Concert review: Warren Haynes presents Christmas Jam 2022

After years of asking Asheville, “Who’s got my miracle? I need a miracle!” I finally got in to see the Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam this past Saturday night. And while I’m glad I did — it was a good show and a whole lot of it — it was not quite the epic event that I had heard it to be or, more accurately, what I had imagined it to be. 

It’s not like it wasn’t as advertised. That’s just it — it was exactly as advertised. No spit-take surprise special guests announced, no wildly veering off schedule as the bands blow past posted set times. Just a well-produced program of music that featured a solid assortment of acts that didn’t feel like someone made the mistake of letting the hippies host the party. 

It was all well executed, if not quite what I expected. For me, it felt like the episode of Friends where they await the arrival of “Fun Bobby” back to town. He shows up as a much more sober version of himself. The friends are glad for him that he has gotten his drinking and outrageous antics under control but they admit to missing the amusing mess he used to make.

Now, me missing the imagined amusing mess may have something to do with a more controlled post-COVID approach by the concert producers, but also by the fact that I made the rookie mistake of not saving room for the late-night jam desserts and instead filled up on bread in the form of one of my favorite bands. 

The show was slated to start at 7 p.m., but knowing that it’s more of a marathon than a sprint, I had planned to get there a few hours later — after they had worked their way through the tiny-type opening acts on the bottom of the poster like Scott Metzger and Audley Freed and solo Hiss Golden Messenger, and when they were starting to roll out the larger font, featured acts found at the top of the bill, like Dinosaur Jr., Tyler Childers, and, of course, Haynes’ Gov’t Mule. 

But that’s not how the Christmas Jam is served. They’re not afraid to go big, early and often. Someone who had access to a shared setlist texted to tell me that Dinosaur Jr. would be going on at 7:15 p.m. That was soon. Scramble, scramble! They were the whole reason that I wanted to go this year. When I raised my hand to review some of the show, I said I would definitely do Dinosaur Jr. Those are my people! That is my crowd! Noisy ’90s wounded indie rock is my jam — much more than jam bands. 

I made it just in time for the top of the show — and hooray that I did! Metzger (of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) on guitar along with Katie Jacoby on violin started with a short set that nicely set things in motion. No long curtain speech. Just sit, welcome the crowd, and here come the songs. Metzger said the first tune was a request from a friend of his, but a song or two later, I thought that friend was me when they played an all-time favorite of mine, Camper van Beethoven’s “When I Win the Lottery.” I had finally gotten in, and 10 minutes in, I was all in.

Dinosaur Jr. (Photo by Bryce Lafoon)

And then Haynes called to the stage Dinosaur Jr. I have been lucky enough to have seen J Mascis & Co. pound out their songs while punishing my ears a handful of times over the years. They’ve done it for so long, never losing their distinct sound. It was strange to see them take their places on the expansive Civic Center stage and not crammed into a tiny club. 

I thought I overheard one of the band members say, as they hung the straps around their necks, “I don’t know if we’ve ever played a stage this big before.” And then they launched into their opening song, “The Lung,” from their 1987 album, You’re Living All Over Me. It was a bit strange that my ears weren’t bleeding but they were pure rock ’n’ roll per usual. 

They followed with “Garden” from their recent 2021 release, Sweep It Into Space, and then “Been Here All the Time,” from 2007’s Beyond. We were about a half hour into the show and I was in heaven. Then they treated us to two tracks off their brilliant 1993 album, Where You Been — first “Get Me,” and they do, and then “Start Choppin’,” which I was. 

I was a little miffed that much of the crowd was not rocking nearly as hard as I was, head bobbing and banging. I figured that Dinosaur Jr. would win over the uninformed eventually…but then it was over. I was thoroughly enjoying myself only to have it last maybe 30 minutes. I reminded myself that this was a mini music fest of sorts with many acts to follow, although this awesome act would be hard to follow. 

After they finished, I collected myself, decided not to lodge a complaint about the lamentable length of set, and went off in search of my friends, which involved a comical misconnection worthy of a Fawlty Towers episode where I didn’t realize there were two smoking patios. “By the stairs? I am by the stairs!” 

Brothers Osborne (Photo by Bryce Lafoon)

Convinced I was being pranked, I decided to step back into the auditorium and slide into some open seats on the balcony level to watch the next big act, Brothers Osborne. They are not my favorite kind of music — contemporary country music doesn’t do much for me — but I like what they promote from their platform and they certainly know how to hit their musical marks. 

