Summer approaches, meaning:
– I spend much time thinking of great outdoor shows from summers past
– I listen to more DMB than normal (and I already listen to a lot), gearing up for the annual summer tour

Today, this leads me to Warren Haynes Band. Last summer, during my annual DMB pilgrimage to The Gorge on Labor Day weekend, I saw Warren Haynes’s solo band perform a smokin’ set. Haynes & Co. were my favorite (save the headliner) of DMB Caravan 2011 – last year’s full-blown festival. (TR3 and The Roots also get honorable mentions for also tearing the nonexistent roof off the place.)

Warren Haynes, a who’s who rock and blues guitarist, has earned his reputation as a top-notch gunslinger playing for The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead (and various Grateful Dead satellite projects), and Gov’t Mule. 2011 saw the release of Man in Motion, for which he’s been touring in support of with a killer backing band. After seeing this band (the same personnel as the below video) absolutely destroy last September, my first order of business upon returning home was to purchase Man in Motion. Good songs and good jams abound, although I must say I prefer the live band of more obscure side(wo)men – the studio effort understandably features a few more “name” acts. The same live band is also featured on the recently-released Live at the Moody Theater (2012). Besides the band simply being filled with solid musicians, it’s one of my ideal instrumentations: drums, bass, keys, guitar, male & female vocal, horn. Very versatile.

This video is from the band’s performance at last year’s Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN. Oddly enough the first time I saw Warren live was at Bonnaroo 2005, both with Gov’t Mule and when he sat in with DMB – talk about coming full circle for this post! The one and only Lewis Black introduces the band and enjoys the show from the wings. (Black himself is a fan of good rock – he often uses “U.S. Blues” as the audience exit music after his shows.)

Warren Haynes Band:
Warren Haynes – Guitar, Vocals
Alecia Chakour – Vocals
Nigel Hall – Keys, Vocals
Terrence Higgins – Drums
Ron Holloway – Saxophone
Ron Johnson – Bass