Warren Haynes and his band did a live performance on their 2011 tour at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, and that performance was recently released on a live CD and DVD set. I have watched the DVD and listened to the CD several times and it's an enjoyable performance, even though it's a bit different as compared to what Haynes is capable of with the Allman Brothers or Gov't Mule (both bands are ones I've seen live before). Never had the chance to see Haynes with his R&B band live, so this set is as close as I can get to that. Still, it's fun to listen to.
Haynes tackles many tracks from the "Man In Motion" record as well as some of his other solo songs and assorted, well chosen cover tunes. The band has two members left over from the studio recording besides Haynes on guitar of course. Tenor saxophonist Ron Holloway is one, and the other (who made a guest appearance at the concert), is keyboardist Ian McLagan from The Small Faces and The Faces (which were basically the same band, I think). Correct me if I am wrong on that. Other band members include vocalist Alecia Chakour, Nigel Hall on keyboards and vocals, Ron Johnson on bass, and Terence Higgins on drums.
For these songs, Haynes relies on his two main semi hollow Gibson ES335 guitars, only playing his signature Les Paul on two of the tunes.
The band is very tight even though Johnson's bass playing is not as inspiring as one would think. He's just holding the groove together. Who can blame him on that one? That's the job of the bass player, to lock in with the drummer. Haynes, Chakour, and Hall provide most of the vocals. Nigel Hall does a good job on backing vocals, just as Ivan Neville did on the record. He's no slouch on the keys and is very soulful no matter if he's wailing on the B3 or pounding out riffs on the Clavinet or the Wurlitzer piano.
Some of the covers that Haynes chooses in addition to his own songs are very interesting. He wrote a song with Ziggy Marley called "Dreaming The Same Dream" and performs his solo number, "Fire In The Kitchen" which is, well, hot! Towards the end of the set, he also covers "Pretzel Logic" by Steely Dan, really putting a groove on it, and "Spanish Castle Magic" by Jimi Hendrix. Two songs from the end, he performs his original tune "Tear Me Down" (which was featured on this blog a while ago), and absolutely smokes it!
The encore features two songs. "Your Wildest Dreams" from "Man In Motion", and Haynes' trademark song "Soulshine" that he's played with both the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule. There are bonus tracks in the DVD, too including a sound check version of "Hattiesburg Hustle" from "Man In Motion" and Haynes' number, "Patchwork Quilt". Those, as well as an original tune called "Power And The Glory" are featured on the DVD, but not the CD.
Great record to listen to if you are an Allman Brothers or Gov't Mule fan who wants to hear a new endeavor from Haynes which was an honest experiment I am sure, that turned out to work well. Here's the track listing by set and not necessarily by disc.
Warren Haynes Band "Live At The Moody Theater"
Set 1:
1. Man In Motion
2. River's Gonna Rise
3. Sick Of My Shadow
4. A Friend To You
5. On A Real Lonely Night
6. Power & The Glory (DVD)
7. Invisible
Set 2:
8. Take A Bullet
9. Hattiesburg Hustle
10. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
11. Frozen Fear
12. Dreaming The Same Dream (written by Warren Haynes & Ziggy Marley)
13. Pretzel Logic (Steely Dan cover)
14. Fire In The Kitchen
15. A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)
16. Spanish Castle Magic (Jimi Hendrix cover)
17. WHB band intro>
18. Tear Me Down
Encore:
19. Your Wildest Dreams
20. Soulshine
DVD bonus tracks
Patchwork Quilt (soundcheck)
Hattiesburg Hustle (rehearsal)
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