When you think of serious guitar heroes, you might think, according to your taste in music, of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Eddie Van Halen, Neil Young, or perhaps Carlos Santana. In the field of Southern rock, you might instinctively think Duane Allman. In the same field, there have emerged two of the greatest of the current crop, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, and it was the latter that your writer went to see in his current iteration on the first date of his European tour, a sole stop in the UK at Islington Assembly Halls.
Haynes is one of the most accomplished of electric guitar players, a talent cultivated over many years playing in various styles of music. At 20, he was playing with country star David Allan Coe and even co-wrote a country hit for Garth Brooks. In 1987, Dickey Betts recruited him for his own post-Allmans group and in 1989, he was invited to join the Allman Brothers Band along with Betts, the pair remaining until 1997, with Haynes only to re-join in 2001, where the other lead guitarist was the aforementioned guitar prodigy, Derek Trucks. In 2014 they both left to pursue other ventures, Haynes with his Southern rock jam band Gov’t Mule (that had been formed back in 1997) and increasingly as a solo artist performing and producing acoustic albums and his electric band commitments, while at the same time guest-appearing with dozens of other artists either live or on record (including ex-Grateful Dead members, The Dave Matthews Band, and The Derek Trucks Band)
So, on July 1st he let loose on an expectant and rather hot audience with Gov’t Mule’s ‘Tear Me down’, immediately exposing the bona fides of his brilliant band – superstar jazz and rock bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Terence Higgins (both from Gov’t Mule), keyboardist Matt Slocum and veteran free-form jazz and funk sax player Greg Osby, a veritable supergroup. The whole set, split into two with a short break, was a mix of Gov’t Mule, Allmans and solo album selections. Then to show off the band’s blues and jazz chops, there was an extended cover of Little Milton’s ‘That’s What Love Will Make You Do’ (with UK – based guitarist Ted Morcaldi sitting in) and John Coltrane’s ‘Blue Train’, and the Van Morrison classic ‘I’ve been Working’. The enthusiastic audience exploded into applause whenever one of the band took a solo, some of which were breathtaking, including a masterful bass solo from Scott, who was transcendent throughout.
It is often forgotten what a fine songwriter Haynes has become, and he showcased a few songs from his latest (2024) album “Million Voices Whisper” (where a few of his americana credentials can be found). He picked ‘Go Down Swinging‘, the optimistic ‘This Life As We Know It’ and the two highlights from the album, ‘These Changes’ and a co-write with Gregg Allman, ‘Real Real Love’, a real highlight of the night.
ABB was represented by the opening set closer ‘Instrumental Illness‘, and after a scorching version of ‘Dreams’, the encore was their ‘Soulshine’ (from the fine 1994 album “Where It All Begins”). Before that, there had been a monumental performance of the Gov’t Mule standout ‘Thorazine Shuffle’ (about the drug that treats depression and mental health), with long sidetracks into John Scofield’s ‘Hottentot’ and Tito Puente’s ‘Oye Como Va‘ (an early Santana favourite).
While featuring the band extensively, it should not be forgotten that Haynes was the star of the show, teasing some amazing sounds from his guitar, never overtly flashy and always using his solos in service of the song, be it a jazz-influenced number, a blues or a Southern rock free-for-all, notwithstanding some of the longer jams that are a feature particularly of the Gov’t Mule songs. His americana-influenced numbers were rocked up on this occasion, but some are about to be found on his new album “The Whisper Sessions”, where he plays solo throughout, apart from a couple of duets with his guitar soulmate, Trucks. The Assembly Hall is part of the Islington Town Hall building and holds a relatively modest number of punters in a relatively modest space, leading to an intimate feel to the occasion. There is no doubt that the crowd left completely satisfied with an immense performance from one of the great guitarists of the last 30 years. Catch him next time if you can.