I’d wandered into the area behind the stage because I‘d always wondered who sits behind the stage at a show. Turns out lots of people, especially when seats are limited. It’s an agreeable angle, unobstructed and always exciting when a member of the band turns their back on the audience for a few seconds, affording you a full frontal view. But the thing you can really see from that vantage point is the crowd, who were obviously enthralled by Brothers Osborne and who were also wall-to-wall white. This may not be anything new or notable for many Asheville-area shows, but I just hadn’t seen it in full effect like that from high above the drummer’s head. 

I did eventually find my friends on the lower smoking patio, and we got to be reminded just how good Gov’t Mule is. Haynes does not waste his opportunities to be the star — or at least one of them — at his own show. Jam music may not be my go-to jam, but damn! They sure do know what they’re doing, whether playing their songs (especially “Temporary Saint” and “Banks of the Deep End”) or those of bands like Little Feat (“Sailin’ Shoes”) or The Allman Brothers (“Blue Sky”).

Gov’t Mule (Photo by Bryce Lafoon)

Haynes, along with his bandmates and invited guests like Audley Freed, Mike Barnes, and the aforementioned Metzger, served up and shredded nine fantastic arena rock songs, including CSNY’s “Almost Cut My Hair,” in their featured set. Amazing musicians found great grooves and quality collaboration as the show found its next gear.

I was surprised that things never really downshifted going forward into the late evening/early morning hours. The next headliner to take the stage was Tyler Childers. I know I said that I don’t care much for contemporary country music — and I don’t. I really don’t — but I do like that branch of neotraditional and, at time, folksy country music that Childers belongs to, along with Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, and Colter Wall. 

So when Childers was announced on the lineup, I was excited to hear his signature vocals and songmanship take a shift on the Christmas Jam musical assembly line. And while extensive jamming did happen on some cuts like “Tom Turkey” and “Way of the Triune God,” I kept thinking that Childers and his band sounded a lot like Warren and his band. Many of their songs had a nice, big, full sound that surged through the Civic Center, but I was hankering for a more stripped-down sound rather than rousing renditions that rose to fill the arena. 

Tyler Childers (Photo by Bryce Lafoon)

And if we were going to go big, why couldn’t we bring back Dinosaur Jr? And maybe I should have eaten something more before running off to be in the building for their surprisingly early set. And maybe I shouldn't have rocked out so hard right out the gate — I was getting close to my turnoff on the highway to Tired.

And as the show then pivoted from Childers to Phil Lesh & Friends, I was losing my mojo for jam music. Again, really good jam music played by impressive musicians and featured guests, now fresh off The Grateful Dead grill. They made it as accessible as possible for me, playing songs like Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour” and The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus.” But whether it’s blue, red, or yellow, all Gatorade tastes like Gatorade. And after a while, all jam band songs, even covers, tickle that same spot over and over on me, and it no longer feels good — it just feels long.

I used to live within walking distance of downtown and may have stayed on until the end if I still did — but I don’t and I was done, so I didn’t. My friend from the smoking patio texted to tell me I had left just before “Terrapin.” Spatially? Yes. But spiritually? I had left much earlier than that. 

I missed “Terrapin” and whatever bonus-round jams came after that. I’m fine with that. I finally got into the annual show that had eluded me for so long. 

The first 45 minutes were magnificent. The next four or five hours were formidable, filled with solid sets by masterful musicians. Just maybe not music meant for me. 

Much of that crowd seemed to love the Christmas Jam. I’m more of a J Mascis man myself.

(Photos by Bryce Lafoon)

While Tom braved the Civic Center floor and threw some business to his chiropractor and masseuse the following day, I discovered my new favorite way to experience Christmas Jam: from my living room.

The 4K livestream on Volume.com offered would-be FOMOers a chance to partake for a mere $30, and from the first notes of Metzger’s opening set, the audio and visual quality far exceeded whatever expectations I’d had of the home-viewing option. The variety of camera angles and close-ups from the well-directed production put streamers right in the front row — if not closer — and earplugs were wholly unnecessary.

As the non-stop tunes played out, I was reminded of the joys of being at both nights of the most recent Jam in 2018, but also the hoards of people, overpriced concessions, and the extreme exhaustion of standing on that unforgiving surface for 8+ hours. (Twice.)

Going forward, I’m more than happy to leave that endurance test to the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers crowd who thrive in that setting — and much respect to them! I’ll be lounging in my recliner, eating frozen pizza, and sipping cans of Christmas Jam IPA with a few music-loving friends.

—Edwin Arnaudin