Warren Haynes, photo by Dino Perrucci
Warren Haynes’ Winter of Warren solo tour has been a whirlwind. Over the past two weeks, the venerable singer-songwriter and guitarist has trekked from Northern California down to Texas, delivering 10 stripped-back shows that grabbed headlines with their unconventional setlists. Last night, he closed out the series with a highly anticipated return to Pelham, Tenn.’s hallowed Caverns, where he exceeded expectations through a heap of fan service.
Haynes’ Caverns performance rolled in from the tender and reflective introduction of Gov’t Mule’s Revolution Come…Revolution Go entry “Traveling Tune,” which rang out through the subterranean theater as he struck the first notes of the late Bob Weir’s signature “Cassidy.” After his second solo version of the Million Voices Whisper original “You Ain’t Above Me,” Haynes nodded to Tennessee’s rich music history with a cover of Otis Redding’s Stax classic “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” performed for the first time since October 2012.
Other covers of Son House’s Delta blues standard “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” and Billy Edd Wheeler’s “Coal Tattoo” preceded his own live rarity “It Began To Snow,” unearthed for its fifth all-time treatment and first since January 2019. To finish off the first frame, Haynes nodded to his tenure in the Allman Brothers Band with “Old Friend” and “End Of The Line.”
Haynes commenced his second set by saluting another important artist in The Volunteer State’s music culture, delivering his second version of Gillian Welch’s Revelator essential “Everything Is Free” to date and first since Sept. 2020. Immediately after, the artist veered into his blues roots with a reverent rendition of Muddy Waters’ “Feel Like Going Home,” which he’d covered last in March 2022, then rolled through other covers like Radiohead’s “Karma Police” and Elton John’s “Madman Across The Water” alongside his own deep cuts like Gov’t Mule’s “Fallen Down.”
Haynes narrowed his focus to his own songbook for the evening’s bell lap, including his third presentation of his Man in Motion cut “Save Me,” last delivered in November 2020, and his second performance of his recently introduced original “Till I Can Make It On My Own” and culminating in a tried and true set closer of “Soulshine.” As the final statement of an intimate show and an unforgettable tour, he honored the Grateful Dead with a first encore of “High Time” and a second of “Standing On The Moon,” both unearthed for their first stagings since June 2016.
Tomorrow, Haynes will set off on a six-night run with the Warren Haynes Band from Suwannee Amp Jam #2 in Live Oak, Fla. Find tickets and more information at warrenhaynes.net.
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