Warren Haynes Band 10.31.11

Ogden Theatre
Denver, CO

Words, Photos & Videos By Nicholas Stock (phatphlogblog.blogspot.com)

I don’t usually make it out on Monday nights, but seeing Warren Haynes at the Ogden was something I just could not miss. I headed to the show straight from work, and after waiting for a bit at the box office, I had my credentials and was ready to rock. Amy met me in front of the venue just before 8:00 PM and we made our way inside. The photo pit at the Ogden was tight but certainly enough room for the four photogs in attendance. Warren came out to start the Halloween festivities for the sold out crowd with a huge “Tear Me Down”; here is the rest of the setlist from his website:



Set I: Intro, Tear Me Down, River’s Gonna Rise, Sick of My Shadow, On A Real Lonely Night, Tit For Tat, Invisible, Man in Motion

Set II: Intro > Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag Part 1 > Intro > Papa Don’t Take No Mess, I Got A Bag of My Own, Ain’t That A Groove, Talking Loud> Intro, Georgia On My Mind, Out of Sight, Down and Out in NYC, Superbad, It’s a Man’s World, Think About It > Could Sweat, Try Me > Intro > Pass the Peas, Please, Please, Please, I Feel Good

Encore: Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag Part 2, Soulshine

I’ve seen Warren Haynes with everyone from Phil and Friends and the Dead to Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brother, but this was my first chance seeing him with his new version of the Warren Haynes Band. He is by far the hardest working musician in the jam band scene. He is perhaps the most talented guitarist on the planet so to say I was stoked to see him with this new lineup is a slight understatement. His first set was a breakout of some his best songs on his new album along with some classic solo Warren. Being in the pit for the first three songs was an incredible experience. Having that kind of access continues to feel like a blessing. The first set went by quickly although some of the extended solos from Warren iced the cake nicely. Highlights included a raucous “Sick of My Shadow” and the title track from the new album, “Man in Motion”, to close the set. He invited Dirty Dozen Alumni Sammie “Big Sam” Williams on trombone and another on trumpet to fill out the regularly singular horn section of Ron Holloway on saxophone. The brass adds so much texture to Warren’s classically gritty sound, and vocalist Alecia Chakour complemented his singing with the sweet sounds of her voice.

As is almost too common with jam bands now, Warren decided to do a costume set for Halloween. He chose to do James Brown tunes giving a literal personification to his character of the Godfather of Soulshine. He opened with a sick version of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”. Continuing with an early theme, he went into “Papa Don’t’ Take No Mess” before blasting off into “I Got A Bag of My Own”. It was a fun and strong set opener that really laid down the mood for the rest of the show. Warren traded vocal duties back and forth with Nigel Hall. Hall is a true veteran having played with both Lettuce and Chapter 2, and continues to keep the soul keyboard alive and well. “Talking Loud” into “Georgia On My Mind” was absolutely beautiful, but my highlight from the entire show had to be “It’s A Man’s World”. The way Warren pushed out the vocals was mesmerizing to watch, taking the James Brown set to a whole other level. The inclusion of songs like “Superbad” and the set ending “I Feel Good” were perfect choices for a group paying homage to The Minister of New New Super Heavy Funk. Warren Haynes Band encored with “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag Part 2” and “Soulshine”. The music was top notch and the band was stupefyingly good. It was just a solid night all around and a great combination of The Hardest Working Man in Jam and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.

www.warrenhaynes.net

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