Warren Haynes and Guests – The Benefit Concert Volume 20

Evil Teen/ Mascot (inscription)

08 December 2023 (released)

04 December 2023

As the title suggests, this is the 20th benefit concert Warren Haynes has hosted in his hometown of Asheville North Carolina, the first being in 1988 and originally called the 'Christmas Jam'. It's always been about bringing together local musicians and raising funds for the local community, this time raising over $2.8 million for Habitat for Humanity of the Asheville area and building more than 50 homes in the area. Reflecting on its growth, Haynes notes, “As an Asheville resident, it's encouraging to see the progress Asheville has seen over these three decades. In many ways, Christmas Jam reflects the vibrant spirit of this city.”

The album features a host of local artists and a ton of established stars including Dave Grohl, Eric Church, Joe Bonamassa, Jim James, Gov't Mule, Grace Potter and Mike Gordon and was pulled from the December 2018 shows (they went on hiatus after , only to be hit by Covid).
Other featured artists in the set include Marco Benevento, Jamey Johnson, Edwin McCain, Kevn Kinney, Tyler Ramsey, Scott Murawski and Ron Holloway, along with Machan Taylor, Mini Carlsson, Mike Barnes and Ray Sisk sitting in with Gov't Mule . and solo performances by Haynes.

To an extent, it's a typical benefit concert. Very little real flow as musicians and bands change every few minutes and try to outdo each other at every turn. But Haynes has managed to create an artifact that has the feel of a planned concert, and there are some terrific performances.
Dave Grohl, performing his mammoth “Play” live on stage for the first time, produces a massive track worth the album's worth on its own, a deliciously raw version of Grace Potter's “Good Times, Bad Times” and the Nocturnals, Eric Church's brilliant version of 'The Weight'. Joe Bonamassa's gritty and edgy sounding “I Can't Quit You Babe” is amazing, and Gov't Mule put on a stunning “Million Miles From Yesterday”, featuring Machan Taylor and Mini Carlsson.
My personal favorite is 'Rockin' In The Free World' which features Dave Grohl and has all the venom and malice of the original (I'd love to see Neil Young jamming with Warren Haynes).
The whole thing closes on a version of 'Comfortably Numb'.

Lots of gems to choose from and worth a deep search.