It’s stunningly good stuff – fantastic songs performed beatufiully and with lots of passion – as you watch Warren Haynes you can see from the look on his face that he seems to be totally lost in the music and truly loves what he does. He’s got a good band with him too and they’re playing instruments such as the mandolin, bouble bass and fiddle as well as the usual drums, bass etc. Every song is a long one and despite only playing around 15 songs, it was well over two and a half hours before they brought the set to a close with a cover of “Jessica”, the Allman brothers song better known to millions of people as the Top Gear theme music. After a very short break (a couple of minutes at most) they were back on the stage for the encore. After playing another Allman Brothers song (Soulshine), a special guest was brought out – Bernie Marsden, and they played “Two of a kind”. That was stunningly good, and for a few minutes it was just Warren and Bernie playing while the rest of the band stood to the sides and watched with admiration before they too joined in.
At the end, Warren thanked the audience and apologised for playing a bit too long – trust me, no apologies were needed as the audience loved every minute of the show which lasted over three hours. Warren Haynes is a fantastic musician and if you like the Blues then I strongly recommend that you get to one of his solo shows or a Gov’t Mule show as you’re in for a fantastic night of music.
Setlist:
Is It Me or You
Patchwork quilt
Beat Down the Dust
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
Skin It Back
Come On in My Kitchen
Company Man
Blue Maiden’s Tale
Stranded in Self Pity
Dusk Till Dawn
Hallelujah Boulevard
Blue Sky
Instrumental Illness
Spots of Time
Jessica
Encore:
Soulshine
Two of a Kind
