CD Review

Although only in its second year at the time, the early sets on the main stage at the Bonnaroo festival have already come to symbolize brief moments of recovery and peace of mind. Whether still groggy from the prior evening/early morning festivities, or slowly hitting pre-game stride, it’s the set time that separates a lazy summer day from the beginning of another long day/night of music. Warren Haynes, in Manchester, Tennesse for his afternoon set with the Allman Brothers Band and numerous other sit-ins, would take the stage solo for an hour and fifteen minute set– just man, voice and acoustic guitar. The results – Live at Bonnaroo- a 16 song acoustic gem.

Treating the audience as his morning congregation, the soulful slide player allowed for his fiery electric six string work to be dropped in favor of his muscular voice. But rather than covering the expected Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and blues songs; Haynes chose a radically diverse setlist of covers and originals. Songs by The Eagles (“Wasted Time“), U2 (“One“), Radiohead (“Lucky“), and the Grateful Dead (“Stella Blue“) surfaced in the humid noon time air. Although it ain’t easy taking emotional songs sung by Don Henley, Bono, Thom Yorke and Jerry Garcia, and fashioning them to sound legit; Haynes nails the familiar covers with soul-breathing tenderness. Mixed with some Gov’t Mule standards – “Falling Dow,” The Real Thing,” and “Beautifully Broken,” know for their electric prowess, the songs are justly stripped down, allowing them to become completely reinvented in the acoustic realm. Perhaps the most fitting to be laid down in such an intimate format, are the Haynes penned tunes, “I’ll Be the One,” and “Forevermore” – two tunes that prove that his words can stand proudly next to his gracious guitar notes and comforting, raspy vocals. The final number, a stirring rendition of “Soulshine” featuring a guest vocal spot from Vusi Mahlasela of South Africa, gives this now comforting tune, an even more significant light as the two trade verses effortlessly. Live at Bonnaroo, like the festival’s eclectic lineup, superbly captures the big stage amongst a revealing personal set by one of rocks greatest voices - Mr. Warren Haynes.